1975 – References by year

1966

Thus we can connect up the Bible’s count of time with the world’s count of time down to this date. By doing this it becomes evident that man is nearing the end of six thousand years of his existence the beginning of the seventh period of a thousand years of his existence…

In this twentieth century an independent study has beell carried on that does not blindly follow some traditional chronological calculations of Christendom, and the published timetable resulting from this independent study gives the date of man’s creation as 4026 B.C.E. 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.

So six thousand years of man’s existence on earth will soon be up, yes, within this generation. Jehovah God is timeless, as it is written in Psalm 90:1, 2: “O Jehovah, you yourself have proved to be a real dwelling for us during generation after generation”… So in not many years within our own generation we are reaching what Jehovah God could view as the seventh day of man’s existence.

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 for the proclaiming of liberty throughout the earth to all its inhabitants! This would be most timely for mankind. It would also be most fitting on God’s part, for, remember, mankind has yet ahead of it what the last book of the Holy Bible speaks of as the reign of Jesus Christ over earth for a thousand years, the millennial reign of Cnrist. Prophetically Jesus Christ, when on earth nineteen centuries ago, said concerning himself: “For Lord of the sabbath is what the Son of man is.” (Matthew 12:s) It would not be by mere chance or accident but would be according to the loving purpose of Jehovah God for the reign of Jesus Christ, the “Lord of the sabbath,” to run parallel with the seventh millennium of man’s existence.

Shortly, within our own generation, the symbolical trumpet will be sounded by divine power, proclaiming “liberty in the land to all its inhabitants.”…  The long awaited time for this is at hand!…

The remnant would be sealed as God’s special property toward the end of 6,000 years of humankind’s  existence. We are near that point of time now! Bible time-scheduling indicates it. A world storm must therefore be shortly ahead.

Life Everlasting — in Freedom of the Sons of God, 1966, pp 26-30, 35 (chart pointing to 1975) and 357.

Just as right association helped to keep the Jewish nation and early Christians close to Jehovah, so it will serve the same purpose for God’s people today in these few and all-important years before Armageddon.

The Watchtower, January 15, 1966, p. 42.

In this system of things marked for Armageddon, life is at stake. Man can no longer say, “It will never come in my time.” There is not enough time for that kind of thinking. It is later than many think!

The Watchtower, May 15, 1966, p. 300.

The Scriptures tend to show that a remnant of the Bride class will live for a time here on earth after the end of this system of things and the abyssing of Satan and the other demons… These Biblical pictures indicate that some members of the Bride of Christ will live for a time here on earth during the early part of Christ’s thousand-year reign.

The Watchtower, September 15, 1966, p. 576.

6,000 Years Completed in 1975

There is another chronological indication that we are rapidly nearing the closing time for this wicked system of things. It is the fact that shortly, according to reliable Bible chronology, 6,000 years of human history will come to an end.

The Bible shows that when God began to shape the earth for hwnan habitation, he worked for six “days,” or time periods. From the indications in God’s Word, each was apparently 7,000 years in length. Then, Genesis 2:2 states, Jehovah “proceeded to rest on the seventh day from all his work that he had made.” This seventh day, God’s res): day, has progressed nearly 6,000 years, and there is still the 1,000-year reign of Christ to go before its end. (Rev. 20: 3, 7) This seventh 1,000-year period of human existence could well be likened to a great sabbath day, pictured by the sabbath day God commanded ancient Israel to keep after working for six days. (Ex. 20:8-10; 2 Pet. 3:8) After six thousand years of toil and bondage to sin, sick’ness, death and Satan, mankind is due to enjoy a rest and is in direct need of a rest. (Heb. 4:1-11) Hence, the fact that we are nearing the end of the first 6,000 years of man’s existence is of great significance.

Does God’s rest day parallel the time man has been on earth since his creation? Apparently so. From the most reliable investigations of Bible chronology, harmonizing with many accepted dates of secular history, we find that Adam was created in the autumn of the year 4026 B.C.E. Sometime in that same year Eve could well have been created, directly after which God’s rest day commenced. In what year, then, would the first 6,000 years of man’s existence and also the first 6,000 years of God’s rest day come to an end? The year 1975. This is worthy of notice, particularly in view of the fact that the “last days” began in 1914, and that the physical facts of our day in fulfilment of prophecy mark this as the last generation, of this wicked world. So we can expect the immediate future to be filled with thrilling events for those who rest their faith in God and his promises. It means that within relatively few years we will witness the fulfillment of the remaining prophecies that have to do with the “time of the end.”

Awake, October 8, 1966, pp. 19, 20.

THE YEAR 1975

At the Baltimore assembly Brother Franz in his closing remarks made some interesting comments regarding the year 1975. He began casually by saying, “Just before I got on the platform a young man came to me and said, ‘Say, what does this 1975 mean? Does it mean this, that or any other thing?’” In part, Brother Franz went on to say: ‘You have noticed the chart [on pages 31-35 in the book Life Everlasting—in Freedom of the Sons of God]. It shows that 6,000 years of human experience will end in 1975, about nine years from now. What does that mean? Does it mean that God’s rest day began 4026 B.C.E.? It could have. The Life Everlasting book does not say it did not. The book merely presents the chronology. You can accept it or reject it. If that is the case, what does that mean to us? [He went into some length showing the feasibility of the 4026 B.C.E. date as being the beginning of God’s rest day.]

‘What about the year 1975? What is it going to mean, dear friends?’ asked Brother Franz. ‘Does it mean that Armageddon is going to be finished, with Satan bound, by 1975? It could! It could! All things are possible with God. Does it mean that Babylon the Great is going to go down by 1975? It could. Does it mean that the attack of Gog of Magog is going to be made on Jehovah’s witnesses to wipe them out, then Gog himself will be put out of action? It could. But we are not saying. All things are possible with God. But we are not saying. And don’t any of you be specific in saying anything that is going to happen between now and 1975. But the big point of it all is this, dear friends: Time is short. Time is running out, no question about that.

‘When we were approaching the end of the Gentile Times in 1914, there was no sign that the Gentile Times were going to end. Conditions on earth gave us no hint of what was to come, even as late as June of that year. Then suddenly there was a murder. World War I broke out. You know the rest. Famines, earthquakes and pestilences followed, as Jesus foretold would happen.

