Are JWs Being Lied to?

In INVESTIGATOR No. 23 I demonstrated that the Watchtower Society (WTS) encourages Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs) to deceive when it suits their purpose. The WTS calls this "Theocratic War Strategy". (The Watchtower 1957 May 1 p.285) Most JWs are not aware that the WTS also practices Theocratic War Strategy on its own JW followers! The following are a few examples culled from a vast collection: The WTS's second president, Judge Rutherford, gave a series of lectures starting in February 1918 titled "Millions Now Living Will Never Die". (1975 Yearbook of JWs p.127; The Watchtower 1979 October 1 p.26; Revelation - Its Grand Climax At Hand! 1988 p.173) Rutherford also wrote a book in 1920 of the same title and essentially the same message. The message was that the ancient "worthies" mentioned in the Bible such as Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Issac, etc would return in physical form to Earth in 1925 to take charge of the affairs of Earth and paradise on Earth would then start. Despite the fiasco when none of this happened the WTS now lies and says that the lectures and the book were "based on the Bible" and "fulfilled Bible prophecies". (Awake! 1990 April 22 p.7) The WTS also recently implied that the lectures and book were titled "Millions Now Living May Never Die". (Awake! 1990 April 22 pp. 6-7)

In anticipation of the return of the "worthies" a large house was built for them in the late 1920s at San Diego, California and named "Beth Sarim" meaning "House of Princes". (Salvation 1939 p.311; The New World 1942 p.104) The WTS now lies by claiming that the house was built for Rutherford because he was ill and needed to be in a different climate and that someone donated $75,000 to build it and that the WTS had nothing to do with it! (1975 Yearbook of JWs p.194)
  The WTS published a "Biography of Pastor Russell" (its first president) in special editions of the book The Divine Plan of the Ages from 1924 to 1927. Yet in the book Jehovah's Witnesses in the Divine Purpose (1959) we're told that JWs have never published a biography of Pastor Russell! (p.63) From 1896 Pastor Russell taught that the "faithful and wise servant" in Matthew 24:45 was one individual-himself. (Zion's Watch Tower 1896 March 1 p.47; 1906 July 15 p.229; 1923 March 1 p.68) The WTS now says that Russell considered the Servant of Matthew 24:45 to refer to a group and that he never claimed to be that Servant! (God's kingdom of a Thousand Years has Approached 1973 pp.345-346) The books The Finished Mystery (1917) and Millions Now Living Will Never Die (1920) contained hundreds of false statements and false predictions. In the book Jehovah's Witnesses: A Statistical Survey (1992) a sampling technique is used to show that The Finished Mystery contained over 1,000 points which even the JWs no longer accept! Yet The Finished Mystery is still often mentioned positively in WTS literature although access to it to inquirers is denied. The WTS now interprets the "two witnesses" described in Revelation 11 as referring to the JWs around 1914-1918. The WTS reasons, "The fact that they were symbolized by two witnesses confirms to us that their message was accurate and well founded." and that they ware at that point in time "God's prophets". (Revelation-It's Grand Climax At Hand! 1988 p.164) Until 1914 the WTS maintained that 1914 would see the full establishment of the Kingdom of God on Earth. (Thy Kingdom Come 1891 p.126) The WTS now pulls the wool over the eyes of JWs with statements like this:

"In the 'Watchtower' magazine of March 1880, they said: 'The Times of the Gentiles extend to 1914, and the heavenly kingdom will not have sway till then.' Of all people, only the witnesses pointed to 1914, as the year of God's kingdom to be fully set up in heaven." (From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained 1958 p.170)

Only part of the sentence of 1880 is here quoted. The actual teaching from the 1880s onwards was that the Kingdom was set up in Heaven in 1878 and would be established on Earth by 1914. (Studies in the Scriptures Vol. 4- pp. 604, 624-625) The full sentence in the 1880 Watch Tower reads:

"The Times of the Gentiles extend to 1914, and the heavenly kingdom will not have full away till then, but as a 'stone' the kingdom of God is set up 'in the days of these kings,' and by consuming them it becomes a universal kingdom-a great mountain and fills the whole earth."

