So, I finally saw the Annual Meeting video part 2.
This is the one with the “new light” on who might survive Armageddon, vs. those who do not.
In summary, for those of you fortunate enough not to have to sit through it, it’s something like this:
Old light: Once the “great tribulation” starts, that’s it for non-JWs. The “door of the ark” is closed. If you’re not an active baptized JW, you are doomed.
New light: Maybe some fold might take a stand for “the truth” even after the GT begins, but before Armageddon. “We just don’t know, Jehovah will do the right thing”.
Old light: Even though not every individual will receive a personal witness, those who are not active baptized JWs will be eternally killed at Armageddon anyway, “Something something community responsibility”.
New light: Jehovah can read hearts, maybe some people who would have responded favorably to a witness but didn’t get one might make it. “We just don’t know, Jehovah will do the right thing”.
Old light: Babies and children of non-JWs will be slaughtered right along with their parents at Armageddon, parents are responsible for the lives of their children.
New light: 350,000 babies are born every day, “Jehovah will do what is right, we just don’t know.”
Well, that certainly is a change! Let’s talk about just one consequence of all this “new light”: It has made the “preaching work” absolutely, completely, entirely meaningless.
To wit: Under “old light”, the preaching work was vital. JWs we’re giving “worldly people” their one true last opportunity to be saved from eternal destruction. JWs had to reach absolutely as many people as possible to save as many as possible. Once the GT started, that was it - the door slams shut, and if you are on the wrong side of the door, you’re screwed.
But now, under the new light, “Jehovah will do the right thing”. All kinds of people might be saved - babies, those who never got a witness, fence sitters, all kinds of folks.
Let’s be generous and suppose JWs were really super-effective in their preaching efforts and managed to give a “good witness” to half the world’s population, 4 billion people (the actual number is far more likely to be much less than 10% of that number, but as stated, let’s be generous).
So what about those other 4 billion who never got a witness? “We just don’t know, Jehovah will do the right thing.”
Evidently, Jehovah will “read hearts” and determine who “might have been receptive if they had had an opportunity” and save them.
Well, wait a minute. If Jehovah is going to “read hearts and do the right thing” for 4 billion people, why couldn’t he do it for 5 billion? Or 6 billion? Or for every one of the 7,999,992,000 non-JWs on the planet?
And if he could do that, then what exactly is the point of the preaching work? If Jehovah can and/or will read everyone’s heart, what purpose is served by telling others about Armageddon in advance? If they have a “bad heart”, they’d reject the message, and if they have a “good heart”, they’d accept it. Same outcome as if Jehovah just judged everyone at Armageddon anyway.
“Apostates “ have been pointing out the futility, inefficiency, and pointlessness of the JW preaching work for decades. JWs ignore them, “why should we listen to apostates?”
But now, for anyone capable of concentrating on a thought for more than 30 seconds at a time (I know, a tall order for most JWs) will come to the conclusion as I just did: The Governing Body just announced to the worldwide brotherhood that any and all efforts at witnessing are pointless and completely unnecessary, since, as they repeated literally dozens of times, “Jehovah will do the right thing”.
Imagine the devastation of those who truly believed they were engaged in a literal lifesaving work for years, decades, maybe 50, 60, 70, 80 years, and now, with a few chuckling lighthearted comments, “oh by the way, all that work you did? Thanks but it was wasted effort. We would apologize but we’re imperfect so we don’t have to. Have a nice day! And oh yeah, we love you very much.”
It would be hilarious if it weren’t so tragic for all those millions who wasted their lives toiling on a task that their governing body just told them doesn’t matter after all.