I have some very revealing new findings to share with you regarding the Organization’s scandalous 10-year affiliation with the United Nations Organization.
I was agonizing on how best to present this evidence when, like mana from heaven, one of our viewers left this comment:
My great grandmother is 103, and she has been loyal almost her entire adult life, and when I talk to her she really believes the elders and the governing body are Jehovah’s channel. To me, it’s like believing Jehovah has a telephone and only calls the governing body. Her excuse for any questionable behaviors is “we are not perfect”.
Sound familiar? I’ve run into this pat excuse many times myself. Loyal Witnesses simply fall for the lie that there is no evil intent on the part of the Governing Body, that there is no hidden agenda. They believe that the men at the helm of the Organization are merely trying their best to help us understand the truth, but due to human imperfection, they fall short at times.
In law, there is a term called mens rea. That’s Latin for “guilty mind”. A crime is much more serious if done with intent, with the knowledge that it is wrong. If you kill a man without meaning to, by accident, then you could be guilty of involuntary manslaughter. But if you intended to kill him and planned to make it look like an accident, then you would be guilty of premeditated murder—a much more serious crime.
Okay, so when we review all the evidence, do we see a group of faithful and discreet men who due to human imperfection made a poor choice in applying to become an affiliated organization with the United Nations, or is there a “guilty mind” at work? Let’s look at the new evidence to answer that question.
We’ll start with the facts as we know them. The Organization’s 10-year affiliation with the United Nations as a Non-Governmental Organization is well established old news. If you did not know about the fact that from 1992 to 2001, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York was registered with the United Nations as an affiliated NGO, then I would recommend you stop the video right now and use this QR code to view the evidence for yourself. If you would prefer to wait till the end of this video to get all the details, I’ll put a link to it in the description field.
The question we are seeking to answer isn’t whether they broke their own rules about affiliation with the political element of Satan’s world, but why they did it, and if they acted in bad faith, betraying Jehovah’s Witnesses.
One thing we’ve overlooked—one thing I know I’ve overlooked—is the historical context, more specifically the timing of these events. According to this March 4, 2004 letter from Paul Hoeffel, Chief, NGO Section of the United Nations Department of Public Information, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York “applied for association” with the UN DPI or United Nations Department of Information in 1991.
1991!
Understanding the relevance of that year is crucial to establishing the mens rea or “guilty mind” of the Governing Body.
In 1990, my wife and I closed down our business to move to Ecuador to serve where the need was greater before the end of the system of things. Why did we think that was a sound decision? Because we accepted as true, the Watchtower’s interpretation of the span of the generation described at Matthew 24:34. The Organization defined that generation as starting with persons who were born in or around 1914. Those persons were dying off by the 1990s. In addition, much emphasis was placed on Psalm 90:10 as the definition of a generation. It reads:
“The span of our life is 70 years,
Or 80 if one is especially strong.
But they are filled with trouble and sorrow;
They quickly pass by, and away we fly.” (Psalm 90:10)
So, 1984 to 1994 would fit within that time frame very nicely. Further, the event that would mark the start of Armageddon, according to JW theology, would be the attack against Jehovah’s Witnesses by the image of the wild beast of Revelation, Yes, that’s right, the United Nations.
So the year we took that decision to simplify our life and move to where we felt the preaching work was more needed given the short time remaining, a group of men claiming to be the channel of God sat around a conference table at their weekly Wednesday meeting and decided that it would be a good time to partner up with this evil satanic entity, the image of the wild beast. How could men who were supposedly the most faithful and discreet of all God’s servants on earth abandon their faith that the end was imminent and that the 1914 generation prophecy was about to be fulfilled? By their actions, they were preaching something they no longer believed.
If you believe a company is about to go bankrupt, do you invest in that company? If you believe a company is about to be charged with fraud, do you partner up with it?
What possible benefit did the Governing Body believe they could attain by their formal association with the United Nations? I think the answer to that question comes in a classic example of projection. In the same year that they made submission to the United Nations to become a registered NGO, they condemned the Catholic Church for having done the same thing! In the June 1st, 1991 issue of the Watchtower, through its main publication, the Governing Body condemned the Catholic Church for getting involved with the United Nations. The article on page 15 was titled “Their Refuge—A Lie!” It established that the attempts by Christian religions to seek refuge in the political systems of Satan’s world were doomed to fail. It made the point that setting up NGO affiliations with the United Nations was one way in which the Catholic Church had sought a false refuge.
