Predictions and dates1950s1980s1990s2000s2010sEvidence collection
Zbiór dowodów · wyraźna przepowiednia, później zreinterpretowana
The generation of 1914
Od 1951 roku publikacje nauczały, że koniec nadejdzie jeszcze za życia ludzi, którzy widzieli rok 1914, a od początku lat osiemdziesiątych (według relacji; oficjalnie zacytowano to po raz pierwszy w 1993 roku) aż do października 1995 roku oświadczenie o celu czasopisma, zamieszczane na stronie 4 każdego numeru Przebudźcie się!, mówiło, że nowy świat nadejdzie, „zanim przeminie pokolenie, które widziało wydarzenia roku 1914”. Ta strona pokazuje to sformułowanie, datę jego wycofania oraz cztery definicje słowa „pokolenie”, które po nim nastąpiły.
Ostatni przegląd: 19 września 2026
Co przepowiedziano
The actual meaning of these words is, beyond question, that which takes a 'generation' in the ordinary sense, as at Mark 8:12 and Acts 13:36, or for those who are living at the given period.
If Jesus used 'generation' in that sense and we apply it to 1914, then the babies of that generation are now 70 years old or older. ... Jehovah's prophetic word through Christ Jesus is: 'This generation [of 1914] will by no means pass away until all things occur.' (Luke 21:32) And Jehovah ... will bring about the fulfillment of his Son's words in a relatively short time.
Before the last members of the generation that was alive in 1914 will have passed off the scene, all the things foretold will occur, including the 'great tribulation' in which the present wicked world will end.
In 1951 The Watchtower said 'this generation' in Matthew 24:34 must be taken 'in the ordinary sense... for those who are living at the given period', beginning in 1914, and that the 'time of the end' covers 'a period of many years, those of a generation'. Source: The Watchtower, 1 lipca 1951
Stanowisko organizacji lub jej późniejsze wyjaśnienie: Superseded in 1995.
1 lipca 1951 · p.404 · par. 11 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“The actual meaning of these words is, beyond question, that which takes a 'generation' in the ordinary sense, as at Mark 8:12 and Acts 13:36, or for those who are living at the given period.”
Par. 1 says the 'time of the end' covers 'a period of many years, those of a generation' beginning A.D. 1914.
The Watchtower cover article of 15 May 1984, '1914—The Generation That Will Not Pass Away', applied the generation to people alive in 1914 ('the babies of that generation are now 70 years old or older') and said Jehovah 'will bring about the fulfillment of his Son's words in a relatively short time'; Reasoning From the Scriptures (1985) likewise said all the things foretold would occur 'before the last members of the generation that was alive in 1914 will have passed off the scene'. Source: The Watchtower, 15 maja 1984Source: Reasoning From the Scriptures (1985; 1989 revision on wol), 1985
Stanowisko organizacji lub jej późniejsze wyjaśnienie: The Watchtower 1 Nov 1995 p.17 reframes such calculations as 'Jehovah's people have at times speculated'.
15 maja 1984 · pp.4-7 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“If Jesus used 'generation' in that sense and we apply it to 1914, then the babies of that generation are now 70 years old or older. ... Jehovah's prophetic word through Christ Jesus is: 'This generation [of 1914] will by no means pass away until all things occur.' (Luke 21:32) And Jehovah ... will bring about the fulfillment of his Son's words in a relatively short time.”
Cover-feature article; states the prophecies 'will be fulfilled within the life span of the generation of 1914'.
1985 · p.97 · Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York
“Before the last members of the generation that was alive in 1914 will have passed off the scene, all the things foretold will occur, including the 'great tribulation' in which the present wicked world will end.”
Under the question 'Then why is there still so much wickedness on earth?'; also glosses Matt. 24:34 as 'this generation [that was alive when "the sign" of "the last days" began its fulfillment]'.
Awake! page 4, 1982 (start date supported) to 1995; last issue opened 8 November 1994
‘… before the generation that saw the events of 1914 passes away’
The purpose of Awake! is stated clearly on page 4 of each issue: 'This magazine builds confidence in the Creator's promise of a peaceful and secure new world before the generation that saw the events of 1914 passes away.'