‘But what do we have today as we approach 1975? Conditions have not been peaceful. We’ve been having world wars, famines, earthquakes, pestilences and we have these conditions still as we approach 1975. Do these things mean something? These things mean that we’re in the “time of the end.” And the end has to come sometime. Jesus said: “As these things start to occur, raise yourselves erect and lift your heads up, because your deliverance is getting near.” (Luke 21:28) So we know that as we come to 1975 our deliverance is that much nearer.’

The Watchtower, October, 15, 1966, p 631.

One of the instructors alluded to the year 1975, the conclusion, chronologically speaking, of six thousand    years of human history. What will you be found doing when that time arrives?

Awake!, November 8, 1966, pp 25-26.

When you are single you are free to move about and take up assignments in the service of God that married persons often cannot. There are marvelous blessings for those who take up the full-time ministry as Jehovah’s witnesses. You might serve at one of the Watch Tower Society’s Bethel homes or as a special pioneer or in the missionary work, possibly as a circuit servant, visiting and serving congregations. The years remaining before the end of this system of things are very few; the privileges now open will never be repeated; this is the time to take advantage of them.

The Watchtower, November, 15, 1966, pp 702, 703.

“Never have we felt the nearness of Armageddon and the urgency of our work as we do now.”

Kingdom Ministry, December 1966, p. 4.

1967

But, without a doubt, nothing has created more interest in this textbook [Life Everlasting — in Freedom of the Sons of God] than the first chapter with its chart and fine information regarding the 7,000 years of God’s rest day. The observation that 1975 may well mark the beginning of mankind’s great Jubilee has intrigued many. 

The Watchtower, January 1, 1967, pp 28-29

And how comforting to read of the present ‘Earth-wide Movement of “Men of Good Will” to Freedom,’ and to be assured ‘that soon they will be enjoying ‘A Paradise of Freedom’!

“How soon? 1975? It was truly exciting to peruse the chart at the end of chapter 1 on ‘Significant Dates from Man’s Creation to 7000 A.M.’ and yet how carefully the book worded matters: ‘How appropriate it would be for Jehovah God to make of this coming seventh period of a thousand years a sabbath of rest and release.’ Undoubtedly ‘this would be most timely for mankind,’ and judging by the fulfillment of such prophecies as that found in Matthew 24, we cannot escape it: Whether 1975 sees the beginning of the thousand-year reign of Christ or not, ‘the long-Awake!aited time for this is at hand.’ Yes, this book has helped us to ·appreciate that, more than ever before, Christianity is an urgent religion!”

Awake!, January 22, 1967,  p. 26.

Many of them had in mind Jesus’ electrifying words: “This generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur.” Our very generation is seeing the sign marking Jesus’ second presence. Truly, “the time left is reduced.” (Matt. 24:34; 1 Cor. 7:29) For this reason many of your brothers, young and old, appreciated the importance of serving God in the time remaining. Having Scriptural responsibilities that prevented them from sharing in the ministry as regular pioneers, missionaries or members of Bethel families, they demonstrated their appreciation of the shortness of the time remaining by vacation pioneering.

Kingdom Ministry, February 1967, pp. 4, 5.

We today live in critical times. These are the “last days” of this wicked system of things. Already over fifty-two years have passed since the Kingdom’s establishment in heaven in 1914. The end of six thousand years of human history is very close. The physical facts that mark our time as the “conclusion of the system of things” are unmistakable. (Matt. 24:3) It is a time of great urgency. Do we believe it? The fact is that some who profess to believe it may lose out on the blessings of God’s new system of things because they are not keeping their minds and hearts fixed on the hope ahead.

… In such a theocratic atmosphere as exists at Bethel homes there is marvelous opportunity for spiritual growth. Grand privileges of service open up for willing servants. What a fine privilege to be serving in such a place during the remaining years of this old system of things!

The Watchtower, February 1, 1967, pp. 79, 84

With Armageddon drAwake!ing on apace… So let us be diligent to let as many people as possible hear through our preaching in the few short remaining years before Armageddon, and to do so in imitation of the apostle Paul!

The Watchtower, March 1, 1967, pp 158-159.

When the many factors are put together, we find that our generation, our day is the one that is identified in the Bible as the “last days.” In fact, in this year 1967 we are actually living in the final part of that time! This can be compared to, not just the last day of a week, but, rather, the last part of that last day.

The Watchtower, April 1, 1967, p. 197.

“Well now, as Jehovah’s Witnesses, as runners, even though some of us have become a little weary, it almost seems as though Jehovah has provided meat in due season. Because he’s held up before all of us, a new goal. A new year. Something to reach out for and it just seems it has given all of us so much more energy and power in this final burst of speed to the finish line. And that’s the year 1975… As one brother put it, “Stay alive to Seventy-Five“”

1967-04-01 District Convention – Charles Sinutko talk – Serving with Everlasting Life in View.

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, and, according to the count of time and the events of world history, it is approaching…

Of course, the warning of such a thing, to be strong enough to motivate you to flight, would have to be from a reliable source and attended by other circumstances that would convince you that the warning was a true one. That is exactly the case with the warning that we speak of here, and there are reasons why it can truly be said to be the most urgent warning ever given. First, it is from God, who has given reliable warnings in the past; who, as man’s Creator, has a genuine interest in the people’s welfare. He himself considers it the most important warning ever sounded. Second, it is not confined to a locality or even to a nation, but it is worldwide. There is no means of escape aside from the one God provides. Third, it takes time to extricate yourself from the dangerous situation and to get to the place of safety, even if you heed the warning immediately, and, fourth, the peril of which it warns is so very near! Bible chronology and prophecy with the events piling up that demonstrate its nearness show that the warning must be given with the greatest urgency and acted on with all possible speed. It is to come within the generation that has already seen two world wars and it is only a few short years ahead of us.

The Watchtower, April 15, 1967, pp. 236, 244.

Where Are We According to God’s Timetable?

… Interestingly, the autumn of the year 1975 marks the end of 6,000 years of human experience. This is ascertainable from reliable chronology preserved in the Bible itself. What will that year mean for humankind? Will it be the time when God executes the wicked and starts off the thousand-year reign of his Son Jesus Christ? It very well could, but we will have to wait to see. Yet of this we can be certain: the generation that Jesus said would witness those events is nearing its close. The time is close at hand. On God’s “timetable” we are in the closing days of a wicked system of things that will soon be gone forever. A glorious new order is immediately before us. This is, therefore, good reason for Christians everywhere to rejoice. Yes, they rejoice because fulfillment of their prayers for the kingdom of God is now at hand.

