What then were the apostles? It is plain from the divine record that they were men immediately commissioned by Christ to make a full and authoritative revelation of His religion; to organize the church; to furnish it with officers and laws, and to start it on its career of conquest through the world... The apostles, the twelve, stand out just as conspicuous as an isolated body in the history of the church, without predecessors, and without successors, as Christ Himself does. They disappear from history. The title, the thing itself, the gifts, the functions, all ceased when John, the last of the twelve, ascended to heaven.
Charles Hodge

Jehovah’s Witnesses: History

This entry is part 41 of 106 in the series CULT or NOT

CULT or NOT

Jehovah’s Witnesses: History

  • 1913 The Eagle wins its suit for libel
  • 1917 Russell dies and Joseph Franklin Rutherford becomes President
  • 1917 Rutherford begins aggressive attack on ‘traditional churches’ and grows organization from 3,000 – 50,000 He will claim to be the ‘mouthpiece of Jehovah for this age.’
  • 1917 Russell’s Seventh book, called ‘The Finished Mystery’ causes a split w/larger group following Rutherford and smaller group forming ‘The Dawn Bible Students’
  • 1918 Rutherford is imprisoned through 1919 because of his opposition to WWI.
  • 1931 Rutherford’s group takes the name ‘Jehovah’s Witnesses to avoid being confused for the other group
  • 1942 Rutherford dies having written over 100 books and pamphlets
  • 1942 – 1977 Nathan Knorr, President
  • 1977 – present Frederick Franz, President

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