A CONVERSATION WITH A NEIGHBOR: When Did God’s Kingdom Begin Ruling?

¹ The following is a typical conversation that one of Jehovah’s Witnesses might have with a neighbor. Let us imagine that a Witness named Cameron has come to the home of a man named Jon.

“KEEP SEARCHING” FOR UNDERSTANDING

² L1 Cameron: Jon, I’ve really enjoyed the regular discussions we’ve been having about the Bible.a The last time we spoke, you raised a question about God’s Kingdom. You asked why Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the Kingdom began ruling in the year 1914.

L2 Jon: Yes, I was reading one of your publications, and it said that God’s Kingdom started ruling in 1914. That made me curious because you say that you base all of your beliefs on the Bible.

L3 Cameron: That’s right, we do.

L4 Jon: Well, I’ve read through the Bible myself. But I can’t remember ever seeing a passage that mentioned the year 1914. So I went to an online Bible and did a search for “1914.” Sure enough, the search engine said: “0 results.”

L5 Cameron: I have to commend you on two counts, Jon. First, that you’ve read through the entire Bible. You must really love God’s Word.

L6 Jon: I do. There’s nothing like it.

L7 Cameron: I agree. Second, I want to commend you for turning to the Bible when trying to find an answer to your question. You did exactly what the Bible encourages us to do: “Keep searching” for understanding.b It’s good that you are putting forth effort like that.

L8 Jon: Thank you. I do want to keep learning. In fact, I dug around a little more and found some information about 1914 in this book we’ve been studying. It mentions a dream that a king had​—it was about a big tree that was cut down and then grew back or something like that.

L9 Cameron: Ah, yes. That’s the prophecy recorded in Daniel chapter 4. It involves a dream that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had.

L10 Jon: Yes, that’s the one. I read the prophecy over and over. But to be honest, I still don’t see what it has to do with God’s Kingdom or the year 1914.

L11 Cameron: Actually, Jon, even the prophet Daniel didn’t understand the full meaning of what he was inspired to record!

L12 Jon: Really?

L13 Cameron: Yes. Here at Daniel 12:8, he says: “Now as for me, I heard, but I could not understand.”

L14 Jon: I’m not the only one then. That makes me feel a little better.

L15 Cameron: The truth is, Daniel didn’t understand because it was not yet God’s time for humans to discern completely the meaning of the prophecies in the book of Daniel. But now, in our time, we can understand them more fully.

L16 Jon: Why do you say that?

L17 Cameron: Well, notice what we read in the very next verse. Daniel 12:9 says: “The words are to be kept secret and sealed up until the time of the end.” So these prophecies would only be understood much later, during “the time of the end.” And as we will soon discuss in our Bible study, all evidence indicates that we are now living in that time period.c

L18 Jon: So, can you explain the prophecy in Daniel to me?

L19 Cameron: I’ll do my best.

[Footnotes]