It reminds me of the teaching on the "fall" of "Babylon the Great." According to the 1/1/200 WT:
"1919, Babylon the Great could not prevent the Bible Students, as Jehovah’s Witnesses were then known, from escaping from their inactive state and embarking on a worldwide witnessing campaign that still continues. (Matthew 24:14) That signaled a fall for Babylon the Great, just as the release of Israel in the sixth century B.C.E. signaled a fall for ancient Babylon."
They say it "fell" in 1919, but it is still alive and kicking. Especially Islam on the "kicking" part! Yet, while many churches are mostly empty, religion lives on. As already stated, same could be true of JW's. There is a core of people who hang on to their religion no matter what.
Just had a discussion with a "Partaker" who has been partaking since 50's and whose parents partook. Discussed recent "adjustments." He is clueless on explaining adjustments in FDS and other things. The longer we spoke, the less he seemed to know or have thought about regarding implications of "adjustments". I wanted to ask how it felt when he got the demotion from FDS but didn't. Seemed to me that no matter what the men in NY say, he would eat it down without thinking for self.
I was the same way for a long time. Just would not allow myself to question the rather obvious. Dissonance finally became too much.
I remember calling on a man who had devoted himself to Armstrong's Worlwide Church of God. When "adjustments" came, he was so disillusioned that he bar came an Atheist.
I think JW will be around in some form for a long time.