A general text from my story. I make some changes each time I give my testimony. Many of you unbelievers will think some of my statements are foolish. So be it.
From the heart!
Many years ago there was a 5 year old boy going around with his grandmother and others knocking on doors, warning people of the coming day of judgement, Armageddon, that was OH SO NEAR at hand. The Watchtower Society has been preaching that ever since their predicted date of October, 1914 proved to be in error.
Most people do not want people on their doorstep trying to convert them. It's much more difficult for people to chase you off their doorstep if you have a little kid helping you out. (pause)
What were the Witnesses offering people as an alternative to experiencing the wrath of ALMIGHTY GOD, THE LORD JEHOVAH? (pause)
They gave them the Watchtower and it's false hope of a paradise life right here on earth, IF they would only live their life by the WATCHTOWER RULES. And it only cost them a quarter or so......They offered to study the Bible using the books that the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society sells , oh so cheap and guess what? When they finish with you, you too will peddle the magazines being sold as salvation, for after all, the "meek shall inherit the earth" and only the Watchtower has the TRUTH.
The Watchtower Society claims that Jesus had them in mind when he gave the parable of the "faithful and discreet slave" who would dispense the spiritual food at the proper time to all of humanity.
It is surprising how little people know their own Bibles. It seems like 95% of the people and yes, even Baptists know very little to dispute the Watchtower version of How God Operates. They bring their Bible students to the meetings and the new ones would be overwhelmed with people being friendly and hospitable, for after all, "Ye shall know them by their love, one to another."
Yes, get a individual to some of the meetings, fill them with Watchtower doctrine that lied just a little and before long they were accepting lies big enough for 'Jaws' to choke on. The Watchtower's view of How God Operates is ever changing and has always been so. They claim now that Christ has already returned but this event was not visible They say he returned on that day in October of 1914, the day of their false prediction. They originally claimed that He returned in 1874 but then, that date didn't work out either!
Here is a group of men that came up with an ingenious way to cancel out their false prediction. They had the choice of either admitting they were wrong or asserting that their prayers had held off the day of wrath. Instead of using one of these choices, they now claimed that their prediction was true but that only they recognized it! And people accept this, often times without question (kudos to Carl Sagan).
In the Watchtower world, there is past truth, present truth and future truth. ONLY the leaders could determine doctrine, only THEY would go to heaven. The rest would ride into salvation on their coattails.(slow down)
What does the Watchtower Elder say when asked by an Inquiring Mind, "why it's truth keeps changing?"
"Well brother, this is 'new light' and the spirit has directed us to change this and that. Why do you question our assertions? Don't you know how dangerous it is to 'run ahead' of the organization? Why, you could become an apostate then we would have to disfellowship you! You don't want all of us to shun you, to consider you as a dead person, do you? Then it will be your own fault that your family quits associating with you.......brother."
"Ye shall know them by their love, one to another." (pause)
The JWs loved to see the Mexican migrant farm workers come into town for the summer. The little boy was a little older now and could reason that the Mexicans, Catholics to the man, woman and child, never opened a Bible. It was oh so easy for the Witnesses to impress the migrants with their frequent changing of scriptures in sermons, seeing people busily turning pages and showing them. "their love, one to another". (pause)
A common example of Watchtower preaching:
"Get out of her my people, get out of Babylon the Great, the world empire of false religion that calls itself Christendom. All religion is a snare and a racket but only WE hold the key to life. Jehovah will destroy all who do not believe as we do. He is coming soon. Why, did you know that Jesus is NOT God? He is a arch-angel, a created being and those who worship and praise him dishonor the one true God, Jehovah! The holy spirit is just a force, not a person of the pagan inspired trinity! What of hell? Hell is only the 'common grave' of mankind and is not meant to be literal. You will not positively NOT go there for there is also no immortal soul." (pause)
From Genesis, just before the fall of man:
And the serpent said, 'Is it true that God said you will die if you eat this fruit? You will NOT die for God knows that you will have your eyes opened and you will be like Him, knowing good and evil.'
The slanderer continues unto this day and he is pulling out all the stops. People who know no better are drawn in by the small lies that sound true. Then they are ready to swallow the big lies without question.
