Wither The Watchtower
Unfolding Crisis for Jehovah's Witnesses-
By David A. Reed
Page 2 Continued
MILTON G. HENSCHEL: THE NEW PRESIDENT
Milton G. Henschel's selection as fifth Watchtower
president on December 30, 1992, is truly significant for the Jehovah's
Witnesses. At first glance the choice of a 72-year-old conservative
for the post may seem to presage a continuation of the status quo, with
little change in the offing. But a closer look reveals this appointment
as the conservative old guard's last stand - an indication that radical
change in the sect's leadership and doctrines is imminent.
At age 72 Henschel is the second-youngest
member of the Governing Body, and he was selected to lead by men several
years older than he is. The youngest on the Body is 69, two others are
in their mid-70s, and the remainder are in their 80s and 90s. With members
in their 80s known to sleep through meetings and to vote on matters
on being awakened,17 the Body is losing its ability to provide purposeful
and decisive leadership, and Henschel was no doubt chosen in part due
to his having vitality others lacked.
Younger Replacements Disallowed
Recognizing their own infirmities, Governing
Body members have recently arranged for younger men to assist with day-to-day
work.18 But final decisions on major issues take place when the Body
meets alone behind closed doors. Why not appoint some younger men to
replace or supplement those who have grown too old to care for such
responsibilities? Here lies the key to the Watchtower Society's present
leadership crisis: long-standing doctrine precludes appointment of younger
men to the Governing Body.
The reason for this is that Witnesses baptized
after "Judge" Rutherford ended the "heavenly calling" of the 144,000
in 1935 are automatically assigned to the "great crowd," destined to
live forever on earth. This is a secondary class of believers who receive
salvation on the coattails of the above "body of Christ," but who are
not born again or anointed and hence are not part of this "faithful
and discreet slave class" from whom leaders must be selected. Since
JWs generally baptize converts as adults or preteens, and leaders need
to have been baptized before 1935, only men born during the early 1920s
or before can be leaders - men who are currently around 70 years of
age or older.
Changing the makeup of the Governing Body
to include younger men would require abandoning the Watchtower's key
teaching about the "faithful and discreet slave class" - the very foundation
of the sect's claim to authority. The teaching is that after returning
invisibly in 1914, Christ "came to inspect the spiritual temple in the
spring of 1918."19 Among all the professed believers in all the churches
of Christendom he found only those associated with the Watchtower Society
serving him faithfully like the slave in the parable of Matthew 24:45-47.
So, "in 1919 he" placed them in charge of "all the spiritual assets
on earth that have become Christ's property in connection with his authority
as heavenly King."20
Since then those assets have mushroomed into
a worldwide organization with 11.5 million people attending its worship
services. And the doctrine concerning the faithful and discreet slave
has served well to keep these millions in compliant subjection to the
leadership class allegedly placed in charge by Christ himself. That
class, however, has been decreasing in numbers since the "final ones
of the anointed 144,000 were gathered in," before 1935.21 Today, fewer
than 8,700 remain alive who claim22 to be among the living "remnant"
of this number. Most of these are women, automatically barred from leadership
roles, and the rest are men primarily of the same age as present Governing
Body members. (A few younger individuals profess to be of the remnant
- allowable under the understanding that God might appoint replacements
for members who proved unfaithful after 1935 - but younger claimants
are generally viewed with skepticism by fellow Witnesses.)
So, the pool of eligible candidates for the
Governing Body is fast drying up, as male Witnesses baptized before
1935 die off or become incapacitated by age. Soon there will be none
left. There is no provision in JW doctrine, however, for a switch to
other leadership prior to Armageddon. New doctrine will have to be invented
- not simply a minor adjustment, but a totally new basis for declaring
certain individuals eligible to take control.
A Tangled Doctrinal Web
What makes this all the more complex is the
fact that the current doctrine regarding leadership is tightly intertwined
with the alleged fulfillment of all sorts of end-times prophecies. Together
they form a closely-woven fabric of interdependent teachings - one or
two of the teachings cannot be altered without destroying the pattern
woven throughout the fabric.
