Some historians date the beginning of the end of the Soviet Empire to the Chernobyl disaster, for the reason that for several days after the explosion, as the radioactive cloud floated quietly over Europe, the Soviet government said nothing to warn people of the dangers that may have minimized some of the exposure. It ruined their credibility, from which they never recovered.
Presently, the whole capitalist system has an even worse credibility problem. Each day brings new revelations of massive corporate fraud that has resulted in billions of dollars being lost by investors. The so-called new economy was cruel big hoax perpetrated upon gullible minds. In spite of 40-year low interest rates, emergency cuts made in the wake of the post 9-11 panic, the world markets are, again, melting like an ice cream cone in July. Friday's scandal du jour was Rite Aide pharmacy, whose officers "misstated" earnings by over a billion dollars in order to deceive investors. Today's fraud du jour is World Com, or perhaps more appropriately---World "Con," who so far have the record for largest corporate rip-off, so far at least, and may leave debt holders stuck for as much as $30,000,000,000, which is more than the crushing debt of many 3 rd World nations. And of course Enron, Global (double) Crossing, Tyco, Merrill "Lynch'm," and "Imclown," and a host of other book-cooking companies are all fallen angels that have appeared on Wall Street's police blotter of late.
What is becoming increasingly, undeniably, apparent is that the entire system is rotten to the core and has remained viable these past few years only because of the all-pervasive government and corporate statistical fakery and outright fraud that has been the basis for the so-called economic "recovery." Now, though, confidence in the game is lost and the world system's ability to sustain itself is now being brought into question. That brings us to the Watchtower.
Confidence is a very fragile and delicate thing that can easily be shattered. The Watchtower's credibility is equally in question in the minds of some due to numerous policy quaffs and outright lying and hypocrisy and seeming indifference to the ferment taking place in the organization. Sadly, it has resulted in many being stumbled. While I have no interest in pointing the finger of blame, as there seems to be plenty of that already, yet the facts remain that the Society has betrayed the brothers to some degree, and perhaps the end result may not be dissimilar to the way corporate scandal and fraud is now rocking the financial world to its foundation. Yet, regardless of the shortcomings of Jehovah's servants, the word of Jehovah remains true. So, the question is: Does Jehovah still merit our faith and trust? And indeed, if Jehovah's word foretold the scandal and blindness that would effect Gods people in the last days, is it not all the more reason to trust Jehovah?
Back in the early days of the Watchtower Society Charles Russell was the dominant personality. He was the Watchtower. And, there was a cult-of-personality that hung on his every word. So, when Russell unexpectedly died, the faith of thousands of Russell's faithful devotees died along with him. Like the Corinthians, who claimed to belong to Paul, or Apollos, or Peter, such persons were mere followers of men and didn't possess the child-like faith that Russell himself possessed and advocated. That was then, and the Russellites have faded into irrelevance. But, now, there are millions of Jehovah's Witnesses who claim to have faith in Jehovah, but who are more or less followers of the Watchtower Society. So, a test is in order. A refining and smelting process is the way the Scriptures illustrate it. And what better test than that Jehovah should allow the Watchtower to go down in disrepute, and go down hard? That way God could allow each person to demonstrate whether they really had trust in him or whether they were just following the leader, as is the human tendency. Of course, loyalty and devotion are two separate things and it is possible to be loyal to the Society without having our faith bound by their every utterance.
There are in fact numerous prophecies that speak to this very test that God has arranged, which I am not at liberty to speak about presently, except in generalities. But, whereas apostate JWs may imagine that they are doing something of their own accord, the prophecies indicate that they are serving Jehovah's purpose as well, just as even the despicable Judas served Jehovah's purpose.
But, perhaps those with some remnant of spirituality, those who have not yet suffered complete shipwreck of their faith, can now better appreciate what Jehovah is talking about when he speaks of the need to level every mountain-like obstacle to his glory in advance of his arrival.
Prepare the way of Jehovah, you people, make his way straight.
Every gully must be filled up, and every mountain and hill must be leveled down,
And the curves must become straight ways and the rough places smooth ways;
And all flesh will see the saving means of God.
/ You Know
Edited by - You Know on 26 June 2002 11:26:45