Rebuttal #3: 1914 Doctrine
#3 Objection: Concerning the doctrine of Jesus having returned (invisible presence) to take his throne over the earth in 1914 after having thrown Satan out of heaven, we can refute this as not scriptural. Background: The WT calculates Prophecy from Daniel to come up with the date 1914 when Jesus returned invisibly having battled with Satan (as the Arch Angel Michael). Scripture says Satan, having been thrown to the earth with his demons and the heavens cleansed, is angry. Then Satan started WWI through the evil men he uses as proxies. This is somewhat plausible on the surface as WWI was so horrendous that the amount of death and destruction had never occurred on such a scale in mankind’s history.
WT says in 1914 Jesus Christ returned from the right hand of God in heaven to begin his rule over the earth invisibly. By 1919 Jesus had inspected all the Christian Churches and found them lacking, but recognized the anointed of the Watchtower as faithful servants and used them to begin the greatest campaign to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. The WT further says that the generation that saw these times (1914) will not pass away before the climax of the end times, the Tribulation Time, and Har Magedon (Armageddon) which will be followed by Jesus taking his throne on earth to rule over his kingdom on earth. (Mark 13:29-30).
Here is the problem. That generation that could have been aware of the events of 1914 has passed away now. The WT no longer cites “the generation” fulfillment related to 1914 though they still hold on to 1914 because it is their foundational doctrine. They changed their doctrine to say something else about what “generation” means (overlapping generations). This allows the end not to come in proximity to 1914. No one else claims that this is when Jesus returned in his invisible presence (Parousia), took his throne as King and established the Kingdom of God. Jesus warns us about those claiming he has returned. Whether to “the inner rooms” (aka in the invisible heavens) Matt 24:26 or those that say he is out in a field; do not believe them. (If one was perhaps 10 years old, at the youngest, to have memory of WWI, that person is now age 119+. While an individual could live to 119, it would seem that this particular generation has indeed passed away.)
If you are interested, you can research this 1914 doctrine online at their website but I came across a scripture I had never known was in the Bible that clarifies when Satan was cast out of heaven. It was uttered by Jesus himself. Why shouldn’t I believe Him instead of accepting a man-made doctrine? Should I consider what Jesus said in Luke 10:18, to be a “type of vision into the future”, rather than take him literally? There is no reason I should doubt Jesus’ timing in what he said there. I believe Jesus over the men at the WT. That scripture is:
Luke 10:17-18 KJV
17Then the seventy (seventy-two) returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." 18 And He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like lightning.”
Two points here: First, the demons were cast out in Jesus’ NAME not Jehovah's name and second, Jesus said to them "He watched" Satan fall from heaven. This account is also summarized in Revelation 12:7-10.
But because it was the Archangel Michael in the Revelation account that did battle with Satan, the WT reasons that Michael must be Jesus because who else would be strong enough to do battle with Satan? Yet Jesus said what he said in Luke 10:18 and we know the exact time and context he said it. Jesus was not in heaven as Michael at that time. They also cite the Bible wherein when Jesus comes to the earth to pass judgement he will descend with the voice of an archangel (1 Th 4:16). I don’t reason that “with the voice of an archangel” means he is an archangel, specifically Michael. We already know that The Father gave him a name above all other names and his station is higher than all the angels (Phil 2:9-11)
Additionally, in KJV Luke 11:1-4 (The Lord’s Prayer) we see Jesus teaching the disciples how to pray. When He says “Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven (my underline) …” We have to ask: Was God’s will being done in Heaven at that moment if Satan was still allowed access to the heavens? Most certainly Jesus, who cannot lie, would not say that God’s will was being done in heaven if the destroyer of mankind still had the authority to access heaven. No, no, no. Satan had been cast out just as Jesus remarked earlier in Luke 10:18.
I know others reason that the scriptures indicate Satan was thrown out of Heaven before the earth was even created. But, that can’t be true as we have the account in Job where Satan was still accessing the throne of God and had a conversation with God (Job 1:6-7). Is it possible the account in Revelation 12:7-10 has not yet occurred? Perhaps. We are told in Rev. 12:11 that the brothers of Christ were being accused day and night but, the brothers overcame Satan because of the blood of the Lamb. When Jesus uttered Luke 10:18, he had not yet gone to the cross and shed his blood. Perhaps the timing of Dragon’s battle with Michael has not occurred, but it seems more logical that after Jesus died, was resurrected, and ascended to Heaven that Satan had been conquered and would no longer be allowed in Heaven. If anyone has research on this to suggest the timing (based on scriptures), please share it with me by using the contact form on this site.
#3 Recap: If we believe what Jesus said in Luke 10:18, then we believe that he watched (or saw) Satan fall from Heaven like lightning at the moment that his disciples had been casting out demons in HIS NAME. At that time, Satan’s demons had been made subservient to the “power of God in men by means of the Holy Spirit” as they were empowered by Jesus. Jesus was on earth tending to his disciples when as he says, he saw Satan fall; it was the Archangel Michael that did battle with the dragon and threw him down just as Revelation scripture says. How humiliating for Satan that he was thrown down by an Angel of less status than Jesus. I am compelled to believe the scriptures and it was in Luke 10:18 when Jesus said he saw Satan fall: Not 1914! Yet, even if this battle has not taken place but will take place at the time of the Tribulation, still we can’t find support that it took place in 1914. The 1914 is a false doctrine.