Chapter 33

Continuing to Keep on the Watch

“SINCE Jesus clearly stated that no man could know ‘that day’ or ‘the hour’ when the Father will order his son to ‘come’ against Satan’s wicked system of things, some may ask: ‘Why is it so urgent to live in expectation of the end?’ It is urgent because practically in the same breath, Jesus added: ‘Keep looking, keep awake . . . keep on the watch.’ (Mark 13:32-35)”—The Watchtower, December 1, 1984.

Jehovah’s Witnesses have been watching for decades now. Watching for what? For Jesus’ coming in Kingdom power to execute judgment against Satan’s wicked system of things and to extend the full benefits of his Kingdom reign earth wide! (Matt. 6:9, 10; 24:30; Luke 21:28; 2 Thess. 1:7-10) These watching ones know that the “sign” of Jesus’ presence has been in evidence since 1914 and that the present system of things entered its last days in that year.—Matt. 24:3–25:46.

But, as yet, Jesus has not come as Executioner and Deliverer. So how do Jehovah’s Witnesses view their present situation?

‘Fully Assured’ of Their Understanding

As a worldwide congregation, they have “the full assurance of their understanding.” (Col. 2:2) It is not that they feel that they understand every detail of Jehovah’s purposes. They keep searching the Scriptures with an open mind, and they keep learning. But what they learn does not change their basic viewpoint regarding the fundamental truths of God’s Word. They are ‘fully assured’ of these foundation truths; they have recognized and accepted them for many decades now. What they learn does, however, continually improve their understanding of how certain scriptures fit into the overall pattern of Bible truth and how they can more fully apply the counsel of God’s Word in their own lives.

Jehovah’s Witnesses have “full assurance” also concerning God’s promises. They have absolute confidence that none of his promises will fail even in the smallest detail and that all of them will be fulfilled in his appointed time. The fulfillment of Bible prophecy that they have both seen and experienced thus leaves them fully assured that the present world is in its “time of the end” and that God’s promise of a righteous new world will soon be realized.—Dan. 12:4, 9; Rev. 21:1-5.

 What, then, should they be doing? “Keep looking, keep awake,” commanded Jesus, “for you do not know when the appointed time is. Therefore keep on the watch . . . in order that when [the Master] arrives suddenly, he does not find you sleeping. But what I say to you I say to all, Keep on the watch.” (Mark 13:33, 35-37) Jehovah’s Witnesses are keenly aware of the need to keep on the watch.

The overeagerness that they have at times manifested regarding the fulfillment of certain prophecies does not alter the evidence piling up since World War I that we are in the conclusion of the system of things. Surely, it is far better to be zealous—even overzealous—to see God’s will accomplished than to be spiritually asleep to the fulfillment of his purposes!—Compare Luke 19:11; Acts 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:1, 2, 6.

What does keeping on the watch involve?

Keeping on the Watch—How?

Watchful Christians do not just fold their arms and wait. Far from it! They must keep in fit condition spiritually so that when Jesus comes as Executioner, he will also prove to be their Deliverer. (Luke 21:28) “Pay attention to yourselves,” Jesus warned, “that your hearts never become weighed down with overeating and heavy drinking and anxieties of life, and suddenly that day be instantly upon you as a snare. . . . Keep awake.” (Luke 21:34-36) Thus, watching Christians must first ‘pay attention to themselves,’ being careful to live each day as a Christian should. They must stay wide awake to Christian responsibilities and avoid the unchristian conduct characteristic of a world “lying in the power of the wicked one.” (1 John 5:19; Rom. 13:11-14) When Christ comes, they must be ready.

