With the new " overlap generation " theory that the WT society is pushing onto rank and file Jehovah's Witnesses since last year this article I found really heavy hitting in the JW version of the WT. The WT society is leaking oil in that confidence is low among JW's in not really buying into the " generation overlap " theory as many younger JW's are exiting the organization. So what better way to try reeling members back in by giving them an article entitled " Do not Deceive Yourself With False Reasoning " !
This is a non-study article so it won't be considered in their WT study . It starts by stating on pg. 3 " We should not think that Satan is the ONLY one who can mislead us. The bible also warns us about the danger of ' deceiving OURSELVES with false reasoning. ' " It goes on stating that in Haggai's day the Jews wanted to build their OWN houses - not give attention to God's house. The article continues, " Do you see a lesson in this example ? A WRONG VIEW OF THE TIMING of the divine purpose could lead us to lose sight of the importance of our spiritual activities and become sidetracked with personal interests . ( God forbid we do that ! ) To illustrate , imagine you are expecting guests. Anticipation of their visit may lead to a flurry of activity as you attend to necessary household chores related to their stay. However, then you receive word that your visitors are delayed. Will you abandon the preparations ? " Translation : Don't worry - God delaying Armageddon is as simple as your house guests being late for dinner or visiting you ! Uh-huh.
The article continues," He ( Peter ) noted that some ridiculers raised doubts as to whether God would ever intervene in human affairs . He reminded fellow Christians that the ridiculers were mistaken. In view of what SOME MIGHT CONSIDER A DELAY , a Christian could lose his sense of urgency and instead give priority to a comfortable lifestyle . ( Must be sinful to do that ) Could you see that happening to you ? If we follow this line of reasoning, we would be DECEIVING OURSELVES. We could ask ourselves, ' Should it surprise me that this wicked system of things has LASTED LONGER THAN I EXPECTED ? ' " How about YES ? I think THAT is an appropriate question ! Jeez.
The article goes on and states, " Jesus repeatedly admonished us to keep alert. Such reminders are needed when as a result of waiting over what SEEMS TO BE AN EXTENDED PERIOD , people are at risk of losing their urgency. " Do you think ? The article continues talking about Jesus illustration of the end coming like a " thief in the night ". And we should " prove ourselves ready ". Then the article tells us HOW the illustration should make witnesses think, " That illustration shows the need for being prepared to wait, EVEN FOR A CONSIDERABLE LENGTH OF TIME . No, we should NOT be overly concerned that this wicked system MAY have lasted LONGER than WE EXPECTED. We should not deceive ourselves by falsely reasoning that ' Jehovah's time has not come ' . Such thinking would dull our desire to preach the good news of the kingdom. " O.K. Are these WT leaders insane ? First of all they tell JW's to be Ready ! A thief in the night will come- just like Armageddon ! THEN - They tell them to not be OVERLY CONCERNED that it hasn't come yet !! Then go to the point of telling them it may STILL be a " considerable length of time ! " If I was a Jehovah's Witness right now- I would DEFINITELY think I was getting jerked around - you think ?
Continuing to tell Witnesses not to " deceive themselves with false reasoning " the article finishes by saying, " If we do not arouse our clear thinking faculties, FALSE REASONINGS can take root in our minds. For example , we might tell ourselves, ' Jehovah's day is undoubtedly coming - but not immediately. ' Such a shift in expectations could lead to a relaxed approach toward our theocratic activities. Now is certainly not the time to allow FALSE REASONING to deceive us into thinking that Jehovah's day has been postponed . Rather , it is the time to make our hearts firm, for Jehovah's day has DRAWN CLOSE. " Sigh . Double sigh.
My take is that if ANYBODY has false reasonings- it's the WT society. They are desperate to keep their " end game " in place by continually blaming rank and file jehovah's Witnesses for having an alleged " lack of faith " due to " the end " or " Armageddon " not coming yet. but can we BLAME JW's for doubting now ? Not really. The WT society has said it's the " last days " for 132 years now ! I mean, people can only take SO MUCH ! after awhile you smell a rat. Something's rotten in Denmark. And damage control is RAMPANT in the WT society now. As always- I definitely look forward to all of your takes and comments on this information. Take care, and have a good evening. Peace out to all, Mr. Flipper