Russellism taught the Kingdom of Christ was established in Heaven in 1878.  Studies in the Scriptures Volume 4 (1897) says:

"A "generation" might be reckoned as equivalent to a century (practically the present limit) or one hundred and twenty years, Moses' lifetime and the Scripture limit. (Gen. 6:3.) Reckoning a hundred years from 1780, the date of the first sign, the limit would reach to 1880; and, to our understanding, every item predicted had begun to be fulfilled at that date;-the "harvest" or gathering time beginning October 1874; the organization of the Kingdom and the taking by our Lord of his great power as the King in April 1878, and the time of trouble or "day of wrath" which began October 1874, and will cease about 1915; and the sprouting of the fig tree." (p.604)

Pages 624-625 predicted the "earthly phase of God's Kingdom" from 1914, to be rule by physically restored "ancient worthies" like Abraham, Issac and Jacob. The WTS now publishes numerous lies about what was predicted concerning the Kingdom. For example:

"They particularly heralded that the year 1914 was a marked year for the ending of "the times of the Gentiles" (Luke 21:24, AV) and for the establishment of Christ's kingdom in heaven. All this proved to be true and was verified by the beginning of World War I." (The Watchtower 1966 September 15)

In 1941 the WTS wrote that World War II would not end in decisive victory for either side as Bible prophecy would not permit it, and America and England would turn into dictatorships. (The Watchtower 1941 December 15 p.372)  Also the end of Nazi rule would mark the end of demon rule. (p.377)  Furthermore The Watchtower of 1941 speaks of:

"the remaining months before Armageddon." (September 15 p. 288)

Despite clearly linking World War II to Armageddon in this way the WTS later lied to JWs:

"During WWI God's people expected it to lead directly to Armageddon, but Jehovah prevented such climax at that time. We didn't succumb to such an expectation during WWII."  (Kingdom Ministry 1968 January p.5-USA edition)

The WTS has experienced complete failure of all its predictions including for the dates 1914, 1925, 1942-45, 1975. In addition it has made thousands of ridiculous statements. The following claim about The Watchtower being "consistently.dependable" is therefore a brazen lie:

"Since 1879 it has been published regularly for the benefit of sincere students of the Bible. Over that extended period of time The Watchtower has consistently proven itself dependable." (New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures 1950 p.793)

Obviously the WTS has regularly lied to JWs to further its hold on them. The WTS claims that "Jehovah's witnesses" are not false prophets because they admit their mistakes! (The Watchtower l972 December 15 p. 762) Actually, the false prophecies do not originate with JWs as a whole since a vote by all JWs to teach them is not taken. The false prophecies originated solely with the leaders including directors of the WTS. Furthermore, the WTS is very coy about what it admits to JWs and, often, doctrinal somersaults are made without alluding to previous beliefs. The WTS has the temerity to claim that the "faithful and discreet slave" organization has replaced Jesus as the repository and dispenser of truth! (The Watchtower 1981 February 15 p.19) Why do the JWs not see through the lies taught by the WTS? Firstly the WTS has presented itself to JWs in such a Godly light that most JWs think it a sacrilege to question any of its pronouncements. Secondly most JWs have never read the older books of the sect nor have access to them since copies have been removed from the libraries in their "Kingdom Halls". Thirdly, the JWs are a "captive audience" which hears only one viewpoint. Opposers are labelled "apostate" and "like Satan" and their writings compared to "pornography" and JWs are ordered to shun them completely! The WTS has backed itself into a corner with its own writings! Its own voluminous literature is its most potent enemy! The WTS has ignored Jesus' warning:

"For by your own words you will be justified, and by your own words you will be condemned." (Matthew 12:37)