This slightly edited article was originally posted on the e-jehovahs-witnesses discussion forum, which is where my daily text commentaries appear now. Below is the Watchtower’s daily text for December 13th.
The person faithful in what is least is faithful also in much, and the person unrighteous in what is least is unrighteous also in much.—Luke 16:10.
As the end of this system of things draws near, we need to trust in Jehovah’s way of doing things as never before. Why? During the great tribulation, we may receive instructions that seem strange, impractical, or illogical. Of course, Jehovah will not speak to us personally. He will likely provide direction through his appointed representatives. That will hardly be the time to second-guess the direction or to view it with skepticism, wondering, ‘Is this really coming from Jehovah, or are the responsible brothers acting on their own?’ How will you fare during that crucial time in human history? The answer might be indicated by how you view theocratic direction now. If you trust the direction we receive today and readily obey, you will likely do the same during the great tribulation. w22.02 6 ¶15
More Jehovah’s Witnesses should have asked themselves if the vaccine mandate was
coming from Jehovah or if the Governing Body was presumptuously acting on their own. Had more elders stood up and questioned the Watchtower’s strange and illogical advocacy of the experimental injections many more witnesses would still be in the land of the living.
It is strange and illogical that anyone should concern themselves with the vaccination status of someone else. If the COVID jabs were safe and effective, as the Governing Body assured the flock they were, then those who submitted to the injections should not have to worry about being infected by someone who was unvaxxed. No one can explain why intelligent people submit to this nonsense.
For the past few years, the Watchtower has been vigorously pushing the notion that during the tribulation the organization is going to be issuing life-saving instructions. They are cleverly conditioning the rank and file to expect to receive some special message. We ought to wonder why the GB keeps repeating this. Where is it coming from? What biblical support is there for this? Indeed, what does the Bible say?
To put things in perspective, next year, 2024, will mark the 150th year since Charles Taze Russell organized a little Bible study group in Alleghany. Their stated mission was to 
After Armageddon failed to materialize in 1914 some 15 years later, around 1930, the Watchtower casually flipped the date for the beginning of the parousia from 1874 to 1914. Do you realize the implications of this change? It means for almost a half-century the Watchtower was promoting a false parousia. This is not even open for debate. It is not an accusation by an opposer. It is a fact of theocratic history. This means that the world-changing, powerful presence of Christ is of such little consequence that it can be shifted around from one date to another. What mischief!

Of the utmost profundity, the parousia will not be invisible, at least not to the chosen ones. Now, let me draw your attention to the Watchtower’s statement above: “Of course, Jehovah will not speak to us personally. He will likely provide direction through his appointed representatives.”
The Watchtower would prefer that Christ remain forever mute. They are, after all, Heaven’s exclusive spokesmen, Jehovah’s earthly channel of communication—God’s mouthpiece. They would be out of business if Jehovah spoke to someone, not in their inner circle. Rendering God speechless suits the spokesmen fine. What, might we ask, is the biblical support for this teaching? There is none. Just because Jesus does not audibly speak to anyone now does not mean that is the way it will always be, especially since the presence of Christ has not begun. There are hundreds of instances in the Bible when God spoke to people using angels. Why should we suppose that there will be no direct communication when the Son of man returns?