Who have truly kept wide awake, in fit condition spiritually? The historical record presented in earlier chapters of this publication points to Jehovah’s Witnesses. Clearly, they take seriously the responsibilities involved in being Christians. In time of war, for example, they have been willing to risk imprisonment and death because of being wide awake to the obligation to be no part of the world and to show self-sacrificing love for one another. (John 13:34, 35; 17:14, 16) Persons who observe them at their Kingdom Halls, at their large conventions, or even on their secular jobs are impressed by their ‘fine conduct.’ (1 Pet. 2:12) In this world that has “come to be past all moral sense,” they have a reputation for leading honest, morally clean lives.—Eph. 4:19-24; 5:3-5.

Keeping on the watch, though, involves more than ‘paying attention to yourself.’ A watchman must announce to others what he sees. In this time of the end, watchful Christians who clearly see the sign of Christ’s presence must proclaim to others the “good news of the kingdom” and must warn them that soon Christ will come and execute judgment against  this wicked system of things. (Matt. 24:14, 30, 44) In this way they help others to put themselves in line for “deliverance.”—Luke 21:28.

Who have proved to be on the watch by sounding the warning? Jehovah’s Witnesses are known the world over for their zeal in proclaiming God’s name and Kingdom. They do not reserve preaching for a select clergy class. They recognize that it is a responsibility of all believers. They view it as an essential part of their worship. (Rom. 10:9, 10; 1 Cor. 9:16) What have been the results?

They now constitute a growing congregation of millions of active members in over 220 lands throughout the earth. (Isa. 60:22; compare Acts 2:47; 6:7; 16:5.) Some of the most powerful governments in the history of mankind have banned their work, even rounding them up and putting them into prison. But Jehovah’s Witnesses have continued to proclaim God’s Kingdom! Their determination is like that of the apostles who, when ordered to stop preaching, declared: “As for us, we cannot stop speaking about the things we have seen and heard.” “We must obey God as ruler rather than men.”—Acts 4:18-20; 5:27-29.

“Keep in Expectation of It”

The situation of Jehovah’s Witnesses today is similar to that of first-century Judean Christians. Jesus had given them a sign whereby they would know when it was time to flee from Jerusalem so as to escape its destruction. “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by encamped armies, . . . begin fleeing,” Jesus said. (Luke 21:20-23) A little more than 30 years later, in 66 C.E., Jerusalem was surrounded by Roman armies. When the Roman forces suddenly withdrew for no apparent reason, Judean Christians followed Jesus’ instructions and fled—not just from Jerusalem but from the whole land of Judea—to a city in Perea called Pella.

There, in safety, they waited. The year 67 C.E. came and went. Then 68 gave way to 69. Yet, Jerusalem remained free. Should they return? After all, Jesus had not said how long to wait. But if any did return, it was too bad, for in 70 C.E. the Roman armies came back in numbers that caused their impact to be like a flood that could not be stopped, and this time they did not withdraw. Instead, they demolished the city and killed more than a million people. How happy those Judean Christians in Pella must have been that they had kept waiting for Jehovah’s appointed time to execute judgment!

It is similar with those keeping on the watch today. They fully realize that the deeper we get into this time of the end, the more challenging it will be to keep in expectation of Jesus’ coming. But they have not lost faith in Jesus’ words: “Truly I say to you that this generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur.” (Matt. 24:34) The expression  “these things” refers to the various features of the composite “sign.” This sign has been in evidence since 1914 and will culminate at the “great tribulation.” (Matt. 24:21) The “generation” that was alive in 1914 is fast dwindling. The end cannot be far off.

Meanwhile, Jehovah’s Witnesses are absolutely determined to keep on the watch, in full faith that God will carry out all of his promises at his due time! They take to heart Jehovah’s words to the prophet Habakkuk. Concerning Jehovah’s apparent toleration of wickedness in the kingdom of Judah during the latter part of the seventh century B.C.E., Jehovah told the prophet: “Write down the vision [concerning the end of the oppressive conditions], and set it out plainly upon tablets, in order that the one reading aloud from it may do so fluently. For the vision is yet for the appointed time, and it keeps panting on to the end, and it will not tell a lie. Even if it should [appear to] delay, keep in expectation of it; for it will without fail come true. It will not be late.” (Hab. 1:2, 3; 2:2, 3) Similarly, Jehovah’s Witnesses have confidence in Jehovah’s righteousness and justice, and this helps them to keep their balance and to wait for Jehovah’s “appointed time.”

