Yeah they are doubling down on the control. It is a sign of desperation as has been pointed out.
They have painted themselves into a corner. When you proclaim that the almighty of the universe is backing you and you only, then "downsizing" (which is exactly what the organization is doing) is impossible to explain. Why the hell would God downsize? Because of their money and legal problems they are getting more criticism than ever. And lets face it, just about anybody can see the problems at this point. You don't have to drag out old books from a century ago to make an "apostate" point or win a debate. And all signs are that the problems are only going to get worse.
Less than a year ago we had a quick elders school (one day) and one of the main points was for elders to disfellowship quicker and reinstate slower. That is to get rid of dissent quickly and instill more fear by keeping the people that dared to disagree out even longer.
So they are doubling down on the bully tactics to preserve their hold on the flock. I don't think there is any stopping the downward spiral they are in at this point, though. But unfortunately they will try.... with medieval crap like this WT describes. In the foreseeable future they will increasingly act like a cult and thus will increasingly face criticism for being one.
Oh, what a tangled web we weave....