BluesBrother,
There's a lot less of the old "bombastic" style that I remember from prior years. But the same idea is still there about "worship" and "idolizing" and now, treating the UN as "holy." I have never heard any religious people speak of the UN as "holy" although I agree that it's often considered the best practical hope for peace under many political circumstances.Besides JWs, there are a also lot of other religious people who have conspiracy theories about what the UN will do.
I'm still surprised at how "sure" the Watchtower writes about future prophecy that they claim will be fulfilled this side of Armageddon. It still shows up in that 2013 Watchtower you quoted in the place you highlighted. The year before, in 2012, the June 15 issue carried the article: "Jehovah Reveals What Must Shortly Take Place." That had the same sureness:
*** w12 6/15 pp. 17-18 pars. 16-19 Jehovah Reveals What “Must Shortly Take Place” ***The idea that this interpretation is correct (because the prophecies have been fulfilled to the smallest detail) is ridiculous. It's extremely easy to find solutions to Revelation's beasts that are just as likely as the UN solution. There are multiple problems with these solutions. (Not the least of which is the idea that Revelation is basically a reworking of Daniel, except that Daniel said the scrolls would be locked up until the time of the end, and then Revelation says that the time of the end is here and now the scrolls are being opened. It's very odd that Daniel is written between 200 to 600 years before Revelation, and when Revelation announces that the "time is finally at hand" everyone says that this is for 2,000 years after Revelation.)
16 However, during the Lord’s day, Babylon the Great has seen the waters, the people who support her, dry up dramatically. (Rev. 16:12; 17:15) For example, when the image of the beast first appeared, the churches of Christendom—an influential part of Babylon the Great—dominated the Western world. Today, the churches and their ministers have lost the respect and support of the masses. In fact, many people believe that religion contributes to or causes conflict. An increasingly vocal and militant group of Western intellectuals is calling for the end of religion’s influence on society.
17 False religion, however, will not just fade away. The harlot will remain a potent force, attempting to bend kings to her will until God plants an idea in the hearts of those in power. (Read Revelation 17:16, 17.) Soon Jehovah will cause the political elements of Satan’s system, as represented by the United Nations, to attack false religion. They will destroy her influence and devastate her riches. Such an event may have seemed unlikely just decades ago. Today, the harlot teeters on the back of the scarlet-colored beast. Even so, she will not slip slowly from her seat. Her tumble will be sudden and violent.—Rev. 18:7, 8, 15-19.
THE BEASTS COME TO THEIR END
18 After false religion is destroyed, the wild beast, Satan’s earthly political setup, will be goaded into an attack on God’s Kingdom. Unable to reach into heaven, the kings of the earth will vent their rage on those on earth who support God’s Kingdom. The result is inevitable. (Rev. 16:13-16; 17:12-14) Daniel describes one aspect of the final battle. (Read Daniel 2:44.) The wild beast mentioned at Revelation 13:1, its image, and the two-horned wild beast will be destroyed.
19 We are living in the days of the seventh head. No more heads will appear on this beast before it is annihilated. The Anglo-American World Power will be the dominant world power when false religion is eradicated. The prophecies of Daniel and John have been fulfilled to the smallest detail.
Reminds me of the explanation of the 1,260 days of Revelation which was supposedly "miraculously" accurate with respect to the early history of the WTS/JWs, yet, it doesn't even match up to 1,260 days no matter how much they play with it. Here's an example. (I like the explanation that the Revelation 12:6,14 1,260 days is basically meaningless and unrelated; it was only there to prove that 3.5 times is 1,260 days!):
*** w51 7/1 pp. 409-410 ‘Time, Times and Half a Time’ ***
TRIALS DURING THE 1,260 DAYS
3 Prior to 1914 the faithful servants had been proclaiming the “end of the Gentile times” in that year. Now let us see what happened during these 1,260 days. These days of Daniel are not to be confused with Revelation 12:6, 14, which reads: “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and sixty days. But the two wings of the great eagle were given the woman, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place; there is where she is fed for a period and periods and a half a period of time away from the face of the serpent.” (NW) Here these verses merely serve to show that ‘a time, times and half a time’ equals 1,260 literal days. Whereas those days of Revelation 12:6, 14 began after Satan was cast out of heaven, the 1,260 days of Daniel 12:7 began at the end of the Gentile times, about October 1, 1914.
4 The facts pertaining to Jehovah’s people fit so miraculously that there cannot be any doubt about the fulfillment of this prophecy. Jehovah’s “holy people” were to be scattered and shattered by the enemy for three and a half “times”, or 1,260 days, following which time period the enemy’s power over them would end or be over. (Matt. 24:9-12, NW) Right on time prophecy was fulfilled. The 1,260 days would commence when the Gentile times ended, about October 1, 1914, and would therefore terminate about April 1, 1918, after which the enemy’s power would be broken. This indicates that by then Satan the Devil had been cast down from heaven and Christ Jesus came to the temple of God for judgment work. This was not altered by the fierce persecution which broke out at that time, for early in February, 1918, many of Jehovah’s people in Canada were seized and thrown into prison. That same month the enemies of the truth took away books and private papers from the head office of the Society at Brooklyn. On the 7th of May warrants were served for the arrest of officers of the Society, and on the 15th of May they appeared in court. They were indicted, convicted and sentenced to long terms of imprisonment, and on June 20, 1918, were confined to prison.
How miraculous is it that?!?! They needed to find an event on April 1, 1918 and they found something in early February and a couple of events in May, with the most startling event starting on June 20. But, no one seemed to notice that the trials were to take place before the end of the 1,260 days, and the major trials for the WTS started after they were over, according to their own timeline. Satan seemed to have more power over them exactly at the time he was supposed to have less, according to the earlier paragraphs.
I expect that someday soon they will just have to admit that all this was a guess, and most of it was a guess based on the fact that everything was supposed to be over within just a few years of all that stuff that happened prior to 1925. All their guesses were based on being completely Anglo-centric, and copying off other interpreters who also just as Anglo-centric.