Matthew 24:36
Matthew 24:3636No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
JWs acknowledge — "Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father" — yet the Watchtower has repeatedly set or strongly implied specific dates: 1914, 1925, and 1975. The 1975 prediction is the most documented case (argument 069): the Watchtower published "Why Are You Looking Forward to 1975?" (August 15, 1968), the Kingdom Ministry (May 1974) commended brothers selling homes and pioneering because of "the short time remaining," and when the date failed, the organisation blamed individual members for "running ahead." The verse is also cited in the membership argument (150): if Jehovah himself says the timing is unknowable, any organisation claiming to have calculated it contradicts Jesus' own words.
is a definitive statement that the timing of the end is known only to the Father. The 1975 argument (069) uses this verse as a devastating complement to : if nobody knows the day or hour — not even the Son — then how could any organisation claim to have calculated it? The Watchtower's own publications created the 1975 expectation, commended those who acted on it, and then blamed individuals when it failed. That is not imperfect understanding — it is a failure of accountability that Deuteronomy 18 was designed to expose. The membership argument (150) adds a further layer: when the JW appeals to growth statistics or organisational success as evidence of divine blessing, reminds us that the real test is not numerical but doctrinal — does the organisation honour what Jesus actually said, including his explicit warning that the timing is unknowable?