Once upon a time, there was a vast empire that was born of out events around 1914. It demanded that its youth become "Pioneers".
It grew rapidly and published endless statistics of growth. It attracted an ever-growing number of desperate people in the 3rd World.
However, what no one seemed to notice, amidst all the evidence of its growing might, was that its empire was a money losing proposition
and that it made endless numbers of enemies thru its aggression. It suddenly was confronted with the dilemma of what to do with legions
of poor, unproductive people that it had attracted --- and it fell apart.
That was the Soviet Union's fate. I suspect the Watchtower will be similar. All the while we read about endless claims of growth of the
"truth", hardly anyone seems to notice fewer Bethelites, fewer hard bound books, fewer magazines, buildings sold off, subscriptions
dropped and a litany of other cutbacks that are just as endless. They are piling up an ever growing number of unproductive, passive
and disadvantaged people - that they have neither the funds nor the inclination to take care of - other than offering them fraudulent
prophesies to support false hope. One wonders if the slower growing churches were impeded by trying to project a sense of charity
that the Watchtower is too heartless ( or is 'souless') to care about.
I say this: the Watchtower is going to be confronted by the same paradox that killed off the Soviet Union - "what the heck do we do
with all these poor dependent people now that we have them? Gather more poor? Why are the wealthier Witnesses closing their wallets?
What can we cut next without any [ mostly brain-dead] Witnesses noticing?"
Empires die because the costs of maintenance accelerate. I'd bet they're starting to sense that.... You might be surprized at what
happens next - because Jehovah God isn't opening his wallet either!
metatron