The Watchtower, May 1, 1967, p. 262.

Are you glad that you have remained faithful until now? Certainly! … This being true, what should be our attitude toward meeting together in the days ahead as the end of the old system draws near and the outside pressures increase? The apostle Paul provides the answer in the verses that support our theme for the month of July. Read carefully Hebrews 10:23-25 and note Paul’s encouragement to meet together and build one another up and to do this all the more soas we “behold the day drawing near.” Obviously, then, we will need to give even more attention to supporting God’s house in the time ahead.

Kingdom Ministry, July 1967, p. 1.

According to the Bible timetable, man’s history on earth has been nearly 6,000 years. Adam was created in 4026 B.C.E., which means that six thousand years of human history end about the fall of 1975 C.E. We are in the great 7,000-year rest day of God, starting at the time he rested after the creation of Adam and Eve. There are, therefore, a thousand years left to run.

The Watchtower, July 15, 1967, pp. 446, 447.

“Famine-1975!”

That is what the future holds for the world, according to a book recently written by William and Paul Paddock. In commenting on Its forceful contents, the Washington Evening Stm· of May 24, 1967, remarks: “[They] are not talking about a famine that can happen if we a ll don’t take certain measures. They’re talking about a famine that will happen no matter what anyone does.” It is not something that can be avoided by modern ingenuity and the generosity o1 a wealthy nation; but, as the article points out, these may well be factors that have contributed to the failure of leaders to find sound solutions. So, according to their estimate of the situation, by 1975 the world will be In the grips of hopeless famine.

Awake!, September 8, 1967,  p. 29.

It is a real pleasure to have a part in the finest work done on earth today, the work Jehovah is asking us to do in these “last days,” isn’t it? All of us appreciate that there is little time left for this present system of things. In the remaining time it is our desire to share in the preaching work as fully as possible so as to help many more honest-hearted persons to escape from Babylon the Great.

Kingdom Ministry, October 1967, p. 1.

Jehovah’s “coming” for execution of judgment upon his foes is very quick in the sense that it is only a few short years ahead, and it will seem exceedingly short to those who are caught wandering off the way of righteousness as in the dark, as if they were asleep. If they should die while practicing filthy things, the judgment will have caught up with them then, for they will receive no resurrection.

The Watchtower, November 15, 1967, pp. 680, 681.

“For what?” you may ask. To do the Kingdom preaching work. The remaining time is short, and, as Jesus put it, “the good news has to be preached first,” before the old system comes to its end. (Mark 13:10) True, there are more than 300,000 helpers in the field in this country, but we know you will agree that more are needed to get the job done thoroughly.

Kingdom Ministry, December 1967, p. 1.

1968

… as reported back in 1960, a former United States Secretary of State, Dean Acheson, declared that our time is ‘a period of unequaled instability, unequaled violence.’ and he warned: ‘I know enough of what is going on to assure you that, in fifteen years from today, this world is going to be too dangerous to live in.’…

More recently, the book entitled “Famine-1975!” said concerning today’s food shortages: “Hunger is rampant throughout country after country, continent after continent around the undeveloped belt of the tropics and subtropics. Today’s crisis can move in only one direction – toward catastrophe. Today hungry nations; tomorrow starving nations… By 1975 civil disorder, anarchy, military dictatorships, runaway inflation, transportation breakdowns and chaotic unrest will be the order of the day in many of the hungry nations.”

Book The Truth That Leads To Eternal Life, 1968, pp. 9, 88, 89.

Until God acts shortly, men and demons will continue to be more vicious, more degraded and more immoral as this system speeds to its end. (2 Tim. 3:13) It is just as a former United States Secretary of State noted in the June 13, 1960, issue of U.S. News & World Report. He declared that our time is “a period of unequaled instability. unequaled violence,” and warned:

“I know enough of what is going on to assure you that, in 15 years from today, this world is going to be too dangerous to live in.”

Fifteen years from 1960 brings us to 1975. He predicted that by 1975 this world would be too dangerous! Interestingly, this date is also the one indicated by the most reliable Bible research as marking the end of 6,000 years of rebellion of men and demons against God.

We can be confident that soon, now, Almighty God, Jehovah, for a certainty will bring this lawless system of things to an end.

Awake!, January 8, 1968, p. 19

All the evidences around us point to this time in which we live as the “last days” spoken about by so many of God’s inspired penmen. Further stressing the shortness of the time remaining, Jesus prophesied about a generation that would witness the fulfillment of the many-featured “sign” marking the conclusion of this system of things… Proof, all this, that the “generation” spoken of by Jesus is now close to passing away! The time is truly short! …This is no time for complacency.

The Watchtower, January 15, 1968, pp 41-43.

Since we have dedicated ourselves to Jehovah, we want to do his will to the fullest extent possible. Making some special effort to do more than the usual helps us live up to our dedication. In view of the short period of time left, we want to do this as often as circumstances permit. Just think, brothers, there are only about ninety months left before 6,000 years of man’s existence on earth is completed. Do you remember what we learned at the assemblies last summer? The majority of people living today will probably be alive when Armageddon breaks out, and there are no resurrection hopes for those who are destroyed then. So, now more than ever, it is vital not to ignore that spirit of wanting to do more.

Kingdom Ministry, March 1968, pp. 3-6.

In their new book, Famine—1975!, two noted food experts, William and Paul Paddock, make this forecast for the future, on page 61:

“By 1975 civil disorder, anarchy, military dictatorships, runaway inflation, transportation breakdowns and chaotic unrest will be the order of the day in many of the hungry nations—all because hunger will turn inexorably into starvation and starvation will become widespread famine.”

… UNPRECEDENTED TRIBULATION AT HAND

… Thus, the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy, currently being experienced, indicates that the complete end of this system of things is at hand!

The Watchtower, April 15, 1968, pp 227, 228

Since it was also Jehovah’s purpose for man to multiply and fill the earth, it is logical that he would create Eve soon after Adam, perhaps just a few weeks or months later in the same year, 4026 B.C.E. After her creation, God’s rest day, the seventh period, immediately followed.