The statement of purpose was quoted in the organisation’s own Kingdom Ministry (1993) and in Awake! itself (1994).Source: Awake!, 8 listopada 1994
Awake! page 4, from 8 November 1995
‘… a new world that is about to replace the present wicked, lawless system of things’
A brief review of what is stated on page 4 of each issue of Awake! ... 'Most important, this magazine builds confidence in the Creator's promise of a peaceful and secure new world that is about to replace the present wicked, lawless system of things.'
The new wording is verified in the October 1996 Kingdom Ministry. The 8 November 1995 issue is not in the online library, so the exact date of the change is labelled ‘supported’.Source: Awake!, 8 listopada 1995
Wyraźne stwierdzenie · października 1993Zweryfikowane
Through the early 1990s every issue of Awake! carried on page 4 the statement that the magazine 'builds confidence in the Creator's promise of a peaceful and secure new world before the generation that saw the events of 1914 passes away' — a sentence quoted verbatim in Our Kingdom Ministry (Oct 1993) and in Awake! itself (8 Nov 1994). Source: Our Kingdom Ministry, października 1993Source: Awake!, 8 listopada 1994
października 1993 · p.8 · par. 1 · Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York
“The purpose of Awake! is stated clearly on page 4 of each issue: 'This magazine builds confidence in the Creator's promise of a peaceful and secure new world before the generation that saw the events of 1914 passes away.'”
Official quotation of the Awake! page-4 statement of purpose as then printed.
8 listopada 1994 · pp.10-11 · Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York
“As indicated on page 4, 'this magazine builds confidence in the Creator's promise of a peaceful and secure new world before the generation that saw the events of 1914 passes away.' No doubt many of our readers find that statement surprising.”
8 listopada 1995 · p.4 · Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York
“This magazine builds confidence in the Creator's promise of a peaceful and secure new world that is about to replace the present wicked, lawless system of things.”
Replaces the 1914-generation wording; the earliest wol occurrence of the new wording is Our Kingdom Ministry, October 1996, p. 1 (doc 201996363).
No online copy located.
Uwaga o pochodzeniu i weryfikacji for Awake!, Page 4 statement of purpose (masthead) — revised wording
Uwaga o wiarygodności.The 8 Nov 1995 issue's page 4 is not on wol and no scan was opened; the change date rests on discovery sources (JWfacts, Watchman Fellowship, Wikipedia) that agree, plus the wol trail (old wording last quoted g94 11/8; new wording quoted km 10/96).
Notes.Publish as 'by late 1995 / first seen 8 Nov 1995 (per discovery sources)' unless a scan is obtained. The new wording itself is verified in km Oct 1996 p.1.
Data dostępu. 19 września 2026 · Identyfikator źródła.src-g-1995-1108-masthead-change
października 1996 · p.1 · par. 4 · Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York
“A brief review of what is stated on page 4 of each issue of Awake! ... 'Most important, this magazine builds confidence in the Creator's promise of a peaceful and secure new world that is about to replace the present wicked, lawless system of things.'”
Earliest wol occurrence of the revised Awake! statement of purpose; the 1914-generation wording was last quoted in Awake! 8 Nov 1994.
8 listopada 1994 · pp.10-11 · Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York
“As indicated on page 4, 'this magazine builds confidence in the Creator's promise of a peaceful and secure new world before the generation that saw the events of 1914 passes away.' No doubt many of our readers find that statement surprising.”
How ‘this generation’ (Matthew 24:34) has been defined
When
Definition
Source
1951 to 1995
People alive in 1914, ‘in the ordinary sense’; ‘the babies of that generation are now 70 years old or older’ (1984); a new world ‘before the generation that saw the events of 1914 passes away’ (Awake! page 4, early 1980s to 1995).
‘Contemporary people of a certain historical period, with their identifying characteristics’: the wicked of the present age, no longer tied to 1914 lifespans.
Jehovah's people have at times speculated about the time when the 'great tribulation' would break out, even tying this to calculations of what is the lifetime of a generation since 1914. ... Rather than provide a rule for measuring time, the term 'generation' as used by Jesus refers principally to contemporary people of a certain historical period, with their identifying characteristics.
