When the disciples asked Jesus for a sign to forewarn them of when the end would come, what were the first words out of his mouth?
“Lookout that nobody misleads you” Matthew 24:5.
This shows that Jesus knew that fear and uncertainty about the future would make us easy victims, so the first thing that he told us was to look out that nobody misleads us.
How can we avoid being misled? By Listening to Jesus, and not to men.
After the warning, Jesus goes into detail. He tells us that there would be wars, food shortages, earthquakes, and in Luke’s account, pestilences.
However, He tells us not to be alarmed, because these things are just going to happen. He says in his own words in Matthew 24:6,8, “It is not yet, all these things are the beginning of pangs of distress.”
It seems that Jesus meant that when we see these things, we are not meant to go around announcing THE END IS NEAR! In fact, he says that when we see these things we will know that the end is not yet, and these are the beginning of pangs of distress.
We are also warned not to be shaken from our reasoning by statements like these.
However, brothers, concerning the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you 2 not to be quickly shaken from your reason nor to be alarmed either by an inspired statement or by a spoken message or by a letter appearing to be from us, to the effect that the day of Jehovah is here.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
If events like the Coronavirus are only the beginning of pangs of distress, how can Stephen Lett, a member of the Governing body, claim that “these are the final part of the final part of the last days, shortly before the last day of the last days”
We are now in a predicament, we either have to believe Jesus, or we have to believe Stephen Lett, because they are saying two contradictory things.
Jesus no doubt knew well that we were going to be vulnerable to such claims, and knew that this warning alone would not be enough. Us humans are so quick to panic and follow anyone who we feel might have the answer. For that reason, he gave us even more guidance about this.
Not even Jesus knew the time of the end, how could we?
Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father.
Matthew 24:36 NWT
After telling us that EVEN HE didn’t know when he would be coming back in Matthew 14:36, he tells us that humankind was oblivious until the flood came and swept them away in verse 39.
Then just to be sure that he is not only talking about worldly people alone, and that his disciples would have some special insight, he says to them in verse 42: “Keep on the watch, therefore, because you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”
Jesus gave even more counsel on this matter knowing how gullible us humans can be, two verses later he says he is coming when we (including Christians) least expect it.
Jesus warned us not to try and anticipate when the end will be, and he warned us against those who do!
So it is clear that Jesus warned us not to try and predict the end. Jesus also warned us about others who will try to frighten us into following them by attempting to predict the “Day of Jehovah”
He said: “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 is near.’ Do not go after them.
Luke 21:8 – NWT
What does the Governing Body have to say about the Coronavirus Pandemic?
After watching this video, it certainly sounds like the Governing Body is expecting the end.
Stephen Lett says: “So the events unfolding around us are making clear than ever that we’re living in the final part of the last days, undoubtedly the final part of the final part of the last days, shortly before the last day of the last days ”
This is a modern-day example of the entire history of the Organisation. 1914, 1925, 1975, 90’s Generation Doctrine, 00’s Overlapping Generation Doctrine.
The history of the Jehovah’s Witnesses is littered with unfulfilled predictions. Read Wikipedia’s list of Jehovah’s Witnesses’ unfulfilled predictions [2].
Are the Jehovah’s Witnesses simply overeager, but innocent?
I know that it might seem innocent to be eager to want to know when the end will be, but we must follow Jesus’ instructions and not try to figure out the date, not even the seasons! Rather we should remain ready regardless of what is going on around us.
And we know that those who know the scriptures better will be held more accountable. We know that the slave who knew better will be beaten with many strokes. Luke 12:47
Jesus said this about those who are constantly looking for signs:
and in the morning, ‘It will be wintry, rainy weather today, for the sky is fire-red but gloomy.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but the signs of the times you cannot interpret. 4 A wicked and adulterous generation keeps seeking a sign,* but no sign will be given itc except the sign of Joʹnah.”
Matthew 16:3,4
How does this affect members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses?
Basically, Jehovah’s Witnesses are constantly discouraged from preparing for their futures. Rather they are encouraged to give everything they have to the organization, especially their time.
Jehovah’s Witnesses have a rich history full of reports of members preparing for the end by selling their homes and using their life savings to enter into full-time service, preaching, and constructing Kingdom Halls with no pay.
These examples are always promoted in the meetings and members are encouraged to follow suit! Look at this article published by the organization in 1973, encouraging members to sell everything they have in preparation for the upcoming war of Armageddon in 1975.
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 How Are You Using Your Life? [4]
- Undue Influence is used to dissuade members from pursuing long term careers and instead, are urged to find basic jobs that are flexible, which have no real long term job security.
- Higher education is frowned upon, so much so, that if an elders child living at home decides to go to university, that elder is at risk of being removed from their position.
- Higher education is deemed useless. Members are taught that the war of Armageddon would come before they ever manage to complete their studies.
