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Should we all change our religion and become Jehovah’s Witnesses?

Today, we will cover the final two topics of “Bible Teach,” Chapter 9:

• Significance of and praise for the work Jehovah’s Witnesses are doing
• The urgency for you to become an active and faithful Jehovah’s Witness

Topic #5: Significance of and praise for the work Jehovah’s Witnesses are doing

The heading before paragraph 12 (p. 91) is “Positive Developments!” What follows is a list of comments citing Bible prophecies as if they were about Jehovah’s Witnesses and their activities.

The purpose of this section of the chapter is to reinforce the belief that Jehovah’s Witnesses are the only true Christians on earth and that the Bible is all about them.

For example, paragraph 13 (p. 92) states: “Especially since 1914, Jehovah has helped those who truly desire to serve him to grow in understanding of the Bible.”

I would ask the Witnesses, “Is the book claiming that Jehovah didn’t really help people understand the Bible from the passing of the apostles until 1914?”

The paragraph goes on to describe Jehovah’s Witnesses in third person terms (as if they weren’t making these claims about themselves): “They have grown in appreciation of precious truths about God’s name and purpose, the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the condition of the dead, and the resurrection.” (Note that these are all issues they have covered with you so far in the book.)

Again using the third person, paragraph 13 (p. 92) goes on to promote Jehovah’s Witnesses, claiming, “Moreover, worshippers of Jehovah have learned how to live their lives in a way that benefits them and brings praise to God. They have also gained a clearer understanding of the role of God’s Kingdom and how it will set matters straight on the earth.”

I believe this is an attempt to explain away any false prophecies and doctrinal changes you or the Witnesses may learn about.

I discuss these “light gets brighter” and “Jehovah corrects his prophets” defenses in The False Prophecies Approach (pp. 288-290) from my book, Getting Through to Jehovah’s Witnesses: Approaching Bible Discussions in Unexpected Ways, and in blog posts entitled “Blog post: “The Light Gets Brighter and Brighter” [LINK: http://daenglund.com/the-light-gets-brighter-and-brighter/] and Blog post: “We Don’t Claim To Be Perfect” [LINK: http://daenglund.com/we-dont-claim-to-be-perfect/].

Paragraph 14 (pp. 92-93) quotes Jesus as saying in Matthew 24:14 that in the last days, “This good news of the Kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth.”

Of course, by now you are supposed to just accept that the “good news of the Kingdom” means all of the Watchtower teachings you’ve been studying.

That paragraph goes on with Watchtower self-promotion written in the third person, as if the plaudits come from someone besides themselves: “Throughout the earth, the good news of the Kingdom—what the Kingdom is, what it will do, and how we can receive its blessings—is being preached in over 230 lands and in hundreds of languages. Millions of Jehovah’s Witnesses zealously preach the Kingdom good news.”

“Preach” refers primarily to the Watchtower’s door-to-door “field service” ministry.

It also says, “The Witnesses conduct free home Bible studies with millions of people who want to know what the Bible really teaches. What an impressive fulfillment of prophecy, especially since Jesus foretold that true Christians would be “hated by all people”!—Luke 21:17.

Those two sentences carry a lot of connotations:

1. “Free home Bible studies” means free Watchtower book studies, such as the one you are involved in as you study “Bible Teach.”
2. No one can understand what the Bible really teaches without Jehovah’s Witnesses to explain it to them.
3. The Watchtower is impressed at all it is doing, supposedly in fulfillment of Bible prophecy.
4. Jehovah’s Witnesses have been trained to believe that they alone are true Christians and that they alone are “objects of hatred by all people.” (Ironically, Jesus’ statement in Luke 21:17 was that his followers would be hated “for my name’s sake,” not “for Jehovah’s name’s sake.”)

Topic #6: The urgency for you to become an active and faithful Jehovah’s Witness

Paragraph 15 (p. 94) says that Jehovah will soon “…destroy all who willfully oppose Him, Jehovah will use Jesus and powerful angels… Satan and his demons will no longer mislead the nations. After that, God’s Kingdom will shower blessings on all who submit to its righteous rulership.”

The purpose of this statement is to motivate you with the carrot and stick, dependent on your works, and highlighting the urgency of your situation. Shouldn’t you be thinking about becoming a Jehovah’s Witness now, while there’s still time?

Paragraph 16 (p. 94) tells you that you should:

• Learn more about Jehovah and his requirements (that means keep studying Watchtower publications)
• Be a serious Bible student (that means continue your study of “Bible Teach”)
• Associate regularly with others who seek to do Jehovah’s will (that means attend Watchtower meetings because only Jehovah’s Witnesses are seeking to do Jehovah’s will)
• Make necessary changes in your life so that you may enjoy God’s favor (that means follow all the directives of Watchtower publications and elders)

Paragraph 17 (pp. 94-95) warns, “The destruction of the wicked will come suddenly and unexpectedly. Like a thief in the night, it will catch most people by surprise.” The Watchtower wants to convey a sense of fear and urgency—Armageddon can come any time now and you aren’t ready. You need to become a zealous Witness of Jehovah.

Paragraph 18 (p. 95) warns you not to be weighed down with the anxieties of life. By this, it means that you would devote as much time as possible to Watchtower Kingdom activities.

The chapter concludes (paragraph 18, p. 95) by telling you that “…those having the approval of Jehovah God and “the Son of man,” Jesus Christ, have the prospect of surviving the end of Satan’s system of things and of living forever in the marvelous new world that is so close at hand!”

Clearly, “Bible Teach” is trying to move you from “interested student” to someone who heeds the carrot and the stick and makes a commitment to become an active and faithful Jehovah’s Witness.

If the Witnesses try to push you in that direction, I recommend that you say, “I’m interested in carrying on with the study. I’ve read ahead in the book and I know I’ll have more questions to ask you as we go.”

Next week, we’ll resume with “Bible Teach,” Chapter 10—“Spirit Creatures—How They Affect Us.”