He evidently meant that the lives of the anointed who were on hand when the sign began to become evident in 1914 would overlap with the lives of other anointed ones who would see the start of the great tribulation.
Późniejsza reinterpretacja · 1 listopada 1995Zweryfikowane
On 1 November 1995 The Watchtower redefined 'this generation' as 'contemporary people of a certain historical period, with their identifying characteristics' — the wicked people of the last days — and said 'Jehovah's people have at times speculated' about the lifetime of a generation since 1914. Source: The Watchtower, 1 listopada 1995
Stanowisko organizacji lub jej późniejsze wyjaśnienie: Presented as increased light rather than as a withdrawn prediction.
1 listopada 1995 · pp.10-21 · second article, par. 6 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“Jehovah's people have at times speculated about the time when the 'great tribulation' would break out, even tying this to calculations of what is the lifetime of a generation since 1914. ... Rather than provide a rule for measuring time, the term 'generation' as used by Jesus refers principally to contemporary people of a certain historical period, with their identifying characteristics.”
Redefines 'this generation' as the wicked contemporaries of the last days; first article (doc 1995804) sets out the lexical argument.
Notes.Note the framing 'Jehovah's people have at times speculated' where the calculations were published by the organisation itself (w84 5/15; rs p.97).
Data dostępu. 19 września 2026 · Identyfikator źródła.src-w-1995-1101-p10-21-generation
Stanowisko organizacji lub jej późniejsze wyjaśnienie: The 2010 article frames the change as 'holy spirit... bringing Bible truths to light. (Prov. 4:18)'.
15 lutego 2008 · pp.23-24 · pars. 10-14 · Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York
“Previously, this journal has explained that ... 'this generation' mentioned at Matthew 24:34 meant 'the contemporaneous generation of unbelieving Jews.' ... So Jesus must have been referring to his disciples when he made the statement”
Second redefinition: the generation is the anointed who see the sign.
15 kwietnia 2010 · p.10 · par. 14 · Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York
“He evidently meant that the lives of the anointed who were on hand when the sign began to become evident in 1914 would overlap with the lives of other anointed ones who would see the start of the great tribulation.”
Introduces the 'overlapping generation'; also stated in the 15 June 2010 annual-meeting report (doc 2010446, p. 5).
15 stycznia 2014 · pp.30-31 · pars. 15-16 · Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York
“We understand that in mentioning 'this generation,' Jesus was referring to two groups of anointed Christians. The first group was on hand in 1914 ... The second group ... were anointed with holy spirit during the time that those of the first group were still on earth. ... at least some of 'this generation will by no means pass away' before seeing the start of the great tribulation.”
Uwaga o pochodzeniu i weryfikacji for JW Broadcasting (tv.jw.org), monthly programme, September 2015, Segment by Governing Body member David Splane explaining 'this generation' with a chart (F. W. Franz, 1893-1992, as anchor of the first group)
Uwaga o wiarygodności.The jw.org video page is a JavaScript app and the mediator API returned no media for the 2015 key, so the programme could not be opened; described consistently by three discovery sources (JW Survey/JW Watch, AvoidJW, JWfacts). Note the task's 'annual meeting 2015' framing: sources place the chart in the September 2015 monthly programme.
Uwaga o pochodzeniu i weryfikacji for The Watchtower (original magazine printing), 'The Hand of Jehovah Was With Them'
Uwaga o wiarygodności.Comparison scan (magazine page and bound-volume page of w89 1/1 p. 12) opened and read as images by the independent source auditor on 19 September 2026: the magazine reads 'in our 20th century', the bound volume 'in our day'; both pages carry the footer '12 THE WATCHTOWER—JANUARY 1, 1989'. The scan is catalogued under a French title but reproduces the English page.
Pochodzenie skanu.Internet Archive upload by Veillez.org: side-by-side scan of p. 12 in the magazine and in the bound volume. The PDF's OCR layer is empty, so the image was not machine-read in this session.
Uwaga o pochodzeniu i weryfikacji for The Watchtower (bound volume / Watchtower Online Library text), 'The Hand of Jehovah Was With Them'
Uwaga o wiarygodności.Opened on wol; page marker 12; wording 'in our day' confirmed; a wol phrase search for 'completed in our 20th century' returns nothing.