All of this direction is very damaging to the members’ future, and it is justified in their minds under the pretense that the end is just around the corner.
Many congregations are crowded with older ones who are struggling to make ends meet because they followed the counsel that they received from the organization when they were younger. Despite all of this, the same counsel is given today.
What is the motivation behind all of this?
If Jehovah’s Witnesses all think that the Governing Body has special insight into current events and in an advantageous position to provide life-saving information, then we are more likely to be blindly obedient to everything we are told to do.
It is all about power and control. Is that what they are trying to achieve, or is this just speculation?
Stephen Lett says the following in the same video.
“As for the rest of us, whether the direction we receive comes from the Governing Body, the Branch, our circuit overseer, or the elders, we want to follow that direction closely, it can serve as a protection now, and really, if we think about it, it’s good practice as we head into even more turbulent times ahead.”
If someone claims to have some special insight into current events and tells us that the Coronavirus is a sign that we are at the end of the last days, but Jesus says the opposite, does that not make that person a false prophet?
Jehovah’s Witnesses already know that they are required to follow the Governing Body’s direction without question. They made it clear as day that all must obey them in the following 2013 Publication.
…direction that we receive from Jehovah’s organization may not appear practical from a human standpoint. All of us must be ready to obey any instructions we may receive, whether these appear sound from a strategic or human standpoint or not.
Watchtower 2013 – Seven Shepherds, Eight Dukes—What They Mean for Us Today, Paragraph 17 [5]
The Bible tells us at Deuteronomy 18:22 that we should not fear such a man. We shouldn’t believe such a person. If we believe him, we will be too afraid to ignore his “warnings”. Our fear of suffering the outcome of his predictions will cause us to follow him and obey him.
Should we fear men over Jesus?
I will leave you with one scripture and let you decide
Neither be called leaders, for your Leader is one, the Christ. 11 But the greatest one among you must be your minister (or servant). 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Matthew 23:10-12
References:
[1]_https://www.jw.org/en/news/jw/region/global/2020-Governing-Body-Update-1/
[2]_https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unfulfilled_Watch_Tower_Society_predictions
[3]_https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unfulfilled_Watch_Tower_Society_predictions
[4]_https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/201974163#h=11
[5]_https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2013846#h=27
This just goes to show at what lengths the Watchtower organization will go with its governing body to assume full control over their members. Jehovah’s Witnesses are always being told that the end of this system of things is near and that it is just around the corner. That is why they frown on you getting a higher education, or taking taht new career or whatever. A matter of fact, even leisure time is very limited because much of your time as a Jehovah’s Witness is to be spent going to meetings, preparing for meetings and going out in field service, and working at your mediocre job washing windows or something like that. That is how your time is to be spent in that organization.
The lives of Jehovah’s Witnesses are micro managed each and every single day. They are busy at being busy with the organizations dictates, and they’re doing it all for free with no pay whatsoever. However, after a certain point for example, if you’re a Bethelite, you’re then thrown out on the street with no job skills, no pay and you’re left to fend for yourself in whatever way you can. That’s the treatement that the organization gives people.
You’re their little slave and that’s what you will be for life when you join the organization. They’re false prophets, they lie, and they’re satan’s organization through and through.
Maybe the last days for them and all the rest of the false teachers & wolves in sheep clothing. They are talking about themselves. Satan knows God is the Sovereign Lord and his days are numbered. So do all of his followers know they are In the final part of the last days, undoubtedly the final part of the final part of the last days, shortly before the last day of the last days. This is the words if the devils riddle which is a (statement intentionally phrased so as to require ingenuity in ascertaining its answer or meaning, typically presented as a game) you play with people minds. Keep in mind Jesus is our example that God sent to earth. Jesus never used scared tactics, never made changes to God’s word the Bible and 18x in bible does He condemns the plague of death & destruction to anyone who ADDS OR TAKE AWAY from His word the Bible. Jesus own hand pick disciples never tried change or add to their teachings from Jesus or insert a CHANNEL or ORGANIZATION to be better or more holier than those they taught. No man is greater then the student and no man today that follows Jesus teachings get extra knowledge from a source outside of Jesus teachings. Yes the light gets bright but if your in a reading a book in dark room and light starts to shine in the words or pictures in the book don’t change it gets clearer to see and when that happens you can understand it with deeper wisdom. Nothing cha get but your visual and understanding the words. The more you read your Bible the clearer your understanding and wisdom gets. Jesus told us that. WTS tries to indoctrinate you with there beliefs thru scare tactics. Tell me what’s the difference in someone saying “your gonna go to hell & never see your family” while WTS say “If you don’t do xyz your not going to paradise with family” same thing you gonna die and not be with your family. WORD PLAY. GOD Exacts all to gain everlasting life. Only mean people would use that on there children and weaker vessles to control them. Very mean people 😕 🙄 😒