As Jehovah's Witnesses see it, the 21-year
period from 1914 through 1935 brought the following: Luke 21:24 was
fulfilled with "the end of the Gentile times...in the autumn of 1914."23
Then, "Christ was enthroned in heaven as King of the Kingdom in that
same year, 1914."24 His invisible "presence" on the earth immediately
began,25 as evidenced by "wars on an unprecedented scale," famines,
earthquakes, and worldwide preaching by Jehovah's Witnesses.26 Also
in 1914 the fulfillment of Revelation 12:7-9 occurred with Jesus Christ,
in his identity as Michael the Archangel, casting Satan down to the
earth.27
Next, the year 1918 marked "the start of the
heavenly resurrection" with dead "anointed ones" of the "144,000 who
belong to Christ" being made alive "with Christ Jesus in the spirit
realm."28 Also, Christ "came to inspect the spiritual temple in the
spring of 1918," in fulfillment of Malachi 3:1-5 and 1 Peter 4:17.29
Following that, "starting in 1919, angels
under Jesus' direction separated the wheat class of spirit-begotten
anointed ones on earth."30 And here, "in 1919 he pronounced that faithful
approved slave class happy," giving them "a promotion" to the position
they now enjoy.31 Prophecies in Revelation concerning the opening of
the seven seals and the sounding of the seven trumpets were fulfilled
during the period that followed; for example, the "sequence of trumpet
blasts" when "special resolutions were featured at seven conventions
from 1922 to 1928."32 And then, by 1935, "the final ones of the anointed
144,000 were gathered in," and the gathering of a "great crowd" to live
on earth was begun.33
So, it is not a matter of simply replacing
1914 with another date. All of the related events and alleged prophetic
fulfillments would also have to be reinterpreted and moved ahead to
other dates. As the poet wrote, "Oh, what a tangled web we weave, When
first we practice to deceive!"34 "
This Generation" Is Passing Away
The leadership eligibility doctrine is not
the only JW teaching that is becoming outdated and thus forcing the
organization toward a major revision. Besides losing to old age and
death the men of the "slave class" responsible for giving them "their
spiritual food at the proper time,"35 Witnesses are also faced with
the problem that some of that "food" itself has gone past its shelf
life. A prime example is the prophecy the Watchtower Society is currently
feeding its followers regarding the end of the world.
The masthead of Awake! magazine repeats this
prophecy in each issue by proclaiming "the Creator's promise of a peaceful
and secure new world before the generation that saw the events of 1914
passes away."36 Simple arithmetic reveals that those events took place
79 years ago, and that people who saw them take place are fast dying
off. Awake! of October 8, 1968, commented that "Jesus was obviously
speaking about those who were old enough to witness with understanding
what took place....Even if we presume that youngsters 15 years of age
would be perceptive enough to realize the import of what happened in
1914, it would still make the youngest of 'this generation' nearly 70
years old today" (emphasis in original).37 Adding the additional 25
years that have passed since those words were published in 1968 would
make "this generation" nearly 95 years old now, in 1993.
While the predictions about 1975 were still
being promoted, JW publications cited the reference in Psalm 90:10 to
man's "threescore years and ten," or "fourscore" years for those with
special strength, to show that "a reasonable time-length for a generation"
was 70 or 80 years,38 and that therefore "this generation" would "pass
away" during the 1970s. According to that standard the prophecy still
printed in each Awake! magazine has already failed. So, with its doctrinal
framework built upon 1914 stretched to the breaking point, and with
its irreplaceable elderly leaders dying off, the Watchtower Society
will soon be forced to change both.
Convulsions and Chaos Imminent?
Reminiscent of the crisis following Pastor
Russell's death in 1916, the present situation holds the potential of
throwing Jehovah's Witnesses into doctrinal convulsions and organizational
chaos. As we saw above, Watchtower authority was originally based on
the claim that Christ returned invisibly in 1874, appointed C. T. Russell
as his "faithful and discreet slave," and would bring the end of the
world in 1914. After Russell's prediction about 1914 failed and this
"last messenger" himself died in 1916, there was no doctrinal basis
for anyone to succeed him. An organizational free-for-all ensued in
which new president J. F. Rutherford waged open warfare against the
Watchtower corporation's board of directors. Rutherford's victory resulted
in the reversal of a number of doctrines the Watchtower Society had
taught under Russell, including Russell's posthumous removal as "faithful
and discreet slave" and the pyramid Russell advertised as "God's stone
Witness" being renamed "the Devil's Bible."
Since there is no doctrinal basis for a successor
to today's aging Governing Body, the sect will soon face problems similar
to those Rutherford encountered. Dying members of the Governing Body
will have to be replaced with men not eligible under today's arrangement,
and doctrines attached to expired dates will have to be replaced with
new ideas that may prove unpalatable to large segments of the organization.