F. W. Franz, who was baptized in 1913, well expressed the feelings of Jehovah’s Witnesses. In 1991, as president of the Watch Tower Society, he stated:

“Our hope is a sure thing, and it will be fulfilled fully to every last one of the 144,000 members of the little flock to a degree beyond what we have even imagined. We of the remnant who were on hand in the year 1914, when we expected all of us to go to heaven, have not lost our sense of value of that hope. But we are as strong for it as we ever were, and we are appreciating it all the more the longer we have to wait for it. It is something worth waiting for, even if it required a million years. I evaluate our hope more highly than ever before, and I never want to lose my appreciation for it. The hope of the little flock also gives assurance that the expectation of the great crowd of other sheep will, without any possibility of failure, be fulfilled beyond our brightest imagination. That is why we are holding fast down to this very hour, and we are going to hold fast until God has actually proved that he is true to his ‘precious and very grand promises.’”—2 Pet. 1:4; Num. 23:19; Rom. 5:5.

The time is rapidly approaching when Christ’s presence in Kingdom power will be made clearly manifest to all humankind. Then, the watching ones will “receive the fulfillment of the promise.” (Heb. 10:36) Indeed, their expectations will be fulfilled beyond ‘what they have ever imagined.’ How happy and how thankful they will be that in the closing days of this wicked system of things, they were the ones who continued to keep on the watch, the ones who zealously proclaimed God’s Kingdom!

[Blurb on page 713]

Fully assured that the present world is in its “time of the end”

[Blurb on page 714]

Being careful to live each day as a Christian should

[Blurb on page 715]

Who have proved to be on the watch by sounding the warning?

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“I evaluate our hope more highly than ever before, and I never want to lose my appreciation for it”—F. W. Franz

 [Box/Picture on page 717]

Reports of Global Witnessing

Year Lands

1920 ....... 46

1925 ....... 83

1930 ....... 87

1935 ...... 115

1940 ...... 112

1945 ...... 107

1950 ...... 147

1955 ...... 164

1960 ...... 187

1965 ...... 201

1970 ...... 208

1975 ...... 212

1980 ...... 217

1985 ...... 222

1992 ...... 229

Total Lands

The number of lands is calculated according to the way the earth was divided in the early 1990’s, not according to political divisions that prevailed, for example, when former large empires ruled territory that now is divided among a number of independent nations.

Year Congs.

1940 ...... 5,130

1945 ...... 7,218

1950 ..... 13,238

1955 ..... 16,044

1960 ..... 21,008

1965 ..... 24,158

1970 ..... 26,524

1975 ..... 38,256

1980 ..... 43,181

1985 ..... 49,716

1992 ..... 69,558

Total Congregations

Before 1938 no consistent international record of the total number of congregations was kept.

Year Pubs.

1935 .. ... 56,153

1940 ...... 96,418

1945 ..... 156,299

1950 ..... 373,430

1955 ..... 642,929

1960 ..... 916,332

1965 ... 1,109,806

1970 ... 1,483,430

1975 ... 2,179,256

1980 ... 2,272,278

1985 ... 3,024,131

1992 ... 4,472,787

Total Kingdom Publishers

The method of counting publishers underwent a number of changes during the 1920’s and the early 1930’s. Congregation reports were sent to the Society weekly, instead of once a month. (Monthly reports did not go into effect until October 1932.) To be counted as a class worker (congregation publisher), one had to devote at least 3 hours a week (or 12 per month) to the field service, according to the “Bulletin” of January 1, 1929. Sharpshooters (isolated publishers) were to devote at least two hours per week to witnessing.

