We ex-JWs know very well how much the Watchtower Society put us under pressure to believe that "Armageddon is just around the corner". They've been doing it in one form or another ever since Charles Taze Russell began publishing his nonsense. In 1877 he advocated that true Christians should believe that Christ would "take them home" in 1878. When that didn't happen he moved the event up to 1881. After that he focused on 1914.
The Society is still doing pretty much the same thing, building up expectations and then revising them, decade after decade. Their aim is not simply to keep JWs in expectation of the coming of the Big A, but to generate a sense of urgency about it. They use the Bible to justify a sense of urgency, but in reality they misuse it. I'll explain more below.
The latest bit of pressure comes in two articles in the January 1, 2003 Watchtower, "Now More Than Ever, Stay Awake!" and "Keep on the Watch!" These articles use the same tired, terrible reasoning we usually expect from WTS writers. They also illustrate how the Society fools its members by switching concepts in the middle of an argument, leaving the naive reader with the impression that the argument actually proved something. I'll give some examples of how this is done.
The first article talks about heeding warnings, and then talks about the end of "the Jewish system of things" in 70 A.D. The idea is to show that Jesus' warnings of the coming destruction of Jerusalem saved the Christians who heeded them. I'll analyze the misleading statements in paragraph 4 (p. 8) that attempt to generate a sense of urgency.
Jesus Christ had predicted the city's destruction, and he foretold events that would precede it -- such disturbing occurrences as wars, food shortages, earthquakes, and lawlessness. False prophets would be active, but the good news of God's Kingdom would be preached worldwide. (Matthew 24:4-7, 11-14)
Jesus did indeed say that such "disturbing occurrences" would precede Jerusalem's destruction. But did he say that such events were to be interpreted as signs that the destruction was imminent, i.e., that when Christians saw such an event they were supposed to feel an even greater sense of urgency? Not at all. In fact, he said the opposite. The Society never deals with what Jesus actually said with reference to these events: "See that you are not terrified. For these things must take place, but the end is not yet." (Matt. 24:6) So what the writer said up to this point is a subtle bit of sleight of the keyboard, implying that Jesus' mention of things that would precede the big event were predictors of the event's imminency. Paragraph 4 goes on, assuming that this fallacious reasoning will be unnoticed:
While Jesus' words have their major fulfillment today, they did have a minor fulfillment back then. History records a severe famine in Judea. (Acts 11:28) Jewish historian Josephus reports an earthquake in the Jerusalem area shortly before the city's destruction. As Jerusalem's end approached, there were continual uprisings, internecine warfare between Jewish political factions, and massacres in several cities with a mixed Jewish and Gentile population. Nevertheless, the good news of the Kingdom was being preached "in all creation that is under heaven." -- Colossians 1:23.
The problem here is obvious: Famines, earthquakes, uprisings, wars and so forth were everyday occurrences in Judea. There is no evidence whatsoever that these things got worse during the decades between Jesus' prophecy and Jerusalem's destruction. If such things were not worse, but remained the same as always, how could they be a sign of anything? It would be like my telling you to meet me at Grand Central Station when you see that the sky is blue, the grass is green and young men are lusting after young women. Such non-signs contain no useful information. Yet this is what the Society uses to generate a sense of urgency. It could be used equally well today, a hundred years ago or a hundred years from now.
The second article, "Keep on the Watch!", uses the biblical illustration of the coming of a thief in the night to generate a sense of urgency. However, a careful look at the biblical references the writer cites shows that they contain nothing whatsoever about a call for a sense of urgency, but only about keeping in expectation. The fallacy here is the writer's assumption that keeping in expectation is equivalent to thinking that the thing expected is imminent, when it could be a long time off. This would be like my telling you to expect me at your home Sunday afternoon, and you then thinking that I'm about to arrive at 12:01, then at 12:02, and so on throughout the afternoon. Anyone who intepreted my statement that way would be crazy.
Paragraphs 2 and 3 on pages 17-18 show how the concept of "keeping awake" is magically transformed into the concept of "keeping a sense of urgency". Paragraph 1 talks about a man getting ripped off while he slept, and concludes, "A sleeping man cannot guard his possessions." The next paragraphs continue:
2 The same is true in a spiritual sense. We cannot safeguard our hope and our faith if we fall asleep. Hence, Paul's exhortation: "Let us not sleep on as the rest do, but let us stay awake and keep our senses." (1 Thessaloinians 5:6)
No mention of urgency here.