Henschel's Challenge
Will new president Milton Henschel be the
one to initiate such drastic changes? Time alone will tell, but insiders
portray him as a man much like Nathan Knorr - an administrator rather
than a doctrinal innovator. No new visionary has yet appeared to take
the place Fred Franz occupied during Knorr's administration and his
own. Moreover, Governing Body member Raymond Franz reveals Henschel
as one who routinely rejects change and upholds the status quo on administrative
matters.39
But Franz also observes that Henschel often
admitted being too busy to read proposed drafts of Watchtower articles
that came before his Publishing Committee for approval. In fact, Franz
notes that Henschel had difficulty keeping up with published Watchtower
articles and seldom bothered to read the Awake! magazine at all.40 This
leaves open the possibility of doctrinal changes initiated by others
slipping by him unnoticed, even receiving his unwitting approval in
materials he finds himself too busy to read.41
With leadership of a multi-billion dollar
corporation up for grabs, as well as control over the lives of millions
of followers, the stakes are high - comparable to rulership over a small-to-mid-size
nation. With the obligation to redefine eligibility and appoint new
leaders resting in the hands of stubbornly conservative yet increasingly
frail old men, a struggle is possible among younger headquarters staffers
who see themselves as potential heirs to power.
However the change occurs - whether Milton
Henschel and his elderly associates act now voluntarily, or whether
they postpone the inevitable until they become weak enough for others
to force it upon them - the organizational and doctrinal upheaval will
of necessity be drastic. Indeed, shock waves radiating from Brooklyn
will no doubt cause turmoil in JW congregations worldwide.
These forebodings among Jehovah's Witnesses
today, as well as the parallels they call to mind from earlier Watchtower
history, highlight a number of scriptural caveats applying to the sect.
For example, the psalmist warns, "Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortal men, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return
to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing" (Ps. 146:3-4
NIV). JWs have ignored this wisdom, diminishing Jesus Christ and attributing
great authority to their organization, only to find now that their leaders'
plans and teachings are passing away as the men themselves die off.
Shortly now, the Witnesses will once again
find themselves with a host of "new truths" to accept, discarding as
"old light" many of the beliefs their faith has been built on. As in
the past, most of them will no doubt march off obediently in the new
direction. But some among them, hopefully a large minority, will be
shocked into wakefulness and a genuine quest for the truth by the coming
organizational and doctrinal reversals.
Who Is the Faithful and Wise Servant?
The key doctrine Witnesses will be asked to
change their minds about (again) is the identity of the faithful and
wise servant of Matthew 24:45. In a rare review of back-and-forth doctrinal
changes over the years, the 1975 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses comments
that "in 1881...it was understood that the 'servant' God used to dispense
spiritual food was a class." Later, it continues, the teaching was adopted
"that C. T. Russell himself was the 'faithful and wise servant.'" And
finally it concludes, "In February 1927 this erroneous thought that
Russell himself was the 'faithful and wise servant' was cleared up"
(p. 88). With Russell in the grave for a decade, the previously rejected
"old light" was restored as "new light," and that "servant" was reinterpreted
again to be a class of anointed believers. But that class is now dying
off, just as Russell did, leaving followers with the need to find still
another interpretation.
Outside observers, of course, recognize Jesus'
words at Matthew 24:45 as neither an appointment of a special individual
such as C. T. Russell, nor an appointment of a "class" of people such
as the pre-1935 JWs from whom Watchtower leaders are currently selected.
Rather than read into the verse a divine commission to any group or
individual who would later pose problems by dying off the scene, unindoctrinated
readers see in it the Lord's exhortation to each Christian to be "faithful"
and "wise." And this exhortation especially applies in the matter He
discussed in the same context, namely, avoiding "false prophets" who
would mislead others with the claim that Christ had already returned
unseen, out of sight in some hidden spot. "Believe it not," Jesus admonished
(Matt. 24:23-26). And that should be the response of all informed Bible
readers to the claim that Christ returned invisibly in 1914 and selected
Watchtower leaders to rule the earthly realm of his kingdom.
Ex-Jehovah's Witness elder David A. Reed
has authored several books on JWs and publishes the quarterly Comments
from the Friends (P.O. Box 840, Stoughton, MA 02072), updating readers
on Watchtower changes impacting apologetics and cult evangelism.
NOTES
1 Mary B. W. Tabor, "Looking Beyond
Brooklyn Heights toward Heaven," New York Times, 29 Nov. 1992, 46. 2
"Watchtower" is written as a single word in the name of the sect's New
York corporation, but as two words in the name of the Pennsylvania parent
corporation. Similarly, the principal JW magazine originally featured
"Watch Tower" as two words, but changed it to one word in 1931. JWs
still use both forms, thus explaining the appearance of both in this
article. 3 "Rewarded With 'the Crown of Life,'" The Watchtower, 15 March
1993, 31. 4 Peak 1992 meeting attendance reported in chart titled "1992
Service Year Report of Jehovah's Witnesses Worldwide," The Watchtower,
1 Jan. 1993, 15. Of these, about 4.5 million are considered full members
- that is, baptized Witnesses actively engaging in door-to-door preaching.
