World Headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses - Warwick, New York
“Yes, the end of this system is so very near! Is that no reason to increase our activity?… Reports are heard of brothers selling their homes and property and planning to finish out the rest of their days in this old system in the pioneer service. Certainly this is a fine way to spend the short time remaining before the wicked world’s end.”—Kingdom Ministry, May 1974, p. 3
I was baptized in 1974 at a young age of 13 years. The fear that was instilled in me through the talks and magazines was that 1975 might be the end of the old system of things. Brothers who owned businesses sold them to go into the full time ministry. There was a panic mode to pioneer and look spiritual. The talks were how take advantage of the time remaining.
Here we are in 2017 ( 43 years later ), the Watchtower Society build this enormous facility out in the boondocks at the expense of the all Witnesses who truly believed that the system of things was close. Countless money and time has been spent from every Witness from the late 1870's - 2017. While the Faithful and Discreet Slave keep promising that the end is near, life will continue in the same vain ( slaving with no benefits or results ) for all Jehovah's Witnesses who serve today and in the future!