The Watchtower believes that the battle of Armageddon is imminent and that when it comes Jehovah will destroy all the nations of the world.

But there will be survivors: Romans 10:13: “For ‘everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved.’” (Scripture quotes in this post will be from the Watchtower translation)

Who will survive Armageddon?

The “ark of salvation”

There is some indication that the Watchtower may soon be moderating its teaching on who will survive Armageddon, but for decades it has stressed the suddenness with which the divine destruction will come, citing Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:37-39: “Just as the days of Noah were . . . they took no note until the flood came and swept them all away, so the presence of the Son of man will be.” (Watchtower translation)

What is the “ark” today?

In 1950, it drew this comparison: “The flood was a real physical catastrophe to the old ungodly world. The Battle of Armageddon will be likewise a physical catastrophe to this present evil world, and not something just spiritual. The ark of salvation that we enter is not a literal ark but is God’s organization.” (The Watchtower, “Letter On the Divine Mandate,” 6/1/50, p. 176)

In 1981, the Watchtower reiterated this claim:

Any person who wants to survive into God’s righteous new order urgently needs to come into a right relationship with Jehovah and His earthly organization now…  And while now the witness yet includes the invitation to come to Jehovah’s organization for salvation, the time no doubt will come when the message takes on a harder tone, like a “great war cry.” (The Watchtower, “Stay Awake and Keep Your Senses,” 11/15/81, pp. 17, 21, boldface added)

Neutrality isn’t good enough: Matthew 12:30: “He that is not on my side is against me, and he that does not gather with me scatters.”

The Watchtower asks, “What will happen to young children at Armageddon?” and gives this answer:

The Bible does not directly answer that question, and we are not the judges. However, the Bible does show that God views the young children of true Christians as “holy.” (1 Cor. 7:1 )  It also reveals that in times past when God destroyed the wicked he likewise destroyed their little ones. (Num. 16:27,  32;   Ezek. 9: ) God does not want anyone to be destroyed, so he is having a warning sounded now to benefit both parents and children. Would it not be wise for parents to pursue a course that would result in their children being looked on with favor by God both now and at Armageddon? (Reasoning From the Scriptures, pp. 47-48)

Further requirements for Jehovah’s Witnesses

Given that the Watchtower religion is highly works oriented, it’s not surprising that it considers being a Jehovah’s Witness in name only isn’t enough to survive Armageddon.

An online article entitled “What Is Required to Survive Armageddon?” gives specifics:

— Get out of the false religions of Christendom

— Seek Jehovah, which involves:

  • Taking in knowledge of Jehovah
  • Putting faith in him and come to love him
  • Keeping on loving him and putting that love foremost in your life
  • Taking in knowledge of Jesus Christ
  • Learning and obeying Jesus’ commandments
  • Praying for Jehovah’s kingdom to be established on earth
  • Sanctifying the name of Jehovah
  • Making Jehovah’s name known to others unitedly with all of Jehovah’s Witnesses

— Seek righteousness, which involves:

  • Giving up our own ideas of what is right
  • Obeying Jehovah’s righteous standards

— Seek meekness, which involves:

  • Being mild-tempered and willing to be disciplined by God
  • Imitating Jesus in all things
  • Humbly doing the work given you by God
  • Making known Jehovah’s judgments to men
  • Warning others of the coming judgments by the King Jesus Christ, at Armageddon

Does doing all this guarantee your survival at Armageddon?

No, Watchtower salvation is never secure.

The most it will say is, “probably you may be concealed in the day of Jehovah’s anger.”—Zephaniah 2:3

In line with its worldview of life as a loyalty and endurance test, the Watchtower sums up its Armageddon survival advice this way:

…for all those of this generation who are alive when the great fear-inspiring day of Jehovah breaks out, there is every probability of being concealed by God if they have earnestly followed the requirements for survival that Zephaniah made so clear. The “probability” does not lie with God but with us. Jehovah will prove faithful, but will we? Jehovah, who searches men’s hearts, knows whether we are truly seeking him and his righteousness and showing meekness. Prove loyal to God and he will prove his faithfulness by concealing you through the world-shaking calamity just ahead.

Biblical salvation

Why is this understanding of Jesus’ end times salvation a misconception?

Salvation depends on our relationship with Jesus, not with an organization.

Salvation is a gift, not a reward.

Righteous works are important to God, but they have no role in saving us.

They are the product of genuine salvation, not a prerequisite to salvation.

Ephesians 2:8-10: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (NIV)