Therefore, God’s seventh day and the time man has been on earth apparently run parallel. To calculate where man is in the stream of time relative to God’s seventh day of 7,000 years, we need to determine how long a time has elapsed from the year of Adam and Eve’s creation in 4026 B.C.E. From the autumn of that year to the autumn of 1 B.C.E., there would be 4,025 years. From the autumn of 1 B.C.E. to the autumn of 1 C.E. is one year (there was no zero year). From the autumn of 1 C.E. to the autumn of 1967 is a total of 1,966 years. Adding 4,025 and 1 and 1,966, we get 5,992 years from the autumn of 4026 B.C.E. to the autumn of 1967. Thus, eight years remain to account for a full 6,000 years of the seventh day. Eight years from the autumn of 1967 would bring us to the autumn of 1975, fully 6,000 years into God’s seventh day, his rest day.

The Watchtower, May 1, 1968, p 271.

Yes, Jehovah has surely filled our mouths with song, and as we move on into June’s activities, expressing gratitude in a practical manner, we shall, in effect, be sharing in a victory procession – the joyful march toward mankind’s grand millennium of deliverance!

Kingdom Ministry, June 1968, p. 1.

Famine by Mid-70’s

Dr. Paul R. Ehrlich, Stanford University biologist, said millions of people are goIng to starve to death soon and that there is nothing that can be done to prevent it. It. is too late, he said. He said these people will die because of short.sighted governments and because some religious organizations have blocked attempts to control the birthrate and because scientists have managed to persuade influential people that a technological rabbIt can always be pulled out of the hat to save mankind at the last minute. There will not be a last·minute rabbit, said Ehrlich. He says it has been predicted that the “time of famines” will be upon the world by the middle of the 1970’s.

Awake!, July 22, 1968, p. 30.

Do we know that the seventh year from now will conclude the 6,000th year since Adam was created? And if we live to that year 1975, what should we expect to happen?

The Watchtower, August 15, 1968, p 488.

Are we to assume from this study that the battle of Armageddon will be all over by the autumn of 1975, and the long-looked-for thousand-year reign of Christ will begin by then? Possibly, but we wait to see how closely the seventh thousand-year period of man’s existence coincides with the sabbathlike thousand-year reign of Christ. If these two periods run parallel with each other as to the calendar year, it will not be by mere chance or accident but will be according to Jehovah’s loving and timely purposes. Our chronology, however, which is reasonably accurate (but admittedly not infallible), at the best only points to the autumn of 1975 as the end of 6,000 years of man’s existence on earth. It does not necessarily mean that 1975 marks the end of the first 6,000 years of Jehovah’s seventh creative “day.” Why not? Because after his creation Adam lived some time during the “sixth day,” which unknown amount of time would need to be subtracted from Adam’s 930 years, to determine when the sixth seven-thousand-year period or “day” ended, and how long Adam lived into the “seventh day.” And yet the end of that sixth creative “day” could end within the same Gregorian calendar year of Adam’s creation. It may involve only a difference of weeks or months, not years. 

… This time between Adam’s creation and the beginning of the seventh day, the day of rest, let it be noted, need not have been a long time. It could have been a rather short one. The naming of the animals by Adam, and his discovery that there was no complement for himself, required no great length of time. The animals were in subjection to Adam; they were peaceful; they came under God’s leading; they were not needing to be chased down and caught. It took Noah only seven days to get the same kinds of animals, male and female, into the Ark. (Gen. 7:1-4) Eve’s creation was quickly accomplished, ‘while Adam was sleeping.’ (Gen. 2:21) So the lapse of time between Adam’s creation and the end of the sixth creative day, though unknown, was a comparatively short period of time. The pronouncement at the end of the sixth day, “God saw everything he had made and, look! it was very good,” proves that the beginning of the great seventh day of the creative week did not wait until after Adam and Eve sinned and were expelled from the Garden of Eden. 

… One thing is absolutely certain, Bible chronology reinforced with fulfilled Bible prophecy shows that six thousand years of man’s existence will soon be up, yes, within this generation! (Matt. 24:34) This is, therefore, no time to be indifferent and complacent. This is not the time to be toying with the words of Jesus that “concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matt. 24:36) To the contrary, it is a time when one should be keenly aware that the end of this system of things is rapidly coming to its violent end. Make no mistake, it is sufficient that the Father himself knows both the “day and hour”! 

The Watchtower, August 15, 1968, pp 494-501.

Free home Bible studies are a hallmark of Jehovah’s witnesses the world around. How helpful this work has been in aiding hundreds of thousands of persons to come to an accurate knowledge of the truth and to take their stand on Jehovah’s side! But now time is running short for this old system of things and we want to help as many sheeplike ones as we can to learn the truth and act on it while there is still time.

Kingdom Ministry, September 1968, p. 8.

Famine in the 1970’s

The words of Jesus Christ that “there will be food shortages” at the end of this systern of things arf’ again confirmed by an article entitled “The Coming Famine,” which appeared in Natural History. After discussing two books, Famine-1975! and Born to Hunger, the article comments: “Everyone admits that more than haIf of the world is under-nourished, with many starving…. Mankind may be facing its final crisis. No action that we can take at this late date can prevent a great deal of future misery from starvation and environmental deterioration. The dimensions of the programs that must be mounted if we are to survive are awe inspiring,”

Awake!, September 22, 1968, p. 29.

A few weeks ago you heard a letter read to your congregation about the October 8 special issue of Awake! But by now you no doubt have your own copy, and you have seen for yourself what it contains. Isn’t it fine? How appropriate this material is for our magazine that bears the title “Awake!” With a powerful array of facts, persuasive argument and visual aids it drives home the point that we really are living in the “last days.” Kindly but firmly it emphasizes the fact that the time left is very short and that, if a person wants to serve God and survive into his righteous new system, he must take the necessary steps now.

Kingdom Ministry, October 1968, p. 1.

According to reliable Bible chronology, Adam and Eve were created in 4026 BCE. This would leave only seven more years from the autumn of 1968 to complete 6,000 full years of human history. That seven-year period will evidently finish in the autumn of the year 1975.

Does this mean that the above evidence positively points to 1975 as the time for the complete end of this system of things? Since the Bible does not specifically state this, no man can say. However, of this we can be sure: The 1970’s will certainly see the most critical times mankind has yet known. The deterioration in human relations-within families, communities, cities and nations, and between nations will worsen, not improve. (2 Tim. 3:13) If the 1970’s should see intervention by Jehovah God to bring an end to a corrupt
world drifting toward ultimate disintegration, that should surely not surprise us.

