Yup. And I'm Joan of Arc

When Jesus returns (a yet future event) it will be seen by the whole world, and they will fight against Him. Jesus warned His disciples not to be deceived by false prophets who would claim He had returned in secret. Russell (and others like him) definitely falls into this category.

But, they will say, it happened "spiritually" (parousia, or "presence"). Well, it's true that Jesus DID return "spiritually" in the past. But it was hardly a secret. It happened on the day of Pentecost in 31 AD. You can read about it in Acts 2.

It's also true that Jesus DID return "secretly" in the past. But once again, it's not a secret to anyone who reads the bible. Jesus returned "secretly" to teach the future apostle Paul in Arabia. You can read about it in the epistle to the Galatians.

So, when Jesus "returned" in 1874, why didn't we see the sign of the Son of Man in heaven? Why didn't the Mount of Olives split in 2? Why do the newspapers of that time fail to mention armies gathering at Armageddon to fight against Him? Why was the Kingdom of God not established? And why have there continued to be ever escalating evils in the world since that time?

1874 was no different than any other year of that era, except that a handful of gullible people were sold a lie by a false prophet.