The origins and development of the watch tower doctrine of the millennium

Abstract

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 Darby 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.