Yes, the Jehovah’s Witnesses who claim to be “anointed” kill me. Literally. Or at least they plan to, soon, as this quote from an old Watchtower publication makes plain:

Jehovah must and will execute all of his enemies… The judgment of Jehovah God against his enemies declares that they shall be destroyed… Christ Jesus is Jehovah’s Executioner… By the will of Jehovah God Christ Jesus associates others with him in the execution of Jehovah’s judgments. Together these constitute the “higher powers” that are ordained of God… This is further supported by the statement: “Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all…” (Jude 14,15) This scripture refers to the execution of final judgment. As to those who are associated with Christ Jesus in this work: “To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the Lord.” — Ps. 149: 9.

Christ Jesus and his army, the Greater-than-Jehu, will take the base of operations of the enemy and go into the very private quarters of the Devil’s organization, and destroy everything in connection with his organization, including the conspirators of his invisible organization, as well as all of the tangible part of the Devil’s worship and organization on earth… Jehu and his work of destruction therefore foreshadowed Christ and his army executing judgment upon Satan and his organization, and in which honor all the saints participate. “
— Rutherford, “Vindication” book III (WBTS, 1932) pp. 13, 92, 96-97 (emphasis added)

[What they used to call “saints,” are now called “the anointed” by Jehovah’s Witnesses.]

Please note that the “enemies of Jehovah” who will be killed are not only blatant “Satan worshipers” [those are extremely few in number.] According to Watchtower doctrine, Jehovah’s enemies are everyone who is not a Jehovah’s Witness: everyone not a member of “Jehovah’s organization on Earth.” In other words, everyone “in the world”:

END OF THE WORLD

“The world” means the peoples of earth, organized into nations and under the supervision of an invisible overlord, and which overlord for centuries has been Satan the Devil, who, together with a host of wicked angels, has influenced, controlled and ruled the world without interruption.

–Rutherford, “Enemies” (WBTS, 1937) p. 310

So, the “enemy list” is not just us paltry few “apostates,” or even just the politicians or clergy. No; it is all non-Witnesses and includes over a billion children and babies!

In one of my first blogs I wrote a tongue-in-cheek description of what the daily duties of the anointed might entail on a typical day in heaven during the millennium. But this pales in significance compared to what I now realize will be their part in the “battle of Armageddon” itself.

I’ve known a few anointed in my time. It’s hard for me to imagine them becoming killers. But the quote from Rutherford seems quite clear: the “saints” will take part in the killing of people on Earth. I can imagine Rutherford himself eagerly taking part in wielding an executioner’s sword against me. It’s harder to imagine some of the gentler souls I’ve known doing so.

Can you picture Russell coming at you with a blood-stained sword aimed at your head? Russell thought that Armageddon would just be a clean sweep of institutions: not people. He would stand amazed at Rutherford’s idea of saints literally killing non believers; they were supposed to make it into the millennium and there be taught “the truth” and only then be judged.

According to the Watchtower there are only going to be a total of 144,000 anointed. But there are some seven billion people they will be helping Jesus to kill. That’s a quota of over 48,610 killings per “saint!” If judgement day will really be a 24 hour day, each saint will have less than two seconds per killing: barely enough time to swing back a sword and wind up for the next head to be lopped off. That’s not taking a break either: just one head after another for 24 hours straight! Let’s hope that in such a flurry of slaughter they don’t mistake a Witness for a worldly person! Maybe the Witnesses will have their baptism cards in hand (held close to their necks) with maybe a neck brace on for good measure. [Note to self: Here’s another million dollar idea: start printing up baptism cards and buy stock in manufacturers of neck braces.]

Maybe we’ll be forced to line up so they can save strokes by just riding past on their horses with swords held out: slicing our heads off and then watching us fall like dominoes.
In any case, they’ve certainly got their work cut out for them, so I hope they’re in good shape, and have been practicing their equestrian skills in heaven [but do horses really go to heaven–where even the “great crowd” of faithful Witnesses are not allowed to tread?]

The Role of the “Remnant”

Let’s not forget about the “remnant” of the 144,000 who are still living here on Earth. According to Watchtower statistics on “Memorial Partakers” (a privilege they accord only to those claiming to be anointed) there were over 15,000 of these folks at last count (in 2015).