Year Pioneers

1920 ......... 480

1925 ....... 1,435

1930 ....... 2,897

1935 ....... 4,655

1940 ....... 5,251

1945 ....... 6,721

1950 ...... 14,093

1955 ...... 17,011

1960 ...... 30,584

1965 ...... 47,853

1970 ...... 88,871

1975 ..... 130,225

1980 ..... 137,861

1985 ..... 322,821

1992 ..... 605,610

Pioneers

The figures listed here include regular pioneers, auxiliary pioneers, special pioneers, missionaries, circuit overseers, and district overseers. Pioneers were formerly known as colporteurs, and auxiliary pioneers as auxiliary colporteurs. For most years the figures represent monthly averages.

Year Bi. St.

1945 ....... 104,814

1950 ....... 234,952

1955 ....... 337,456

1960 ....... 646,108

1965 ....... 770,595

1970 ..... 1,146,378

1975 ..... 1,411,256

1980 ..... 1,371,584

1985 ..... 2,379,146

1992 ..... 4,278,127

Home Bible Studies

During the 1930’s, some studies were conducted with individuals, but emphasis was on teaching people how to do it themselves, also on organizing studies that could be attended by other interested persons in the area. Later, when individuals showed genuine interest, studies were conducted with them until they got baptized. Still later, encouragement was given to continue the study until the person had been given substantial help toward becoming a mature Christian.

Years Hours

1930-35 ....... 42,205,307

1936-40 ....... 63,026,188

1941-45 ...... 149,043,097

1946-50 ...... 240,385,017

1951-55 ...... 370,550,156

1956-60 ...... 555,859,540

1961-65 ...... 760,049,417

1966-70 .... 1,070,677,035

1971-75 .... 1,637,744,774

1976-80 .... 1,646,356,541

1981-85 .... 2,276,287,442

1986-92 .... 5,912,814,412

Total Hours

There was no general reporting of time until the late 1920’s. The method of counting hours underwent a number of changes: In the early 1930’s, only time devoted to house-to-house witnessing was counted—not what was spent on return visits. While the report shown here is truly impressive, it is really only an approximation of the vast amount of time devoted by Jehovah’s Witnesses to the work of proclaiming God’s Kingdom.

Years Lit. Dist.

1920-25 ....... 38,757,639

1926-30 ....... 64,878,399

1931-35 ...... 144,073,004

1936-40 ...... 164,788,909

1941-45 ...... 178,265,670

1946-50 ...... 160,027,404

1951-55 ...... 237,151,701

1956-60 ...... 493,202,895

1961-65 ...... 681,903,850

1966-70 ...... 935,106,627

1971-75 .... 1,407,578,681

1976-80 .... 1,380,850,717

1981-85 .... 1,504,980,839

1986-92 .... 2,715,998,934

Literature Distributed

With some few exceptions, the figures for years before 1940 do not include magazine placements, although millions of copies were distributed. Figures since 1940 include books, booklets, brochures, and magazines, but not the hundreds of millions of tracts that have also been used to stimulate interest in the Kingdom message. The total of 10,107,565,269 pieces of literature distributed from 1920 to 1992 in more than 290 languages gives evidence of an extraordinary global witness.

Year Att. Part.

1935 ...... 63,146 ... 52,465

1940 ...... 96,989 ... 27,711

1945 ..... 186,247 ... 22,328

1950 ..... 511,203 ... 22,723

1955 ..... 878,303 ... 16,815

1960 ... 1,519,821 ... 13,911

1965 ... 1,933,089 ... 11,550

1970 ... 3,226,168 ... 10,526

1975 ... 4,925,643 ... 10,550

1980 ... 5,726,656 .... 9,564

1985 ... 7,792,109 .... 9,051

1992 .. 11,431,171 .... 8,683

Memorial Attendance and Partakers

Before 1932, available figures for Memorial attendance are often incomplete. At times, only groups of 15, 20, 30, or more were being included in totals published. Interestingly, most years for which any figures are available show that at least some of the attenders were not partakers. By 1933 the difference was about 3,000.