… The end of this wicked system is approaching rapidly. It is much later than most people realize. Hence, there is no time to lose in working for survival.

… You have no time to lose in making friends with God, because time is rapidly running out for this wicked system of things. It is very close to plunging into the chasm of Armageddon. Therefore, take steps quickly to work for survival and for eternal life in God’s new order.

Awake!, October 8, 1968, pp. 14, 29.

How often does your congregation cover its territory? Do you reach every home at least three times a year? Is it a thorough coverage each time, getting each not-at-home and speaking to different occupants in the house? In view of the shortness of the remaining time, it makes one stop and think, doesn’t it?

Kingdom Ministry, November 1968, p. 8.

“So Jehovah’s word is in your mouth this good news must increase first before Armageddon, there is will be now a remaining few months, not really a full 83 months remain, so let’s be faithful and confident and we will be alive beyond the war of Armageddon, yes brothers and sisters by doing this having plenty to do we will be alive in God’s new system of things to live and share and work for a thousand years and there will be plenty to do for the next one thousand years.” (applause)

November 1968 – District Overseer Duggan at Pampa Texas Assembly.

At the same time the political, financial, economic, social and religious elements are becoming more perplexed, and in their frustration these men are becoming faint not only out of fear but also out of expectation of the things that they can calculate are bound to come upon the earth. World famine is predicted for the year 1975.

The Watchtower, December 15, 1968, pp. 752, 753.

1969

More recently earnest researchers of the Holy Bible have made a recheck of its chronology. According to their calculations the six millenniums of mankind’s life on earth would end in the mid-seventies. Thus the seventh millennium from man’s creation by Jehovah God would begin within less than ten years…

In order for the Lord Jesus Christ to be “Lord even of the sabbath day,” his thousand-year reign would have to be the seventh in a series of thousand-year periods or millenniums.

Booklet The Approaching Peace of a Thousand Years, 1969, pp. 25, 26.

More recently, the book entitled “Famine—1975!” by William and Paul Paddock said concerning today’s food shortages, on pages 52, 55 and 61: “Hunger is rampant throughout country after country, continent after continent around the undeveloped belt of the tropics and subtropics. Today’s crisis can move in only one direction—toward catastrophe. Today hungry nations; tomorrow starving nations. . . . By 1975 civil disorder, anarchy, military dictatorships, runaway inflation, transportation breakdowns and chaotic unrest will be the order of the day in many of the hungry nations.”

The Watchtower, February 1, 1969, p. 70.

Remember that Jehovah’s organization in heaven and on earth backs up those who serve Jehovah by proclaiming the “good news.” (Rev. 14:6, 7) We recognize, as you do, that we are deep into the “time of the end.” There is little time left for this old system of things.

Kingdom Ministry, March 1969, p. 6.

If you are planning to discontinue a particular study, it might be well to spend one or two study periods with the student having a heart-to-heart discussion about the things that have been learned and their significance and the urgency of the times, rather than going ahead with a regular study of additional material… there is an urgency about our work and we have a responsibility before God to use our time to aid persons who truly want to serve him… We appreciate the urgency of the work we are doing. When individuals show by their actions that they want to do Jehovah’s will, we will continue to aid them. Where substantial progress is not seen, then, rather than continuing the study, we do well to spend that time each week trying to find and help someone who is sincerely interested in doing something about the truth.

Kingdom Ministry, May 1969, p. 3.

Those of you who have been studying the Bible for about six months should by now be in position to decide whether you are going to follow through on what you have learned. Do you really want to become a dedicated and baptized worshiper of Jehovah God and do you want to share with others the life-giving truths from God’s Word? …

DECISION NOW IS VITAL

The urgency of the times in which we are living requires that we do all we can to bring our lives into harmony with God’s will. From what you have learned you know why this system of things is rapidly deteriorating before our eyes. You know the meaning of the unrest and increased violence in all the earth. All this shows that we have approached the very brink of the earth-cleansing destruction of which Jesus and the Bible writers prophesied!

This is the most serious time in human history, and you are living in this time of change. “The world is passing away,” the Bible says, but those who do ‘the will of God will remain forever.’ (1 John 2:17) Your studying the Bible is to equip you to learn that will of God so you can do it. Yes, there is a purpose behind this study; there is a future attached to it…

In view of the short time left in which to do their work, Jehovah’s witnesses do not continue to study the Bible with any who fail to respond to its urgent message within six months. The nearness of this system’s end compels them to use their time in the most effective way possible. So they feel obligated to spend their time calling on someone else who might respond by attending meetings at the Kingdom Hall and by speaking to others about the Bible truths learned. Thus it may be that if you have not as yet responded by even becoming a regular attender at some of the congregation meetings, the one who is studying the Bible with you may cancel that study arrangement in order to give his time to someone else. This arrangement is not meant to be harsh, but the urgency of the times in which we live demands it. There are millions of persons who need spiritual help and God’s servants want to reach all they possibly can.

The Watchtower, May 15, 1969, pp. 309-312.

Even folks who studied the Bible with the Witnesses for years without acting on what they learned are now taking a decisive stand to serve Jehovah. One family in the southern United States who had studied with the Witnesses for three years had done very little about what they had learned. But when they were told about the new six-month Bible-study arrangement, they were visibly touched. Now for the first time a real sense of urgency struck them. They could not bear the thought of having all connections with Jehovah’s people severed. So they sent a letter of withdrawal to the Baptist church because they knew that they were not being taught the Bible’s truth there. They began attending all the Bible meetings of Jehovah’s witnesses and sharing with others the things they learned.

The Watchtower, June 1, 1969, p. 347.

In fact, we are a long way into the time of the end, and not too much time remains for this old system of things. When God, through his king, Jesus Christ, takes action to rid this earth of those who have no interest in doing things His way it will be too late for any more to come out into God’s place of safety. World events in fulfillment of Bible prophecy give sure indication that only a few years remain for this wicked arrangement of things.

The Watchtower, July 15, 1969, p. 426.