“No less than twenty-four Catholic organizations are represented at the UN.” (w91 6/1 p. 17 par. 11 Their Refuge—A Lie!)
The Governing Body firmly established its position by stating in this Watchtower issue:
“To trust any man-made substitute for God’s Kingdom makes that substitute an image, an object of worship. (Revelation 13:14, 15)” w91 6/1 p. 19 par. 19 Their Refuge—A Lie!
Bear in mind that while Witnesses were studying this issue at their weekly Watchtower Study, the Governing Body was itself applying for NGO status for one of their two flagship corporations, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York.
They were condemning the Catholic Church for worshipping the image of the wild beast even as they were actively trying to do the same thing, hoping for the approval of that image to allow them to join up as well. What astonishing hypocrisy!
According to the letter we just saw, the Watchtower Society had to meet certain requirements before they could be approved for association with the United Nations. They had to:
- share the principles of the UN Charter;
- have a demonstrated interest in United Nations issues and a proven ability to reach large or specialized audiences;
- have the commitment and means to conduct effective information programs about UN activities by publishing newsletters, [like the Awake!] bulletins and pamphlets
In short, they had to promote the goals of the United Nations.
The Governing Body has always preached that the end is imminent. They did it back then in the 1980s and 1990s, and they are still doing it.
But they obviously don’t believe it. They condemned the other churches for seeking affiliation with the United Nations calling it “Their Refuge—A Lie!”. Yet, they did the same thing in the very year they wrote that condemnatory article. So, instead of seeking refuge in God’s kingdom—to apply their words from that Watchtower article, they trusted a man-made substitute for God’s Kingdom making it into an object of worship.” Was that due to human imperfection, a slip of the pen as it were, or did they act willfully and sinfully?
How could they believe that the end was imminent and the United Nations would be the instrument of attack and that Jehovah would protect them, since they were in a forbidden alliance with that very political entity? Obviously, they didn’t believe their own doctrines. They knew it was all a lie. They’ve been predicting the end for a hundred years, even with specific dates and they keep failing, yet they never give up.
So then, the real question is: Why keep millions of people captive to a belief system that they do not believe in themselves?
Why did the religious leaders of Jesus’ day not believe he was the Messiah when they could witness the fulfillment in him of all the messianic prophecies? Because they had lost their faith in God. They had fallen in love with the lie.
Jesus rebuked them saying: “You are from your father the Devil, and you wish to do the desires of your father. That one was a murderer when he began, and he did not stand fast in the truth, because truth is not in him. When he speaks the lie, he speaks according to his own disposition, because he is a liar and the father of the lie.” (John 8:44)
The evidence he was right in saying this and that all they loved was their position, authority, and station in life, including their wealth, can be seen by what they planned to do about Jesus, the true Messiah.
“So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the Sanʹhe·drin together and said: “What are we to do, for this man performs many signs? If we let him go on this way, they will all put faith in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”” (John 11:47, 48)
Thinking of what the Governing Body has done in the light of these scriptures, gives the lie to the idea that all this is just the result of human imperfection. This was all done with intent, just like the Pharisees and chief priests planned to murder our Lord. For example, why did the Governing Body approve of sending its 1991 Gilead class on a guided tour of the United Nations building in New York City, if not to support the 1991 application they were making to the UN?
“Oh yes, let’s take a whole day out of your busy class schedule to learn all about the image of the wild beast of Revelation.”
The reason was that they had to demonstrate that the Watchtower Society could promote the interests of the United Nations worldwide. What better way then to have the UN Tour Guide indoctrinate Watchtower missionaries on the benefits of UN programs.
Here we see that the tour to the UN was arranged by the Gilead Office. The letter states that “Special arrangements have been made with the U.N. for this tour group.” Interesting that the students were expected to pay for the tour, yet they were supposed to display a “Watchtower picture I.D. card” at the United Nations. Notice the date: October 19, 1991! So this was during the time their application to the UN was under review.
