I'd like to give you a little background to this event first. I hope it's not too long.
My husband and I were active JWs for 40 years and started fading about 4 1/2 years ago. My husbands widowed mother and only brother became JWs about 40 years ago also. His brother went to Bethel over 30 years ago and has been in the writing dept in Brooklyn for the last 12 years.
4 years ago my MIL became ill and no longer able to care for herself so she moved into our home and I became her carer. The fact that we were no longer active JWs and she was a staunch 'faithful' one didn't matter, as long as it meant my bethelite BIL didn't have to leave his 'privileged position' and take care of his mother. A token phone call to her every 6 - 10 weeks and a visit of a few hours when he came back home was his contribution to her care in the last couple of years.
During these 4 years my husband and I completely faded and about 18 months ago my own family started shunning us completely.
As there was only my husband (who works full time) and I to take care of my MIL it was quite challenging and very tiring and at times we needed a break. So as we usually did a couple of times a year, last December we put her into a nursing home for 4 weeks so we could have a rest. While she was in there she fell and broke her hip. She had surgery and spent weeks in hospital and rehab and eventually in April it was decided she would not recover enough to come back home and we had to put her into a nursing home permanently. And as is understandable she was not happy about this at all but there was no other choice.
On a side note - during these last 6 months since her fall my BIL never called me once to enquire after his mother, instead got ones in the congregation to ring me or visit her and pass the message on to him.
Now that my MIL is in the nursing home my BIL rings her more frequently. (My cynical side says that he has to appear to be a good JW son now that there are 'worldly' people taking care of her).
Last week my MIL told my husband that his bethelite brother had rung and told her that "Armageddon may only be weeks away now". My husband told her that the society had been saying Armageddon was just around the corner the whole time he had been a JW and it's still not here.
Anyway when he was visiting his mother yesterday she told him that she won't have to be in the nursing home much longer as "Armageddon is only weeks away". When my husband asked her how the ones in Bethel know that her reply was that they keep a very close eye on world events and they can see how close Armageddon is now. "It's definitely only weeks away".
So even when a JW is in the last few months/years of their life the carrot and stick of Armageddon is still used on them. It's disgusting.
Hopscotch