That this peace is near is indicated, not only by world conditions, which fulfill Bible prophecy, but also by the fact that six thousand years of mankind’s history is soon to end. It was pointed out that, in ancient Israel, a sabbath day was enjoyed after six days of toil; also that the thousand-year reign of Christ is merely a day from God’s viewpoint. “In order for the Lord Jesus Christ to be ‘Lord even of the sabbath day,’” the speaker declared, “his thousand-year reign would have to be the seventh in a series of thousand-year periods or millenniums.” (Matt. 12:8, AV) That time is near at hand!

The Watchtower, September 1, 1969, p. 523.

Time is passing by quickly, isn’t it? Just think, each passing day draws us one day closer to the end of this wicked system of things and one day closer to the time when the peace of a thousand years will begin.

Kingdom Ministry, October 1969, p. 1.

And today, with less than seven years remaining to the end of six thousand years of human history, and with all the prophetic evidence that Christendom is about to be shaken from her proud foundations, are we not fired with zeal to get round our territory seven times and more? Time is short, and the message must be sounded! It is no time for drooping hands or wobbling knees.

The Watchtower, October 1, 1969, p. 597.

More recently earnest researchers of the Holy Bible have made a recheck of its chronology. According to their calculations the six millenniums of mankind’s life on earth would end in the mid-seventies. Thus the seventh millennium from man’s creation by Jehovah God would begin within less than ten years…

In order for the Lord Jesus Christ to be “Lord even of the sabbath day,” his thousand-year reign would have to be the seventh in a series of thousand-year periods or millenniums. (Matt. 12:8, AV) Thus it would be a sabbatic reign. Since early in the existence of mankind Satan the Devil has been on the loose, making the human family to toil in hard bondage, causing the earth to be filled with violence before the global flood of Noah’s day and inducing the same old earth to be filled with even greater violence today. Soon now six millenniums of his wicked exploiting of mankind as his slaves will end, within the lifetime of the generation that has witnessed world events since the close of the Gentile Times in 1914 till now, according to the prophetic words of Jesus in Matthew 24:34. Would not, then, the end of six millenniums of mankind’s laborious enslavement under Satan the Devil be the fitting time for Jehovah God to usher in a Sabbath millennium for all his human creatures? Yes, indeed! And his King Jesus Christ will be Lord of that Sabbath.

The Watchtower, October 15, 1969, pp. 622, 623.

We are very thankful to Jehovah that he is giving such increases and gathering so many sheeplike persons in these “last days.” … We hope there will be a large number of new publishers joining with us in the service during December and on into 1970. Indeed, we have good reasons to hold our heads up high as we see our deliverance drawing near.

Kingdom Ministry, December 1969, p. 1.

1970

Jehovah’s witnesses feel the urgency of getting this work done under Jehovah God’s guidance. They feel the time is near at hand for the end of this wicked system of things.

Yearbook, 1970, p. 34.

In a well-documented book, Famine​—1975!, William and Paul Paddock predict that the time of famines will be upon us full-scale in 1975…. What’s done is done. We must look to the survivors, if any.”

Awake!, January 22, 1970, p. 6.

If you realize that you should terminate a particular study, discuss it with the householder in a kindly way. Let him know that you have counted it a privilege to share with him what the Bible says, but remind him that it is a six-month free study course that we offer. Now it is up to him to decide what he will do about what he has learned and to take the initiative to follow through.–Josh. 24:14, 15.

Emphasize the urgency of the times and explain that we want to give others the same opportunity to learn the truth and take their stand on Jehovah’s side.–Zeph. 2:3.

Kingdom Ministry, February 1970, p. 4.

This accounts for 6,000 years. Is that the length of the seventh day? No, because we read that “God proceeded to bless the seventh day and make it sacred.” Its outcome must be “very good,” and that is not true of present world conditions; so the “day” must still be continuing. Actually these six thousand years have been, as it were, man’s workweek, in which he labored by the sweat of his face. But he will get rest during the coming thousand-year reign of Christ, which Bible chronology and fulfillment of Bible prophecy show is to begin very soon.​.. Now the fact that we are living at the end of six thousand years of the seventh “day” is of the greatest interest and importance to us. …Thus, our appreciating the days of creation from God’s viewpoint is not only seen to be Scriptural, reasonable and harmonious with such facts as men of science have been able to produce, but also inspires in us the hope of soon enjoying the Lord’s sabbath of God’s rest day, a day when health, life and happiness will be restored to humankind. Truly God’s ways and thoughts are infinitely superior to man’s thoughts and ways.​

The Watchtower, February 15, 1970, p. 120.

A little over a year ago we were introduced to the six-month home Bible-study program. We immediately grasped that this would be an additional effective method to help get the work done in the short time remaining.

Kingdom Ministry, March 1970, p. 4.

No wonder the book Famine​—1975! reports there will be “a famine that will happen no matter what anyone does.”

… How close we may exactly be to the end of the present divisive system of things cannot be predicted, as Jesus reported that even he did not know the day or the hour at the time of his earthly ministry. (Matt. 24:36) However, Bible chronology which indicates that Adam was created in the fall of the year 4026 B.C.E. would bring us down to the year 1975 C.E. as the date marking 6,000 years of human history with yet 1,000 years to come for Christ’s Kingdom rule. So whatever the date for the end of this system, it is clear that the time left is reduced, with only approximately six years left until the end of 6,000 years of human history. (1 Cor. 7:29) This corroborates the understanding of Jesus’ words that the generation alive in 1914 with the outbreak of World War I would not pass away until the end comes. Only a short time, then, remains for persons who love righteousness to show God that they want to be in his “ark” of protection and live to see the blessings of the new system of things.​

The Watchtower, May 1, 1970, pp. 270, 273.

Fulfillment of Bible prophecies indicates that the end of this system of things is near at hand, to be followed by the millennial peace. Among these is Jesus’ great prophecy recorded at Matthew 24, 25; Mark 13 and Luke 21.

Further, Bible chronology indicates that we are at the close of six thousand years of human history. For Jesus to be “Lord of the sabbath,” his thousand-year reign would have to be the seventh in a series of thousand-year periods. Would not, then, the end of six millenniums of mankind’s laborious enslavement under Satan the Devil be the fitting time for Jehovah God to usher in a sabbath millennium for all mankind?

The Watchtower, September 1, 1970, p. 539.

1971

According to some predictions, by 1975 the Soviet Union will have three times the number of tanks the United States has, and more than twice as many as the United States and all its European allies put together.