The 92nd class of Gilead travelling to the United Nations building on the subway. Notice Eric BZ and his wife, Nathalie sitting front left.
Each student was given a brochure extolling the many beneficial programs sponsored by the UN.
The entire class was treated to a guided tour of the United Nations. Why was it necessary to interrupt the Gilead School Bible education to spend a full day on a guided tour of the United Nations? Did the Governing Body really want them to learn about UN aid programs, or was something else on their agenda? We can only imagine what was going through the mind of each missionary as they saw the impressive General Assembly hall. Why were they touring the entity they were told was the Image of the Wild Beast which was going to destroy religion and then attack Jehovah’s Witnesses? It now makes sense. This was a display not for their benefit but to benefit the Organization in its attempt to win the UN approval for the application to enter into an NGO relationship with this “supposedly hated” political entity.
We want to thank Eric for sharing these pictures with us and for contributing so much to the growth of our knowledge regarding the forbidden alliance of the Watch Tower Society with the United Nations Organization that they have been so desperate to conceal from their loyal followers.
There is more evidence that the Governing Body sought to keep us in the dark about their real intentions. I recall being puzzled by the change in tone regarding articles and references to the United Nations that I witnessed in the publications during the 1990s. For instance, while they were still applying for acceptance, the Awake! magazine during 1991 listed eleven positive references to the United Nations. During that decade, over 200 references were made to the UN, always casting it in a favorable light. I’ll provide a link to the list of references in the description field of this video.
While casting the UN in a favorable light, the Governing Body also had to keep its flock in fear and expectation that the end would come at any moment in order to keep them in their clutches. That included the need to paint the UN as the instrument that Satan would use to attack the Organization. How to do that without tipping off the UN? Eric BZ helped me see how they did that. The book we studied at the weekly book study, Revelation—Its Grand Climax at Hand, contained the teachings about the UN as an agent of Satan. It was studied internally, so the information would reinforce the Witness ideology to the rank-and-file, while hiding this key doctrine from the officials at the UN. Those officials would only see the positive reports from Watchtower headquarters detailing the favorable information shared in the Awake! magazine.
In conclusion, we can see that there was a method to the madness of forcing the flock to study the Revelation book, not once, not twice, not even three times, but four crazy times during that era. Indoctrination thrives through repetition.
Bear in mind that during all this time, the Governing Body’s actions reveal that they didn’t believe a word of their own theology, and that they were seeking the same security or refuge from the United Nations that they condemned the Catholic Church for seeking.
If you preach something you no longer believe and know to be false, then there is no basis for excusing your conduct as a simple mistake or error in judgment due to human imperfection. The condemnation of Jesus upon the religious leaders of his day as liars must continue to apply to all religious leaders who imitate their conduct.
If you are still a loyal Jehovah’s Witness and are watching this feeling incredulous and shocked at the hypocrisy of men you have esteemed as being the faithful and discreet slave, and Jehovah’s channel of communication, you are not alone. Countless Jehovah’s Witnesses have been waking up, alarmed and hurt by this incredible betrayal of their trust. But the question becomes, “What are you going to do now that you have this knowledge?” Again, we can go to the Bible for the answer.
On Pentecost, the holy spirit descended upon the apostles and disciples gathered together in an upper chamber. That spirit empowered them to boldly preach to the crowds, speaking in the native tongues of the thousands gathered in Jerusalem for that festival. Finally, Peter found a place where he could address the astonished multitude. He showed them the truth about the Christ and after convincing them, he hit them with this harsh, but necessary rebuke:
“Therefore let all Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ!”
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and asked Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off—to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.” (Acts 2:36-39 BSB)
They shared responsibility for having murdered the Son of God, even though they didn’t do so themselves. This was community responsibility, which they could only divest themselves of by taking a stand, repenting, and being baptized. This would ultimately result in persecution, but that would be a small price to pay for eternal life as a child of God.
