The 'Last Days' Started at Pentecost — Not 1914
The "last days" began in 1914 when Jesus was invisibly enthroned as King
in heaven. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 describes conditions that have intensified
since 1914 — wars, selfishness, and moral decay prove we are living in the
last days. The date 1914 is derived from Daniel 4's "seven times" (2,520
years) starting from 607 BCE.
Read together from the NWT. Let them read it aloud so they feel on comfortable ground. Then zoom in on verse 5: 'from these turn away.' Ask who Paul is addressing — it is Timothy. Ask how Timothy could turn away from people who would not exist for another 1,900 years. The plain reading demands these people already existed in Timothy's day. Then stack the evidence: says God spoke 'at the end of these days' through His Son — placing the last days at Christ's first coming. shows Peter quoting Joel's 'last days' prophecy at Pentecost and declaring it fulfilled that very day. explicitly states 'it is the last hour.' At least six New Testament passages independently confirm that first-century writers placed themselves in the last days. Finally, pivot to — Paul's remedy for dangerous times is not an organisation but Scripture, which makes the man of God 'complete, fully equipped.' If the Bible alone makes someone complete, why would the Watchtower be needed?
Paul tells Timothy to 'turn away from these' — a present-tense imperative that is meaningless if those people will not exist for another 1,900 years. The instruction only makes sense if the 'last days' were already present in the first century. Six additional NT passages confirm this.
Paul was prophesying about a future period — he saw ahead to the time after 1914.
Then why does Paul tell Timothy to 'turn away from these' in present tense? Timothy cannot avoid people who will not exist for nineteen centuries. Even your NWT says 'from these turn away.' The command is directed at Timothy for his immediate situation. Calvin noted this exact point: 'How could Timothy turn away from those who were not to arise till many centuries afterwards?'
These conditions have gotten worse since 1914 — wars, crime, and moral decay prove it.
Every generation has claimed the world is getting worse. The Roman Empire in Paul's day was rife with every vice on this list. The Black Death killed a third of Europe. The list Paul gives — selfishness, greed, arrogance, brutality — describes fallen humanity in every era, not a fingerprint of one specific period. More importantly, the text does not say 'these conditions will intensify' — Paul tells Timothy to turn away from these people now.
Other prophecies confirm 1914 — Matthew 24 and Daniel 4 point to that date.
The 1914 calculation depends entirely on 607 BCE as the date of Jerusalem's destruction, but all mainstream archaeology and secular history places it at 586/587 BCE. That twenty-year error collapses the entire calculation. But even setting that aside, the question here is what 2 Timothy 3 actually says — and it tells Timothy to act now, not to wait for a future date.
Hebrews 1:2 uses 'at the end of these days' — that is different from 'last days.'
Even 'at the end of these days' still places the event at Christ's first coming, not 1914. And consider the broader witness: has Peter declaring the 'last days' at Pentecost. says 'it IS the last hour.' says the 'fulfilment of the ages has come' upon first-century believers. tells his readers they have hoarded treasure 'in the last days.' The unanimous New Testament witness is that the last days began with Christ.
Do not get drawn into debating 607 vs 587 BCE or the Daniel 4 calculation at the doorstep — it is a rabbit trail. The strength of this argument is that it needs no external historical evidence; the text speaks for itself. Also avoid detailed Greek grammar discussion; the present-tense command is clear in English in both the BSB and NWT.
Read in one sitting, then focus on verse 5 in the NWT, 'from these turn away', until you can explain why the command only makes sense if Timothy was already facing these people. Read , and so you can name three first-century 'last days' texts without notes. Practise the doorstep question aloud, letting your friend read verses 1-4 first. Expect the reply that conditions have worsened since 1914, and rehearse returning to the present-tense command rather than comparing eras. If 607 BCE or Daniel 4 comes up, decline the detour gently and finish with .