Awake!, July 8, 1971, p. 7.

With populations exploding all over the earth, many nations now stand at the brink of starvation, and disaster is predicted by experts for the mid-1970’s…

Though a little time remains to live in this world, we do not have to associate with it unnecessarily. We need not let our guard down by hobnobbing with worldlings at office parties, in outings or in sports groups… All worldly careers are soon to come to an end. So, why should today’s youth get interested in ‘higher education’ for a future that will never eventuate?

The Watchtower, September 15, 1971, pp. 561-563.

‘It is already too late to avoid famines that will kill millions, possibly by 1975 . . . Already half a billion people are slowly starving, another billion are malnourished.” ​— Prof. Paul R. Ehrlich, February 1970…

OUR generation will see the end of the present pressure-ridden order. In fact, there is even good reason to hope that a new order of God’s making may begin within the present decade… The Bible shows that we are nearing the close of 6,000 years of human history. Bible chronology reveals that human life began with Adam’s creation some 4,058 years before the death of Jesus (in the spring of the year 33 C.E.). By adding to this the years from Jesus’ death till now, we find that the completion of 6,000 years of man’s existence will come near the middle of this decade of the 1970’s… So, as we draw close to the completion of six thousand years of human existence during this decade, there is the thrilling hope that a grand Sabbath of rest and relief is indeed at hand.

Awake! October 8, 1971, pp. 7, 26-28.

… all the nations of today are headed for a fatal collision with Him [God] during the lifetime of our generation on earth.

… All the nations are now on the march to Har–Magedon! This much can be unerringly said according to the Bible’s timetable and according to world events in fulfillment of Bible prophecy.

The Watchtower, October 15, 1971, pp. 615, 623.

1972

More than this, they [conscientious students of the Bible] know that the Bible, as a prophetic book, often linked time features with future events that came to pass exactly in the year foretold. Many now living have personally witnessed the fulfillment of the long-range prophecy of the “times of the nations,” which extended into this twentieth century. They saw the outbreak of World War I in the predicted year 1914, ushering in the period of distress from which this world is destined never to recover. They now look to this decade for the completion of the six thousandth year of man’s existence. They are confidently hopeful that the seventh 1000-year day will bring the millennial reign of the Prince of Peace.

Awake!, April 8, 1972, p. 16.

This calls to mind the prediction made several years ago by two agronomists, William and Paul Paddock. In their book Famine​—1975! they declared that world famine was inevitable during the mid-1970’s.

Awake!, July 22, 1972, p. 12.

Science magazine of November 28, 1969, observed:

“In the continued absence of better ways of heading off these multiple crises, our half-life may no longer be 10 or 20 years, but more like 5 to 10 years, or less. We may have even less than a 50-50 chance of living until 1980.

Awake!, October 22, 1972, p. 12.

1973

… the end of six thousand years of human existence on earth and the beginning of mankind’s seventh millennium of existence may come many years sooner than the year 2000 C.E. It is well that this is so. Today, with the world of mankind in such a deplorable condition and being threatened with destruction from so many angles, there are many students and investigators of these threats to human existence who express substantial doubts that mankind will be able to survive till the year 2000 C.E. They do not base their gloomy outlook for our future on any timetable in that most widespread sacred book, the Holy Bible. They base their outlook upon the hard facts of today and upon the now irreversible trend of things that involve all of us. These men who speak with authority give our human race far less than a thousand years to live on into the future. What reason have you, the reader, for not believing them?

Book God’s Kingdom of a Thousand Years Has Approached (1973), p. 14.

In fact, the book Famine​—1975 (published in 1967) quoted Dr. R. Ewell as predicting: “The world is on the threshold of the biggest famine in history. If present trends continue, it seems likely that famine will reach serious proportions in India, Pakistan and China early in the 1970’s. . . . Such a famine will be of massive proportions affecting hundreds of millions.”

Awake! June 22, 1973, p. 3.

Famine​—1974?

In 1967 William and Paul Paddock wrote the book Famine​—1975. At the time many scoffed at their view that large-scale famines were possible by the mid-seventies. But what is being said now? The “deepening crisis” in food production and population growth world wide leads J. P. Brown to write in the New York Times: “It appears that the Paddock brothers’ prophecy for 1975 could begin to become a reality as early as 1974.”

Awake! July 8, 1973, p. 29.

Widespread Famine at Hand

… “Six years ago, in their book Famine 1975, William and Paul Paddock warned that an international food crisis spurred largely by population increases would probably be upon us in 1975. But unusually bad weather and tragic unconcern may cause their prophecy to come true a year early.”

Awake!, September 22, 1973, p. 29.

… William and Paul Paddock in their book Famine 1975 had warned that world population growth was running ahead of food production and that a crisis could be expected in the mid-1970’s. In May 1973, a New York Times editorial commented: “It appears that the Paddock brothers’ prophecy for 1975 could begin to become a reality as early as 1974.” But the symptoms have already appeared before 1974…

Before This Generation Ends

Nevertheless, what does that mean for us today? Why place such great importance on the fact that the date of this particular turning point was foreseen through Bible prophecy? After all, here we are almost sixty years later. Of the people living in 1914 of sufficient age to know what was going on, most are not even living now, and those who do remain are up in years, old.

This is precisely why these matters considered are so important, vitally important, to all of us. Not only was the date of the world’s turning point foretold but the conditions that would follow were also foretold, and it was revealed just where mankind’s present course is leading, what its final result will be. And, very important for us, it was foretold that such final result would take place within the lifetime of just one generation, the generation that was alive in 1914…

We can be equally sure that, of the generation alive in 1914, some will see the major fulfillment of Christ Jesus’ prophecy and the destruction with which it culminates. This means that mankind is now in the most crucial time of its history, when the rule of this earth and of all human affairs will pass from the hands of imperfect political rulers and come to rest with a righteous government of God’s own making.

Awake!, October 8, 1973, pp. 5, 6, 19.

Six thousand years of human history are nearing their close, and to humans, that seems very long. But to the Universal Ruler, and in universal time, six thousand years is merely as a few days, or hours. Yet it has allowed men ample opportunity to see the hopelessness of man’s own efforts and the need for God’s kingdom, which he has prepared and which is ready to replace all other rulership of the earth.​

The Watchtower, December 15, 1973, p. 739.

