False Prophecies of the Watchtower Society (3)

Here are the facts that have been established thus far in this series of articles:

1. The Watchtower Society (the governing body of the Jehovah's Witnesses) claims to be a God-ordained prophet, and the only source of truth and salvation.
2. The Bible tells us how to determine whether or not the Watchtower Society is a true prophet or a false prophet; a God-ordained entity, or a divinely unauthorized entity that ought to be rejected by God-fearing people. The standard is found in Deuteronomy 18:21-22. If what the prophet says comes to pass, they are a true prophet of God, but if the prophecies and statements fail, they are a false prophet. All false prophets should be ignored/rejected by God's people!
3. The Watchtower Society has made a number of very detailed prophecies concerning events that were to transpire in 1914, 1918, 1925 and 1975. It is obvious to any honest observer that these prophecies failed. Therefore, we MUST conclude that the Jehovah's Witnesses are wrong for supporting the Watchtower Society, and that they must abandon their organization if they have any respect for God.
4. Click here to read the other two articles.

Today, I'd like to conclude this short series of articles by addressing some common arguments - or should I say "excuses" - of the Jehovah's Witnesses. In other words, IF (and that's a big if) a Jehovah's Witness will listen to you recite the prophecies of the Watchtower Society and how, based on the facts, they are supporting a false prophet, these are some of the excuses that you will hear...

Some JWs may try to deny that these prophecies were ever made. If they do, you need to remind them that you were quoting from Watchtower publications. You will have an open and shut case if you can find scans or copies of these quotes and show them. That way, there's no denying it.

Another common excuse is that the prophecies are simply misunderstood. They may contend that the prophecies had symbolic or spiritual fulfillment, and were not literal or physical. For example, regarding their famous 1914 prophecy, the statement that "the final end of the kingdoms of this world, and the full establishment of the Kingdom of God, will be accomplished at the end of A.D. 1914" ought to be interpreted spiritually. Jesus DID return and DID set up His kingdom and DID overthrow present governments...on a purely spiritual level. Really? Prove it. The fact is, those prophecies were specific and were stated in physical terms and all the JWs living back then expected a literal, physical application (which is why so many JWs said "goodbye" to the Watchtower Society when the prophecy failed).

Others will argue that these were not actual prophecies, but theories about what might come to pass. This is a common argument regarding the 1975 prophecy and one that the Watchtower Society has used from the moment their little prophecy failed. Notice what the Watchtower said BEFORE and AFTER 1975 (regarding the 1975 prophecy).

Before 1975...

"Are we to assume from this study that the battle of Armageddon will be all over by the autumn of 1975, and the long-looked-for thousand-year reign of Christ will begin by then? Possibly, but we wait to see how closely the seventh thousand-year period of man's existence coincides with the sabbathlike thousand-year reign of Christ...It may involve only a difference of weeks or months, not years." (The Watchtower, Aug. 15, 1968, page 499)

"Yes, the end of this system is so very near. Is that not reason to increase our activity?...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, page 3)

After 1975...

"It may be that some who have been serving God have planned their lives according to the mistaken view of just what was to happen on a certain date or in a certain year. They may have, for this reason, put off or neglected things that they otherwise would have cared for. But they have missed the point of the Bible's warnings concerning the end of this system of things, thinking that Bible chronology reveals the specific date." (Watchtower, July 15, 1976, page 440)

Do you see the pattern? The Watchtower made very detailed predictions concerning events in 1975 and even praised individual members for giving up their homes and normal routines to devote themselves to the "pioneer service." And notice the certainty with which the Watchtower Society prophesied: "...it may involve only a difference of weeks or months, not years." This was a prophecy! And yet after it failed, did they apologize or admit their error? No! Obviously facing a lot of criticism and pressure from members, the organization reacted by belittling members and acting as if no prophecy had been made.

So it is no surprise that JWs today use this same line of reasoning. They want to act as if these were theories, not prophecies. But you can read the quotes for yourself and see that these were prophetic statements. A year was selected. A time of the year was selected. Events were predicted with certainty. If these weren't prophecies, then what is?

Some Witnesses will extend this reasoning; they will acknowledge that perhaps some mistakes have been made...but no prophet is perfect, right? So why focus on the mistakes when the Watchtower's overall body of work is so strong? Here's how I answer that...

Yes, prophets - even the prophets of the Bible- are flawed like the rest of us. Moses disobeyed God in striking the rock (Num. 20:8-13). Balaam went presumptuously to Balak (Num. 22:20-22). Elijah had an occasion of doubt (1 Kin. 19:1-18). Jonah lacked compassion and mercy (Jonah 1:3; 4:1-11). Peter acted hypocritically in Galatians 2:11-13. HOWEVER, prophets are flawless as God's spokesmen. Read 2 Peter 1:20-21; 1 Cor. 14:37; Gal. 1:12; Jer. 1:9). In other words, prophets, in their personal lives, weren't perfect, but when they spoke as prophets they:

• Never made false prophecies.
• Never made incomplete prophecies that had to later be corrected or clarified.
• Never misunderstood God and made false claims.
• Never perpetuated falsehood.

So I'm not saying that a prophet has to be perfect as an individual, but I AM saying that when a person claims to be a prophet and yet their statements are false and their prophecies fail, they are proven to be false prophets. Again, Deuteronomy 18:21-22.

It doesn't matter how you spin it, the Watchtower Society is a FALSE prophet and as such does not have the approval or authority of God. Therefore, it is wrong to offer blind allegiance...or any allegiance for that matter to such an organization. If a Jehovah's Witness is honest, and if their interest is the TRUTH, then they must leave the organization and encourage others to do the same.

Has this 3-article series been helpful to you? I hope so. Let me know if you have any questions.