Predictions and dates1950s1980s1990s2000s2010sEvidence collection
Expediente de pruebas · predicción explícita, reinterpretada después
The generation of 1914
Desde 1951 las publicaciones enseñaron que el fin llegaría mientras vivieran las personas que vieron 1914, y desde principios de la década de 1980 (según se ha informado; citada oficialmente por primera vez en 1993) hasta octubre de 1995 la declaración de propósito de la página 4 de cada ¡Despertad! decía que el nuevo mundo llegaría «antes de que pase la generación que vio los acontecimientos de 1914». Esta página muestra esa redacción, la fecha en que se retiró y las cuatro definiciones de «generación» que vinieron después.
Última revisión 19 de septiembre de 2026
Qué se predijo
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.
Declaración explícita · 1 de julio de 1951Verificado
En 1951, La Atalaya dijo que «esta generación» de Mateo 24:34 debía entenderse «en el sentido ordinario... referida a quienes viven en el período dado», a partir de 1914, y que el «tiempo del fin» abarca «un período de muchos años, los de una generación». Source: The Watchtower, 1 de julio de 1951
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: Sustituido en 1995.
Mostrar las pruebas (1 fuente)
Publicación primaria de los testigos de JehováVerificado
1 de julio de 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.
Declaración explícita · 15 de mayo de 1984Verificado
El artículo de portada de La Atalaya del 15 de mayo de 1984, «1914—The Generation That Will Not Pass Away», aplicó la generación a las personas vivas en 1914 («los bebés de esa generación tienen ahora 70 años o más») y dijo que Jehová «hará que las palabras de su Hijo se cumplan en un tiempo relativamente corto»; Razonamiento a partir de las Escrituras (1985) dijo igualmente que todo lo predicho ocurriría «antes de que hayan desaparecido de la escena los últimos miembros de la generación que vivía en 1914». Source: The Watchtower, 15 de mayo de 1984Source: Reasoning From the Scriptures (1985; 1989 revision on wol), 1985
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: La Atalaya del 1 de noviembre de 1995, pág. 17, reformula tales cálculos diciendo que «el pueblo de Jehová a veces ha especulado».
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Publicación primaria de los testigos de JehováVerificado
15 de mayo de 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 de noviembre de 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 de noviembre de 1995
A lo largo de los primeros años de la década de 1990, cada número de ¡Despertad! llevaba en la página 4 la declaración de que la revista «infunde confianza en la promesa del Creador de un nuevo mundo pacífico y seguro antes de que pase la generación que vio los acontecimientos de 1914» — una frase citada textualmente en Nuestro Ministerio del Reino (octubre de 1993) y en la propia ¡Despertad! (8 de noviembre de 1994). Source: Our Kingdom Ministry, octubre de 1993Source: Awake!, 8 de noviembre de 1994
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Publicación primaria de los testigos de JehováVerificado
octubre de 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 de noviembre de 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.”
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: No se ha localizado ninguna explicación publicada del cambio en la declaración de propósito.
Mostrar las pruebas (3 fuentes)
Publicación primaria de los testigos de JehováRespaldado
8 de noviembre de 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.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for Awake!, Page 4 statement of purpose (masthead) — revised wording
Nota de confianza.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.
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-g-1995-1108-masthead-change
Publicación primaria de los testigos de JehováVerificado
octubre de 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 de noviembre de 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.
Reinterpretación posterior · 1 de noviembre de 1995Verificado
El 1 de noviembre de 1995, La Atalaya redefinió «esta generación» como «las personas contemporáneas de cierto período histórico, con sus características identificadoras» — la gente inicua de los últimos días — y dijo que «el pueblo de Jehová a veces ha especulado» sobre la duración de una generación desde 1914. Source: The Watchtower, 1 de noviembre de 1995
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: Se presenta como luz aumentada, y no como una predicción retirada.
Mostrar las pruebas (1 fuente)
Publicación primaria de los testigos de JehováVerificado
1 de noviembre de 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).
Consultado. 19 de septiembre de 2026 · Identificador de la fuente.src-w-1995-1101-p10-21-generation
La posición de la organización o su explicación posterior: El artículo de 2010 presenta el cambio como que «el espíritu santo... saca a la luz las verdades bíblicas. (Pro. 4:18)».
Mostrar las pruebas (4 fuentes)
Publicación primaria de los testigos de JehováVerificado
15 de febrero de 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 de abril de 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 de enero de 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.”
Nota de procedencia y verificación 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)
Nota de confianza.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.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for The Watchtower (original magazine printing), 'The Hand of Jehovah Was With Them'
Nota de confianza.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.
Procedencia del escaneo.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.
Nota de procedencia y verificación for The Watchtower (bound volume / Watchtower Online Library text), 'The Hand of Jehovah Was With Them'
Nota de confianza.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 de febrero de 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 de mayo de 1984
Confianza. Todos los pasajes de La Atalaya, del Ministerio del Reino y del libro Razonamiento se leyeron en la Biblioteca en Línea Watchtower. Tres elementos están «respaldados» y no verificados, y así se indica más arriba: el inicio en 1982 de la redacción de la página 4, el cambio de cabecera del 8 de noviembre de 1995 y la emisión de 2015. Calificación: predicción explícita, reinterpretada después cuatro veces.
Fuentes citadas en esta página
Show all 14 sources, in date order
Each opens a full record with links, provenance and a confidence note.
Publicación primaria de los testigos de JehováVerificado
1 de julio de 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 de mayo de 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.”
octubre de 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 de noviembre de 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 de noviembre de 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 de noviembre de 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.”
No online copy located.
Publicación primaria de los testigos de JehováVerificado
octubre de 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 de febrero de 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 de abril de 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 de enero de 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.”