To show how vital it is to stay awake, Jesus used the illustration of a thief. He described the events that would lead up to his coming as Judge, and then he warned: "Keep on the watch, therefore, because you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know one thing, that if the householder had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have kept awake and not allowed his house to be broken into. On this account you too prove yourselves ready, because at an hour that you do not think to be it, the Son of man is coming." (Matthew 24:42-44)
I would think that the quoted scripture alone would be enough to dissuade anyone from thinking that Jesus was trying to generate a sense of urgency in his followers. Readiness? Sure. Urgency, no. If Jesus is to come "at an hour that you do not think to be it", then obviously "you" cannot be expecting him urgently! How anyone can read this scripture and get the opposite sense is beyond me. That JWs never question this terrible reasoning is a measure of how powerful the Society's techniques of misleading people are.
The paragraph continues blindly along:
A thief does not announce in advance when he is coming. He hopes to arrive when no one is expecting him. Similarly, as Jesus said, the end of this system will come at 'an hour that we do not think to be it.'
The article goes on under a new subheading:
"Stay Awake, Stand Firm in the Faith"3 In words recorded in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus compared Christians to slaves waiting for their master to return from a wedding. They need to keep alert so that when he arrives they will be awake, ready to receive him. In a similar way, Jesus said: "At an hour that you do not think likely the Son of man is coming." (Luke 12:40)
So far so good. The writer is simply sticking with what the Bible says. But next comes the subtle switch of concepts, from "readiness" to "urgency":
Some who have served Jehovah over many years may lose their sense of urgency regarding the times we live in. They may even come to the conclusion that the end could yet be a long way off. But such thinking could lead us to turn our attention away from spiritual things and toward material goals, distractions that can make us spiritually drowsy. -- Luke 8:14; 21:34, 35.
Note the manipulative language used in the above. A faithful servant of Jehovah, would never want to lose his or her sense of urgency, now would they? They may even come to a horribly wrong and dangerous conclusion! How terrible!
The problem is that the writer has not proved anything at all about why a Jehovah's Witness ought to have, not just a sense of readiness about Jesus' coming, but a sense that it is imminent, that he should think of its coming as an urgent, not just inevitable, matter. (Of course, I'm neglecting the view that all of what Christians believe were Jesus' predictions were all fulfilled in the first century.) But this is characteristic of Watchtower writing -- lousy arguments that convince the reader through misdirection and emotional manipulation.
The next paragraph continues the deception:
4 We can derive another lesson from Jesus' illustration. Although the slaves did not know the hour when their master would arrive, apparently they knew the night
This is setting the reader up for the notion that true Christians have discerned that Jesus' "presence" began in 1914. The argument is also a complete non-sequitur, because according to Jesus' illustration itself, men waiting late into the night for their master to return from a marriage obviously would have begun to wait earlier that same day, since a marriage feast at that time began in the daytime and ended at night.
It would have been difficult to keep awake all that night if they thought that their master might come some other night. But no, they knew which night he was coming, and that gave them strong incentive to stay awake. In a rather similar way, Bible prophecies clearly reveal that we are living in the time of the end; but they do not tell us the day or the hour of the end itself. (Matthew 24:36)
"The time of the end", of course, began in 1914 according to JW theology. The idea is that Watchtower leaders can justify claiming to know the general time of Jesus' return, but not "the day or hour". But Jesus also said in Luke 21:8: "Look out that you are not misled; for many will come on the basis of my name, saying, 'I am he,' and, 'The due time has approached.' Do not go after them." Do Watchtower leaders come on the basis, or authority of Jesus' name? Of course, because they claim that Jesus appointed them "over all his belongings" as "the faithful and discreet slave" in 1919. Do they say, "I am he"? They don't say that they're Jesus himself; otherwise they couldn't be Christians or followers of Jesus. But they certainly say, "I am he" in the sense Jesus meant here, namely, that they are Christ's specially appointed representatives who uniquely speak in God's name. And we all know that they most definitely say, "The due time has approached"! That is the point of the two articles we're discussing. Since they fit all the criteria that Jesus stated, the conclusion is obvious: Do not follow Watchtower leaders, because they are false prophets.
Next follows a fairly clear statement of why Watchtower leaders want to instill a sense of urgency in their followers:
Our belief that the end is coming helps us to stay awake, but if we are convinced that Jehovah's day really is near, we will have far stronger motivation to be on the watch. -- Zephaniah 1;14.
In other words, these devious men will not hesitate to twist the scriptures to motivate JWs to sell more books.
Paragraph 5 goes on to urge JWs to study more and so forth. It concludes:
So our reviewing from time to time the Scriptural proof that we are living close to the end of this system will help us not to lose sight of the important truths regarding that coming end.* It is also good to take note of unfolding world events that fulfill Bible prophecy.
This is referring to what the Society has often called "the composite sign of Jesus presence" which they claim began in 1914. I'll comment on the footnote below. Writers such as Carl Olof Jonsson have completely demolished the Society's claims about this imaginary "sign". So there no such "unfolding world events that fulfill Bible prophecy". The Society really knows this, since they've been told about it via personal letters and through online media plenty of times. They simply choose to ignore the proof, because they would have no religion without such carrots.