The growing young boy was lucky enough to be raised on the outer fringe of Watchtowerism. He loved God and studied the Bible at times but it wasn't until he was 21 that he finally got baptized into the cult. It was 1974 and the Watchtower had been strongly hinting for nine years that 'the end' would come sometime in October of '75.
Yes, God was coming out of his 6000 years of rest and this would indeed be the right time to deal with this wicked world. He was going to kill off all of humanity except for those one million or so Jehovah's Witnesses. Well maybe much less than a million since some Witnesses had not been doing their part and of course their kids would die also. (pause)
In a works based salvation, which is patently false and is NOT the original gospel, one must do very much to earn one's salvation. Witnesses turn in a monthly time sheet, much like a sales report and this is what determines your 'spirituality' and how far you will go in the organization.
Your appearance and grooming is also a factor in how you are viewed in Watchtowerland. Up until the early '70s, the Watchtower taught that none of the ancient heroes, right up through Jesus and the apostles wore beards, mustaches or long hair. Artwork in their publications depicted them all as clean shaven. Oddly enough, the Witnesses were caught up in an old 40s and 50s conservative image of how a man should look, short hair, no facial hair or you didn't gain privileges in the congregation.(pause)
The young man married a Catholic girl who converted to Watchtowerism and they had two sons and many friends, as long as they 'toed the line' that is. He had always had that desire to learn more though and often studied the Bible without his Watchtower. The surprsing lack of context for quoted scripture was causing doubts about his beloved organization. Still, he was a rising star, giving talks in the ministry school more and more, being made a ministerial servant (deacon) at a young age and being groomed for possible elder status.
God smacked him with a little dose of reality though, him and his wife both. He was caught in the middle of a dispute between elders who were out to get one another. The couple soon tired of the conflicts and quit attending the meetings, where they had so much "love, one to another". They fell into sin and began partying and smoking, which did get them dismissed from their loving congregation. In the Watchtower world, drinking all you can hold without looking drunk is fine, but don't you dare smoke a cigarette, or a pipe, or a cigar.
God kept them out just long enough to raise their sons without brainwashing from the cult. He sent them back in twelve years after they had been disfellowshipped and they dutifully attended meetings, getting shunned and ignored right up until they were reinstated. This practice is the result of having your life run by an authoritarian organization. It is callous discipline, not love, that is used as a club to keep dissent to a minimum.
The boys soon tired of the constant negativity of the Watchtower. They were smart enough to decide NOT to get baptized after they finished a study book with the Witnesses. Soon, the couple began to question why they had returned to this organization. They prayed for God to show them His will for them.
God gave them insight from ex-Witnesses on the internet.
God gave them a set of Christian friends and co-workers, a church that prayed for them in 'Masterlife' discipleship training held at the church.
The pastor did his job in discipling the co-worker of the JW. The co-worker caught on fire for the Lord!
God led the man and his family out on a rocky road to salvation, climbing the narrow path and striving for the top of the mountain...and the view from heaven above. What they found was grace, the grace of a saviour who died a humiliating death on a cross. God led them across the gap by bridging it with the life giving cross that represented Jesus' sacrifice for our sins.
God led them to the promise of glory and their sons came along as well. The young man is getting older now. He has the great pleasure of serving the Lord God Almighty, the Lord of Hosts, Jehovah God, who is God in three persons, Blessed be the trinity. Amen.
(Tears and I have trouble speaking about this time.)
The church was "O... D...", the pastor is ........and the co-worker is your pastor, .......... I was the little boy who knocked on doors. I answered my door when Jesus knocked so hard it almost broke down.
(Man, this is tough right here. The emotions take over, my wife starts crying and I have to stop, trying to compose myself and failing, then continue.)
Praise the Lord! Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Thank you Father for calling us out. Please keep carrying me, Holy Spirit and please work through me.
God led us and molded us to reach this point in life, reaching out to our family while we warn others of Satan's snares. The Lord has caused another miracle to happen. My JW mother has accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as her personal saviour. She got a touch from the Master's healing hands! My warning to you today is this: The Watchtower is a snare and a racket!
I generally go about a half-hour with this. Often times I have had copies of various Watchtower gaffes and miscues which reveal it for what it really is to distribute to the audience.
They are stunned to read the story of 'Percy' and 'George West' from Ray's books. Too many people on the outside do not know what happens to us who are in the Borg. I keep trying to fix that in my own way.
May God Bless,
Rex