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Predictions and dates · Claim record

Life Everlasting—in Freedom of the Sons of God (1966) said that 'six thousand years from man's creation will end in 1975, and the seventh period of a thousand years of human history will begin in the fall of 1975 C.E.', and that it would be 'appropriate' for God to make that seventh millennium 'a sabbath period of rest and release'.

Claim ID claim-predictions-1966-life-everlasting-1975Concerns 1966Strong implication
Strong implication · 1966 Verified

Life Everlasting—in Freedom of the Sons of God (1966) said that 'six thousand years from man's creation will end in 1975, and the seventh period of a thousand years of human history will begin in the fall of 1975 C.E.', and that it would be 'appropriate' for God to make that seventh millennium 'a sabbath period of rest and release'. Life Everlasting—in Freedom of the Sons of God (book), 1966The Watchtower, 15 April 1967

The organisation’s position or later explanation: The Watchtower 15 March 1980 p.17: the book's comments meant 'considerable expectation was aroused regarding the year 1975'; Proclaimers p.104 reports F. W. Franz telling a 1966 convention 'It could. But we are not saying'.

Show the evidence (2 sources)
Primary JW publication Verified

Life Everlasting—in Freedom of the Sons of God (book), “Chapter 1, pars. 41-43”

1966 · pp.29-30 · pars. 41-43 · Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York

“According to this trustworthy Bible chronology six thousand years from man's creation will end in 1975, and the seventh period of a thousand years of human history will begin in the fall of 1975 C.E. ... How appropriate it would be for Jehovah God to make of this coming seventh period of a thousand years a sabbath period of rest and release, a great Jubilee sabbath”

Paragraph 42 adds 'six thousand years of man's existence on earth will soon be up, yes, within this generation'. The 'how appropriate' sentence is par. 43 on p. 30 (not p. 35 as sometimes cited); the p. 35 chart was not checked.

Scan of original

Provenance and verification note

Confidence note. Scan opened and page header '30 LIFE EVERLASTING' confirmed; host is unofficial, so cite alongside w1980 3/15 p.17 and jv p.104, which quote/describe the book.

Scan provenance. Unofficial archive (Watchtower Wayback) OCR'd PDF of the 1966 book (Acrobat paper-capture, 2008). Lending copies also exist on archive.org (lifeeverlastingi00watc) but are access-restricted. Copyright 1966; short quotation only.

Corroborated by. src-w-1980-0315-p17-18, src-jv-1993-00-p104-1975

Notes. Not on wol.jw.org.

Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-li-1966-00-p29-30-1975

Primary JW publication Verified

The Watchtower, “Mankind's Millennium Under God's Kingdom—Why Literally So”

15 April 1967 · p.236 · par. 25 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society

“According to a more recent calculation of the Bible timetable, six thousand years of man's existence will end in the latter half of the year 1975, which is well within this century. The Bible millennium is ahead of us”

Contrasts Ussher's 1996 date with the Society's 1975 calculation.

Official source

Provenance and verification note

Confidence note. Opened on wol; page marker 236 precedes the sentence.

Corroborated by. src-li-1966-00-p29-30-1975

Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-w-1967-0415-p236-1975

Claim page

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