Will any of them still be alive and kicking when Armageddon (due “any day now”) begins? Let’s turn to the Watchtower for the definitive answer:

“Bad people will have to bow down before the good ones,” says the wise king, “and the wicked people at the gates of the righteous one.” (Proverbs 14:19) In other words, the good will ultimately triumph over the wicked. Consider the increase in numbers and the superior way of life that God’s people enjoy today. Seeing these blessings bestowed upon Jehovah’s servants will force some opposers to “bow down” to Jehovah’s figurative heavenly woman, represented by the spirit-anointed remnant on earth. At Armageddon at the latest, those opposers will be compelled to acknowledge that the earthly part of God’s organization truly represents the heavenly part.—Isaiah 60:1, 14; Galatians 6:16; Revelation 16:14, 16.
—The Shrewd One Considers His Steps, Watchtower July 15, 2005 pp. 19-20

If, at Armageddon, these “bad people” are going to be forced to bow down to the anointed remnant on earth (as representing the heavenly part) then the remnant of the anointed will, of necessity, need to still be on the earth at Armageddon.

Since “all the saints will participate” it means that these people will be just as busy as their spirit kindred in the killings. It’s kind of scary to think that the sweet anointed person sitting next to you in the Kingdom Hall, whom you’ve watched in awe partake of the memorial emblems each year, might murder you someday soon if you should find yourself outside of God’s organization when they think Armageddon has arrived! Maybe they’ve already got their swords sharpened at home (or in their cars) ready to go at a moment’s notice! Let’s just hope that they don’t make any false starts.

Practically speaking, the remnant are mostly feeble older men, not up to the exertion required to meet their killing quota. So maybe they’ll be assigned the easier kills: babies and little children. And nothing says they have to use a sword for every killing. They are intelligent people after all, and will think of innovative ways to do their share despite the frailties of their fleshly bodies. For instance: one elderly member of the remnant could tie up a bunch of kids and then another “saint” could run them over. I’ll bet they’ll think of lots of clever ways like this to help bring about this “blessing from Jehovah” upon the earth before they are whisked away into heaven to help Jesus rule over the “other sheep” and the resurrected ones.

If this all sounds too horrible to contemplate, I agree, and so did Rutherford:

The battle of the great day of God Almighty will be so terrible that no human words can adequately describe it. –Rutherford, Enemies (WBTS), 1937 p. 351

Maybe we could say the same thing about the Watchtower religion itself, because when you consider the details that are actually entailed, it’s just about as morally sick as can be.

“New Light”!

Since writing this article, the following “new light” has been brought to my attention.

In a 2005 Watchtower article, revealingly entitled “Armageddon: A Happy Beginning,” we learn the following:

What forces will Jehovah use against his enemies? We simply do not know. What we do know is that he has at his disposal the means to devastate the wicked nations completely. (Job 38:22, 23; Zephaniah 1:15-18) However, God’s earthly worshippers will not participate in the battle. The vision in Revelation chapter 19 indicates that only heavenly armies will share with Jesus Christ in the warfare. None of Jehovah’s Christian servants on earth will take part.—2 Chronicles 20:15, 17.
—Watchtower, Dec 1, 2005, p. 7

This does not mean that anointed Jehovah’s Witnesses won’t be participants in the killing, as current governing body member Anthony Morris III recently pointed out in this talk given in Helsinki in the year 2016 (starting at 54:30 and running through 55:00.) It just means that they won’t be earthlings at that time.

So then, in order for “all of the saints” (aka anointed) to participate in the battle, they all need to be dead (or perhaps “raptured”) before the “happy” event known as Armageddon begins, so that — as spirits — they can joyfully murder children and babies, as the earth-bound “Great Crowd” of Jehovah’s Witnesses cheer them on and “rejoice” at the sight! (The Nations Shall Know That I Am Jehovah – How? Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, 1971, p. 191,376-377)

In the latest “new light” (July, 2015 Watchtower, “Your Deliverance is Getting Near” paragraphs 15-17), this is exactly what the Watchtower now says: the remnant will be raptured [though they don’t like to use that word] in an instant before Armageddon officially begins (although false religion will have already been destroyed along with at least some of its members by that time, it no longer counts as part of Armageddon.) But does the remnant now being “spirits” somehow make their murder of children less heinous? Of course not!

According to the latest light, I guess the idea of the “bad people bowing down before the remnant at Armageddon” has been quietly tossed onto the Watchtower’s ever-growing scrapheap of abandoned “truths.” It would be too much to hope that their doctrine of murdering billions of men, women, children, and babies joins it on that pile soon.

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See Also:

Watchtower Doctrine Based on Murderous Intent