THE MASONIC CONNECTION OF THE WATCHTOWER II

 The Chart of the Ages was created by C.T. Russell, founder of the Jehovah's Witnesses movement, which was to outline God's "time table" for mankind, based on the Great Pyramid in Egypt. (Millennial Dawn, vol 1, Watchtower)

 

 
 

 From a Christian point of view, where does the pyramid belong? in Egypt where the nation of Israel was enslaved. If the Watchtower were a Christian organization, would they use a pagan symbol such as the pyramid in their teachings? We don't think so. In Pagan religion the pyramid is a universal symbol of immortality. It also represents unity which forms at its point in the top. Three triangles on a base of one triangle, which culminate at the top. According to Albert Pike, 33rd degree Freemason, the triangle is the emblem of God and also represents man bearing within himself a Divine principle. Pyramids (tombs) are consecrated to the Sun. (Morals & Dogma, Freemasonry, Albert Pike, Washington D.C. 1964)

The  biggest  change in doctrine in decades (no  more "1914 generation")  is having an effect on many Witnesses,  though  the Watchtower  would not tell you that. The L.A.  Times  (S.F.Valley edition) ran an article on the change recently, and the Newsweek of  November 18,1995 featured an article  entitled,  "Apocalypse Later."  Newsweek magazine - December 18, 1995, p.59, Religion section.  Article by Kenneth L. Woodard, with Joel  P.  Engardio.. Title: Apocalypse Later. Subtitle: Jehovah's Witnesses decide the end, "THE THIRD MILLENNIUM, is just four years away, and you'd think that Jehovah's Witnesses would be ecstatic. Ever since the movement's inception  in  the 1870s,  the Witnesses have insisted that the world, as we know it, is about to end. According to their unique "Biblical" calculations, the  countdown to Armageddon commenced in 1914 - the first world war was a major sign - and Christ would establish his  millennial kingdom  on earth "before the generation who saw the  events  of 1914, passes away." For countless Witnesses, this prediction  was good  reason not to save money, start a career or make burial plans.  As one of their leaders famously preached in 1918:  "Millions now living will never die."
"Now, it seems, all millennial bets are off. In last month's issue of The Watchtower, the sect's leaders quietly acknowledged that Jesus was right in the first place, when he said  that  "noone knows the day or the hour." All previous references to  timetables  for Armageddon, the magazine now suggests, were  speculation rather than settled doctrine. The year 1914 still marks  the beginning of the last days. But those who hoped to witness the battle of Armageddon and the establishment of God's kingdom on earth will have to wait. Henceforth, any generation that experiences such calamities as war and plagues like AIDS could be the one to witness the end times. In short, the increasingly  middleclass Witnesses would do well to buy life insurance."
If this serious revision of expectations takes the edge off the Witnesses' apocalyptic profile, it also buys them time.  The generation that was alive in 1914 is rapidly disappearing,  and the sect's current leadership shows every sign of digging in for the long haul.  In recent years the Witnesses have  been  on  a building spree: they just completed a 670-acre educational center in rural New York state that includes 624 apartments, garages for up  to 800 cars and a dining facility  that  accommodates 1,600 people at one sitting. Officials of the  Watchtower  Bible  and Tract  Society  (the  Witnesses' official title)  deny  that  the leadership  felt a generational pressure to change. "The  end  is still close," says Witness spokesman Bob Pevy. "We just can't put numbers on Jesus' words."
So  far,  the new interpretation has  caused  no noticeable decline in membership among the 5.1 million Witnesses  worldwide. But  then,  they  rarely air their  differences  with  outsiders. "Believing the end was imminent gave a special urgency to being a Jehovah's Witness," says Ray Franz, a former member of the society's  governing board in Brooklyn, N.Y., who left the  church  in 1981.  Older members, especially, heroically risked  their  lives and reputations by refusing blood transfusions, military service, allegiance to the flag and other acts prohibited by their faith - all with the expectation that they would soon live forever in the paradise  of God's  new kingdom on earth. Charles  Kris,  73,  a retired  autoworker from Saginaw, Mich., served three  years  in prison  with 400 other Witnesses for refusing to fight  in  World War II. "It was prison life, but I took advantage of the time  to study the Bible and witness to other prisoners," he recalls.  But for Kris, and especially for those younger Witnesses who have  no memory of the rough early days (the Nazis interred many Witnesses in  concentration camps), preaching God's message is more  important than witnessing the end of the world. "I'd like to see it happen," says Kris, who still hands out tracts door to door. "But if it doesn't happen in my lifetime, I won't be disappointed."

The following graphics will be about Freemasonry and what it represents since it is the root of the Watchtower...