The next statement shows how the Society uses others' statements to tell a lie, and be able to claim "We never said that! It was him!" Just like they blame the 1975 fiasco on an overly enthusiastic JW community, rather than on themselves.
One brother in Germany wrote: "Every time I watch the news -- the wars, the earthquakes, the violence, and the contamination of our planet -- it drives home to me the nearness of the end."
Just one observation here: The Society has admitted in print that earthquakes are no worse since 1914 than before. If they are no different, then their mere presence cannot be a sign of anything at all. How these liars can so cynically continue to deceive their readers is a study in how cults operate.
The footnote for paragraph 5 states:
It may be helpful to review the six lines of evidence indicating that we are living in "the last days" that were outlined on pages 12-13 of the January 15, 2000, issue of The Watchtower. -- 2 Timothy 3:1.
Alright, let's review those supposed lines of evidence. Readers will note yet another huge subterfuge by the Society:
First, we clearly see the fulfillment of the apostle Paul's prophecy concerning "the last days." Paul wrote: "In the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here..." ... (2 Timothy 3:1-5, 13) Do we not see this prophecy being fulfilled in our day? Only those who ignore the facts can deny it!
Again this "prophecy" suffers from exactly the same difficulty as all of the others of the Society's claimed "signs of the times". When has there ever been a time when "critical times" were not at least as evident as today? According to the same apostle Paul who wrote the quoted 2 Timothy 3:1-5, the same conditions existed in his day:
*** Rbi8 Romans 1:28-32 ***
28 And just as they did not approve of holding God in accurate knowledge, God gave them up to a disapproved mental state, to do the things not fitting, 29 filled as they were with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, badness, being full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malicious disposition, being whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, insolent, haughty, self-assuming, inventors of injurious things, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, false to agreements, having no natural affection, merciless. 32 Although these know full well the righteous decree of God, that those practicing such things are deserving of death, they not only keep on doing them but also consent with those practicing them.
Are readers of The Watchtower supposed to be so stupid that they should think that such conduct disappeared after 70 A.D., only to reappear with a vengeance in 1914? Obviously, this is what the Society expects. And if the Society admits that such vile conduct has been evident continually since the first century, then its existence today is no "sign" of anything.
So much for the first "line of evidence".
Second, we see the effects of the ouster of Satan and his demons from heaven, in fulfillment of Revelation 12:9. There, we read "Down the great dragon was hurled, the original serpent, the one called Devil and Satan..." ... Truly there has been much woe for mankind, particularly since 1914... During this time period, Satan wages war with the anointed followers of Christ... We certainly have seen the effects of his attack in our time...
Essentially what this is claiming is that the second line of evidence is nothing more than the Society's claim that its interpretations of certain supposed Bible prophecies are correct. But the fact is that the Bible teaches nothing about any "last days" beginning in 1914, and every one of the actual, testable claims made by the Society about "the last days" has been proved false. The best examples of such disproof can be found in Carl Olof Jonsson's The Sign of the Last Days: When?
So much for the second "line of evidence".
Third, we are living in the time of the eighth and final "king" mentioned in the prophecy recorded at Revelation 17:9-11... This eighth king ... now represents the United Nations...
Oh? Yet another Watchtower interpretation of prophecy.
Fourth, we are living in the period symbolized by the feet of Nebuchadnezzar's dream image... All the world powers represented in that image have made their appearance. We are living in the period symbolized by the feet of the image...
My my. Another Watchtower interpretation! Is the reader beginning to see a pattern here?
Fifth, we see a global preaching work being accomplished, which Jesus said would take place just before the end of this system...
Here the Society plops Jehovah's Witness preaching smack in the middle of Bible prophecy. Talk about masturbatory writing!
Sixth, the number of genuine anointed disciples of Christ is dwindling, though some will evidently still be on earth when the great tribulation begins. Most of the remnant are quite elderly...
Need I comment?
Readers will no doubt have picked up on a major change in the Society's traditional focus on a "composite sign" here. Rather than dealing with testable, observable claims and events such as their old claim that "earthquakes are 20 times worse today than before 1914", they've made claims that are essentially immune from disproof. That's because no one can prove or disprove anything about fulfillment of "Bible prophecy" in our day, or absolutely disprove a doctrine as flaky as their notions of a "remnant" or "faithful and discreet slave". These are entirely religious interpretations that are simply not addressable with hard facts. This is an extremely clever ploy, since Watchtower writers are well aware that their testable claims have all been disproved.
So much for the six "lines of evidence".
In conclusion, it seems to me that the Watchtower Society is getting desperate to keep JWs in a frenzy of expectation about the nearness of "the end". They're resorting more and more to obviously bogus argumentation, and to claims that are entirely beyond proof or disproof. To me, these are signs of a religion in serious trouble.
AlanF