So, the Watchtower is right in that God will use appointed representatives. The chosen ones whom Christ will come alongside will be appointed as representatives of the Kingdom. They will be the princes whom the King will appoint. (See Isaiah 32) Their appointment will not need to be approved by any Watchtower committee. Although I believe some brothers at Bethel will be chosen, the Watchtower organization will not have anything to do with it. The Watchtower will oppose Christ then. It will become the antichrist. That is because the mysterious man of lawlessness will no longer be a mere lurker but will emerge from the shadows and show himself to be a god. No doubt he will issue strange and illogical instructions and announcements. Jesus forewarned us of this very thing when he said: “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look! Here is the Christ,’ or, ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will perform great signs and wonders so as to mislead, if possible, even the chosen ones. Look! I have forewarned you. Therefore, if people say to you, ‘Look! He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; ‘Look! He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For just as the lightning comes out of the east and shines over to the west, so the presence of the Son of man will be. Wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.” — Mathew 24:23-28
If those who have been called to be part of Christ’s Kingdom are presently identified as Jehovah’s Witnesses, and hence under the influence and authority of the Watchtower Bible Society, it would be impossible to be misled by someone not recognized by them as being in the truth. Given the fact that the Watchtower has been promoting a faux parousia since its inception, why should we assume that the earthly channel will suddenly see the light when Christ comes? I can assure you by the light of God’s word that it will not.
Just as Jehovah allowed for an opposer in the form of Judas to betray Jesus, the man of lawlessness has a role to play during the actual parousia. Even as Judas betrayed the original anointed one, the man of lawlessness will endeavor to deceive the chosen ones, likely appealing to their organizational loyalty. No doubt the strange, illogical, and impractical instructions will be issued by the son of destruction, declaring the Christ to be in the inner chambers of Warwick or some other location. Whatever great signs and wonders will be performed by Satan’s charlatans remains to be seen. But it will not matter since it will not be possible to deceive those who will see the Son of man in his glory and who personally converse with him.
Now consider the Watchtower study article for this week. The WT is doubling down on conditioning JWs to accept and obey orders from headquarters that do not make sense. Here is a snippet from paragraph 15 in this week’s WT study article under the subheading: OBEY DIRECTION FROM JEHOVAH’S ORGANIZATION
Although our Leader, Jesus, is perfect, those whom he uses to take the lead here on earth are not. We may struggle to obey them, especially if they ask us to do something that we do not want to do. The apostle Peter once hesitated to obey. When instructed by an angel to eat animals that were unclean under the Mosaic Law, Peter refused—not once, but three times! (Acts 10:9-16) Why? The new direction did not make sense to him. He was used to a different way of doing things. If Peter found it difficult to obey direction from a perfect angel, how much more so might we find it hard to obey direction from imperfect men!

In paragraph 16 they cite the example of Paul who was directed by the apostles to go to the temple and make a sacrifice to quell the rumors he was preaching an apostasy from 

No wonder the WT is prepping JWs to obey the superior authorities and nonsensical orders from the WT. They are laying a trap, which will make the warning of Christ all the more pertinent: “Let the man on the housetop not come down to take the goods out of his house, and let the man in the field not return to pick up his outer garment.” In whatever form the Watchtower’s illogical, impractical, nonsensical orders come in the future they will undoubtedly be at odds with the direction Christ has already given. That much is certain since the man of lawlessness will stand in opposition.
Paragraph 18 wraps it up.
Like Jesus, we often learn obedience under challenging circumstances. For example, during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic when we were asked to stop meeting at our Kingdom Halls and to suspend our house-to-house ministry, did you struggle to obey? Yet, your obedience protected you, united you with fellow believers, and pleased Jehovah. All of us are now better prepared to obey any instructions we receive during the great tribulation. Our lives may depend on it!

There is no evidence that anyone ever contracted COVID-19 outdoors. Being out in the fresh air and sunshine is the safest and healthiest place to be. Here in Michigan, our tyrannical governor ordered the big box stores not to sell paint, garden tools, or vegetable seeds. The little tyrant didn’t want people working out in their gardens or doing home repairs when they were supposed to be locked in their homes breathing stale air. The Watchtower was in on this all the way.
As I pointed out on numerous occasions, back in 2020 when the US presidential campaigns were going volunteers for the Trump campaign went door-to-
Hopefully, seeing how dishonest and manipulative the Watchtower has become, JWs will be better prepared to disregard the nonsensical directions of the GB when it all comes down. Instead of allowing ourselves to be gaslighted anymore we will readily obey Christ and get out of town.


