Just got the Watchtower Feb 15/04. This is what it reads :
Apostates may claim to worship Jehovah and to believe the Bible, but they reject the visible part of his organization......Under divine inspiration, the Bible writers used strong words to expose the motives and the methods of apostates.
What is it that apostates want? Most are not content to leave the faith that they once perhaps viewed as true. Often, they want to take others with them. Rather than going out and making their own disciples, many apostates seek to "draw away the disciples {that is, Christ's disciples} after themselves".
Regarding false teachers, the apostle Paul sounded this urgent warning: "look out: perhaps there may be someone who will carry you off as his prey." (Colossians 2:8) Does that not describe what many apostates try to do? Like a kidnapper who carries an unsuspecting victim away from his family, apostates prey upon trusting members of the congregation, seeking to carry them away from the flock.
What methods do apostates use to achieve their aim? They often resort to distortion, half-truths, and outright falsehoods.
How can we guard against being deceived by apostates? By heeding the advice from God's Word, which says: "Keep your eye on those who cause divisions and occasions for stumbling contrary to the teaching that you have learned, and avoid them". (Romans 16:17) We "avoid them" by steering clear of their reasonings--whether in person, in printed form, or on the Internet. Why do we take such a stand? First, because God's Word directs us to do so, and we trust that Jehovah always has our best interests at heart.--Isaiah 48:17,18.
Second, we love the organization that has taught us the precious truths that so plainly separate us from Babylon the Great. At the same time, we recognize that our knowledge of God's purpose is not perfect; our understanding has undergone adjustments over the years. Loyal Christians are content to wait on Jehovah for all such refinements. (Proverbs 4:18) Meanwhile, we will not abandon the organization tha God is pleased to use, for we see the clear evidence of his blessing upon it.
Seems to me that men at the Ivory Towers are getting really worried. Apostates must be doing more damage than we realize.
wannaexit