CDs ABOUT JWs

(Investigator 129, 2009 September)

INTRODUCTION

In 1994 the Watchtower Society (WTS) produced a CD-ROM of Jehovah's Witness (JW) publications titled "Watchtower Library 1993".

Updates followed at intervals — currently 2007.

The CD includes The Watchtower from 1950, but other publications from 1970 or later.

The CD omits first editions of revised publications, convention reports, hymn book, and sundry minor literature.

Any word and its frequency of use in the literature on the CD, together with references and context, are searchable in seconds.

Table I, for example, shows how often certain JW buzz-words appeared in JW publications on the CD-ROM.

USEFUL CD

After installation Watchtower Library 2007 opens easily and displays an efficient search function at the top. Type any word or phrase — upper or lower case, it's not case sensitive — and click the adjacent question mark. Up comes a list of all occurrences including references (i.e. publication, date, and page).

Phrases searched should have quote marks to bring up references of the entire phrase and not individual words in it. Each search takes only seconds. After that, a click on any item in the list brings up the text, which can be scrolled up and down.

To find how often certain Bible verses were referred to, use brackets rather than quote marks. (Psalm 90:10) gives the same search result as (Ps. 90:10). Psalm 90:10 puts life expectancy at 70 to 80 years, and was cited increasingly in WTS publications as the doctrine of the 1914 generation surviving until Armageddon approached refutation. (1970s—33 citations; 1980s—60)



ANTICIPATION

With Watchtower Library we can trace the WTS's promotion of anticipation for Armageddon.

The article Why the Rising Tensions World Wide? (Awake! 1965 10/8) attributes political tension to Satan having being thrown out of heaven in 1914 and knowing "his end [is] near", in the "immediate future" and "shortly". The last days began in 1914 and: "the end of these last days is positively insight … it will be in this generation." World tensions "will quickly reach their peak." The "annihilation of wickedness…comes on apace" and occurs "shortly".

Such comment read almost weekly persuaded many JWs to cease education or employment and go door to door more.

Table 2 lists phrases that express the nearness of Armageddon and/or paradise, and their frequency.

Note that not every repetition of every phrase in Table 2 refers to Armageddon's nearness, because sometimes the phrase is used in other contexts.

Of the nine occurrences of "about to strike", for example, one refers literally to a clock. Of the 20 occurrences of "well advanced" only seven refer to being "well advanced" into the final days or last generation. Of 47 occurrences of "nearing its end", only 36 occur in end-of-the-world contexts. Of 18 occurrences of "so near to", only six refer to Armageddon or the "new world".



QUOTATIONS

Here are some quotations:

The "day of Jehovah" beginning in A.D. 1914 is far spent and the accomplished end of this world is at hand. (w1950 4/1 103)

We are virtually on the verge of entering into the righteous new world. Though so near to our glorious goal, there is still danger of falling... (w1951 4/15 231)

Beyond doubt, we are well advanced in these "last days." (w1965 8/1 462)

…this old system is nearing its complete end. Within a few years at most the final parts of Bible prophecy relative to these "last days" will undergo fulfillment… (w1968 5/1 271)

Here we are, twenty-four years after World War II closed in 1945 and a portion of the anointed remnant of elect ones are still here and the war at Armageddon is still ahead, although getting very close now… But on April 1 of the year 1969…only 10,368 partook of the bread and wine. This included quite a number of the remnant who experienced the "beginning of pangs of distress" during World War I. A number of these should survive still longer to see and go through the war of Armageddon, in harmony with Jesus' words, at Matthew 24:33-35. (w1970 1/15 52)

…we are living deep in the time of the end. (w1972 4/1 216)

The countdown…now nears its zero hour. So close is it that people who were alive in 1914, and who are now well along in years, will not all pass off the scene before the thrilling events…come to pass. (Survival Into a New Earth, 1984, 184)

Some of that "generation" could survive until the end of the century. But there are many indications that "the end" is much closer than that! (w1984 3/1 12)

…the end of all humans who refuse to submit to God's sovereignty is drawing perilously near. (w1990 10/15 19)

In 1967 the JW leaders began fanning anticipation for 1975 with articles like Why Are You Looking Forward to 1975?  (w1968 8/15 494)

WTS publications referred to the secular book Famine 1975 (published 1967) eleven times until 1975, and then no more.



OTHER CDs

Pre-1950 WTS publications are out of copyright and several anti-JW ministries sell CDs of them.

Research Applications International offers CDs with ten years of The Watchtower per CD. Any word or phrase can be searched and its total occurrences and all pages on which it appears ascertained.

For example, the word "Armageddon" appeared the following number of times in The Watchtower during the 1940s:

Research Applications International also produces The Pastor Russell Anthology CD containing material written by Pastor Russell (excluding his Watch Tower articles).


BREAKAWAYS

Some groups that split from the WTS and published literature of their own are also now reproducing it electronically. The New Covenant Fellowship in Australia offers a "memory stick" containing The New Covenant Advocate (1909 to 1944).

The New Covenant Fellowship began in 1908 and was led by two Americans, Ernest Henninges and wife Rose Ball (the same Rose Ball who 15 years earlier often kissed Pastor Russell and sat on his lap).


ACQUISITION

The WTS offers Watchtower Library only to baptized JWs who are instructed not to loan it out.

However, some JWs disenchanted by the ever-changing "Bible truth" permit use of their CD.

(BS)

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