“The light got brighter.” The organisation’s explanation, and it is quoted on the predictions overview. A definition that moved from ‘people alive in 1914’ to ‘the wicked’ to ‘the anointed’ to ‘two overlapping groups of anointed’ is a sequence of reversals, not a single direction of travel.Source: The Watchtower (Study Edition), 15 lutego 2008
“It was never a date.” It was a lifespan, printed with the year 1914 attached, and in 1984 made concrete: the babies of that generation were then ‘70 years old or older’.Source: The Watchtower, 15 maja 1984
Wiarygodność. Każdy fragment Strażnicy, Naszej Służby Królestwa i książki Prowadzenie rozmów na podstawie Pism przeczytano w Bibliotece Internetowej Strażnicy. Trzy pozycje mają status „poparte”, a nie zweryfikowane, i tak je oznaczono powyżej: początek stosowania sformułowania ze strony 4 w roku 1982, zmiana tekstu w winiecie z 8 listopada 1995 roku oraz transmisja z 2015 roku. Ocena: wyraźna przepowiednia, później czterokrotnie zreinterpretowana.
Źródła cytowane na tej stronie
Show all 14 sources, in date order
Each opens a full record with links, provenance and a confidence note.
1 lipca 1951 · p.404 · par. 11 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“The actual meaning of these words is, beyond question, that which takes a 'generation' in the ordinary sense, as at Mark 8:12 and Acts 13:36, or for those who are living at the given period.”
15 maja 1984 · pp.4-7 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“If Jesus used 'generation' in that sense and we apply it to 1914, then the babies of that generation are now 70 years old or older. ... Jehovah's prophetic word through Christ Jesus is: 'This generation [of 1914] will by no means pass away until all things occur.' (Luke 21:32) And Jehovah ... will bring about the fulfillment of his Son's words in a relatively short time.”
1985 · p.97 · Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York
“Before the last members of the generation that was alive in 1914 will have passed off the scene, all the things foretold will occur, including the 'great tribulation' in which the present wicked world will end.”
października 1993 · p.8 · par. 1 · Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York
“The purpose of Awake! is stated clearly on page 4 of each issue: 'This magazine builds confidence in the Creator's promise of a peaceful and secure new world before the generation that saw the events of 1914 passes away.'”
8 listopada 1994 · pp.10-11 · Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York
“As indicated on page 4, 'this magazine builds confidence in the Creator's promise of a peaceful and secure new world before the generation that saw the events of 1914 passes away.' No doubt many of our readers find that statement surprising.”
1 listopada 1995 · pp.10-21 · second article, par. 6 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
“Jehovah's people have at times speculated about the time when the 'great tribulation' would break out, even tying this to calculations of what is the lifetime of a generation since 1914. ... Rather than provide a rule for measuring time, the term 'generation' as used by Jesus refers principally to contemporary people of a certain historical period, with their identifying characteristics.”
8 listopada 1995 · p.4 · Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York
“This magazine builds confidence in the Creator's promise of a peaceful and secure new world that is about to replace the present wicked, lawless system of things.”
października 1996 · p.1 · par. 4 · Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York
“A brief review of what is stated on page 4 of each issue of Awake! ... 'Most important, this magazine builds confidence in the Creator's promise of a peaceful and secure new world that is about to replace the present wicked, lawless system of things.'”
15 lutego 2008 · pp.23-24 · pars. 10-14 · Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York
“Previously, this journal has explained that ... 'this generation' mentioned at Matthew 24:34 meant 'the contemporaneous generation of unbelieving Jews.' ... So Jesus must have been referring to his disciples when he made the statement”
15 kwietnia 2010 · p.10 · par. 14 · Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York
“He evidently meant that the lives of the anointed who were on hand when the sign began to become evident in 1914 would overlap with the lives of other anointed ones who would see the start of the great tribulation.”
15 stycznia 2014 · pp.30-31 · pars. 15-16 · Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York
“We understand that in mentioning 'this generation,' Jesus was referring to two groups of anointed Christians. The first group was on hand in 1914 ... The second group ... were anointed with holy spirit during the time that those of the first group were still on earth. ... at least some of 'this generation will by no means pass away' before seeing the start of the great tribulation.”