5 Studies in the Scriptures, vol. 3 (Allegheny, Pennsylvania: Watch
Tower, 1891) (1903 edition), 362-64. 6 C. T. Russell, "'Hear, O Israel!
Jehovah Our God Is One - Jehovah,'" Zion's Watch Tower, July 1882 (bound
volume reprints, Pittsburgh: Watch Tower, 1919), 369. 7 A. H. Macmillan,
Faith on the March (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1957),
78-80. 8 1975 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses (Brooklyn: Watch Tower,
1974), 165. 9 J. F. Rutherford, Millions Now Living Will Never Die (Brooklyn:
International Bible Students Association, 1920), 89-90. 10 Karl F. Klein,
"'Jehovah Has Dealt Rewardingly with Me,'" The Watchtower, 1 Oct. 1984,
24n. 11 In 1930 the sect's Golden Age magazine (p. 503) gave 1914 as
the date of Christ's invisible return, but without any supporting argument.
The new chronological formulas were first published in 1943 in the book
The Truth Shall Make You Free, chapter 11, "The Count of Time." 12 JWs
today commonly believe the Society never predicted "the end" for 1975,
but that some overzealous members mistakenly read this into the message.
The official prediction, however, is well documented. See, for example,
the article titled "Why Are You Looking Forward to 1975?" in The Watchtower,
15 Aug. 1968, 494-501, which says: "Are we to assume from this study
that the battle of Armageddon will be all over by the autumn of 1975,
and the long-looked-for thousand-year reign of Christ will begin by
then? Possibly, but we wait to see how closely the seventh thousand-year
period of man's existence coincides with the sabbathlike thousand-year
reign of Christ....It may involve only a difference of weeks or months,
not years" (499). For additional references, see my Index of Watchtower
Errors (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1990), 106-10. 13 John Dart,
"Defectors Feel 'Witness' Wrath," Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 1982, 4-5.
14 Richard N. Ostling, "Witness under Prosecution," 22 Feb. 1982, 66.
15 "Disfellowshipping - how to view it," The Watchtower, 15 Sept. 1981,
24-26. 16 "Exposing the Devil's Subtle Designs," The Watchtower, 15
Jan. 1983, 22. 17 Raymond V. Franz, Crisis of Conscience (Atlanta: Commentary
Press, 1982) (1992 Edition), 40. 18 "Assistance for Governing Body Committees,"
The Watchtower, 15 Apr. 1992, 31. 19 "Expanded Activities During Christ's
Presence," The Watchtower, 1 May 1993, 15. 20 Ibid., 17. 21 Ibid. 22
This figure is based on the number of partakers at the annual JW communion
service, the "Memorial," as reported in the chart cited above in The
Watchtower, 1 Jan. 1993, 15. Since only those who believed themselves
to be among the anointed class could take communion, 8,683 partook of
the loaf and the cup while the rest of the 11.5 million in attendance
merely observed. 23 "Expanded Activities During Christ's Presence,"
11. 24 Ibid. 25 Ibid. 26 Ibid., 12. 27 Ibid., 13. 28 Ibid. 29 Ibid.,
15. 30 Ibid., 13. 31 Ibid., 17. 32 Revelation: Its Grand Climax at Hand!
(Brooklyn: Watch Tower, 1988), 132-33. 33 "Expanded Activities During
Christ's Presence," 17. 34 Sir Walter Scott, Marmion, Canto VI, Stanza
4, 1808, quoted in John Bartlett, Familiar Quotations (Boston: Little,
Brown, 1955 ed.), 414b. 35 "Expanded Activities During Christ's Presence,"
17. 36 Awake! 22 July 1993, is the most recent issue I consulted when
writing this article, but the statement has appeared on page four of
each issue since 8 March 1988. 37 Awake! 8 Oct. 1968, 13-14. 38 Man's
Salvation Out of World Distress at Hand! (Brooklyn: Watch Tower, 1975),
7. Also, The Truth that Leads to Eternal Life (Brooklyn: Watch Tower,
1968), 95. 39 Franz, 100-103, 130, 209, 228, 342. 40 Raymond V. Franz,
73, 96, 344; In Search of Christian Freedom (Atlanta: Commentary Press,
1991), 400. 41 Recent examples of unauthorized teachings and illustrations
finding their way into print to the embarrassment of the Governing Body
are found in my new book, Jehovah's Witness Literature: A Critical Guide
to Watchtower Publications (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1993).
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