1974

According to the Bible’s timetable, we are near the end of six thousand years of human history, and Christ’s royal reign for the relief and rehabilitation of mankind to perfection is at our doors. A wonderful prospect!

The Watchtower, January 1, 1974, p. 8.

Biologist Paul Ehrlich believes that actual worldwide famine is approaching. When? Back in 1970 he stated: “I think an estimate of 1975 is still as good as we can make, but it could be anywhere from 1972 to 1985, depending primarily on luck. I think the actual date is a quibble.”

The Watchtower, April 1, 1974, p. 196.

True, the most accurate Bible chronology available indicates that 6,000 years of human existence will end in the mid-1970’s. So these Christians are intensely interested to see if that will coincide with the outbreak of the “great tribulation” of our day that will eliminate all wicked ones on earth. It could.

The Watchtower, June 15, 1974, p. 379.

Christ’s Kingdom rule of a thousand years promises the finest conditions​—conditions mankind has never known. Therefore, everyone should look for evidences of its approach with the greatest interest and anticipation. The Bible book of Revelation (chapters 20 and 21) reveals many of the good things that the thousand-year rule will bring. It also tells us that this millennium must be preceded immediately by the most destructive war in all human history. We can now see the political rulers or “kings of the entire inhabited earth” being gathered, under forces beyond human control, for that War of all wars, at the place called Har–Magedon.

The Watchtower, July 1, 1974, p. 397.

For nearly six thousand years now mankind has labored and struggled. But now the Bible shows that a grand sabbath of rest for the earth and its inhabitants has drawn near. The Bible tells us that with Jehovah ‘a thousand years is as one day.’ (2 Pet. 3:8) And his Word foretells a thousand-year-long day of rest from suffering, war, crime, famine and injustice under his Son’s Kingdom rule.

Awake!, October 8, 1974, pp. 21.

The publications of Jehovah’s witnesses have shown that, according to Bible chronology, it appears that 6,000 years of man’s existence will be completed in the mid-1970’s. But these publications have never said that the world’s end would come then. Nevertheless, there has been considerable individual speculation on the matter. So the assembly presentation “Why We Have Not Been Told ‘That Day and Hour’” was very timely. It emphasized that we do not know the exact time when God will bring the end. All we know is that the end will come within the generation that sees fulfilled on it the sign that Jesus Christ said would then be in evidence. (See Matthew chapters 24, 25.) All indications are that the fulfillment of this sign began in 1914. So we can be confident that the end is near; we do not have the slightest doubt that God will bring it about, the speaker stressed.

The Watchtower, October 15, 1974, p. 635.

The Ithaca Journal of March 22, 1974, observed: “Normally restrained experts on energy, agriculture, population, and the global economy are starting to predict bankruptcy, social breakdown, and starvation for as many as one billion people by late this year or early 1975.”…

Today there is a great crowd of people who are confident that a destruction of even greater magnitude is now imminent. The evidence is that Jesus’ prophecy will shortly have a major fulfillment, upon this entire system of things. This has been a major factor in influencing many couples to decide not to have children at this time.

Awake!, November 8, 1974, pp. 10, 11.

And now, as the critical year of 1975 enters, it may well be asked: Has the Most High God of prophecy made a name for himself? The answer is self-evident, Yes! By whom? Not by Christendom or by Jewry, but by Jehovah’s Christian witnesses!

The Watchtower, December 15, 1974, p. 764, 765.

Food Predictions

The Paddock brothers’ well-known 1967 book Famine​—1975! based its predictions on population growth and similar factors. Interestingly, a letter in Science magazine now reports that the former director of the Smithsonian Institution’s Astrophysical Observatory published a prediction in 1938 pointing to 1975 for different reasons. Based on sunspot cycles and water levels of the North American Great Lakes, he said that “there is much reason to expect a . . . drought beginning about 1975.” In 1963 he added: “I predicted about 1938 [drought] recurrence in the decade of 1950-1960. It proved very severe in [the] Southwest United States.” He then repeated his 1938 prediction of a ‘great drought’ that he said would “probably begin about 1975.”

Awake!, December 22, 1974, p. 29.

1975

Famine Update

The Paddock brothers’ now-famous 1967 book Famine​—1975! pointed forward to the current food and population problem. What do the authors say now that 1975 is with us? “Everything is so much worse than when we wrote that book,” says William Paddock. “You have a couple of hundred million more people to worry about, you’ve got the energy crisis, you’ve got inflation.” The report in the New York Times Magazine concludes that “people like the Paddocks . . . seem more convinced of their pessimistic premises than ever.”

Awake!, February 22, 1975, p. 29.

New Historical “Benchmark”

For decades before World War I, Bible students had warned that 1914 would be a critical point in history. “The trauma of World War I . . . is widely regarded as a benchmark in the evolution of modern America,” confirms a recent issue of U.S. News & World Report. And such changes were felt world wide. In more recent decades Jehovah’s witnesses have again noted what Bible chronology indicates, this time warning that the mid-1970’s would be critical for mankind. What does the record so far indicate? According to this article, “Historians compare . . . today’s upsets” with the “time of social and moral change” during World War I.

Awake!, April 22, 1975, p. 29.

Another speaker, F. W. Franz, the Society’s vice-president, forcefully impressed on the audience the urgency of the Christian preaching work. He stressed that, according to dependable Bible chronology, 6,000 years of human history will end this coming September according to the lunar calendar. This coincides with a time when “the human species [is] about to starve itself to death,” as well as its being faced with poisoning by pollution and destruction by nuclear weapons. Franz added: “There’s no basis for believing that mankind, faced with what it now faces, can exist for the seventh thousand-year period” under the present system of things.

Does this mean that we know exactly when God will destroy this old system and establish a new one? Franz showed that we do not, for we do not know how short was the time interval between Adam’s creation and the creation of Eve, at which point God’s rest day of seven thousand years began. (Heb. 4:3, 4) But, he pointed out, “we should not think that this year of 1975 is of no significance to us,” for the Bible proves that Jehovah is “the greatest chronologist” and “we have the anchor date, 1914, marking the end of the Gentile Times.” So, he continued, “we are filled with anticipation for the near future, for our generation.”

The Watchtower, May 1, 1975, p. 285.

Yes, as 1975 wears on, it becomes evident that mankind needs the rule of the “Prince of Peace” more than ever.

The Watchtower July 15, 1975, p. 445.