Today, if we remain in any religion that does not remain in the truth, if we support leaders who do not worship God in Spirit and truth, then we are part of the problem. There is no Switzerland in Christendom, no neutral state. Jesus said, “Whoever is not on my side is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” (Matthew 12:30 NWT)
On this topic, our Lord is very black or white. And he makes no bones about what will happen if we are on the wrong side when he returns. In the vision he gave John, he spoke of the harlot that was riding on the back of the wild beast. She is called the mother of the harlots, Babylon the Great. Witnesses are taught that she represents false religion. They haven’t got everything wrong, you know. The problem is that they don’t view themselves as teaching falsehoods, but those of us who’ve begun to think critically and to examine our teachings as Jehovah’s Witnesses have come to the conclusion that the doctrines unique to the organization, such as the 1914 presence of Christ, the overlapping generation, and most important of all, the doctrine of the other sheep as a secondary unanointed class of Christian, are all false and totally unscriptural. So, by the Watchtower’s own criteria, that makes Jehovah’s Witnesses part of the great harlot. What does the Bible say to truth-loving Christians?
After this I saw another angel descending from heaven with great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his glory. And he cried out in a mighty voice:
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a lair for demons and a haunt for every unclean spirit, every unclean bird, and every detestable beast. All the nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her immorality.
The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown wealthy from the extravagance of her luxury.”
Then I heard another voice from heaven say:
“Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins or contract any of her plagues. For her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Give back to her as she has done to others; pay her back double for what she has done; mix her a double portion in her own cup. As much as she has glorified herself and lived in luxury, give her the same measure of torment and grief. In her heart she says, ‘I sit as queen; I am not a widow and will never see grief.’ Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and grief and famine—and she will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.” (Revelation 18:1-8 BSB)
That is not my warning. I’m just the letter carrier, one of many. Jesus, our Lord and King is speaking and his words are only ignored at our own peril. He has permitted us to awaken to truth and has called us out. Let us accept that call and side with Jesus and not men.
I thank you for listening and I hope you find this video to be accurate and helpful. To all those who support our work, “Thank you!”
Archived Comments
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Comment by Leonardo Josephus on 2023-08-23 04:33:15
It just goes to show how having an eye witness to events (Eric BZ) was so useful. Wow! This makes it so much harder to accept the claim that the GB wanted to use the "library facilities" of the UN.
Meanwhile they covered over the blood issue in Bulgaria, which might also make an interesting article.
The re-issue, albeit not till 2013, of the NWT allowed them to cover up numerous errors in the original NWT, but it also allowed them to weave in loyalty doctrines (particularly Micah 6:8) in replacing "loving kindness" with "loyal love" . Some of their teachings (e.g Leviticus 5:1) are still based on the old NWT even today, even when the NWT is now correct. And who is to say what the real motives were in taking over congregation finances and Kingdom Halls ? I recall saying that if we believe the GB is Jehovah's channel then we have to approve handing over the money. I did not agree at the time, and came off the BOE not very long afterwards, soon after discovering BP.
I am sure many readers here could list other areas where moves were made by the GB with selfish motives. How else do we explain many of the disfellowshipping rules which followed Ray Franz exit ? What was going on in David Splane's mind back in 2015 when he decided to explain before the cameras the "Overlapping Generation".
You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time. So true.
Comment by Northernexposure on 2023-08-22 11:38:55
"Well, Afterall they're not perfect." More like... Textbook Hypocrisy on behalf of the Society. I remember that time period well. Not a member, but I had escorted my aged mother, and others to the KH each week. It was one the few places the entire family would regularly meet, and I felt a responsibility. Tho I sensed something very wrong with the Society, how little did I know just how bad it really was!
Hmm... It's interesting the Society was able to keep this little secret under wraps all these years. You'd think someone would leak it, yet current members would still only brush it off, and dismiss it as apostate propaganda.
Here's my take... Maybe the Society thought the Government still would attack false religion as they'd been teaching. Surely being on the good side of the UN couldn't hurt in case Jehovah didn't protect them as they'd hoped...I mean that takes a lot of faith, and how far can you really trust God anyway? They knew their people weren't as pure as the windblown snow, and being on the cooperative roster of the UN may offer another level of protection... a leg up if you will, at least to the JW World Headquarters, & Governing Body? The rest of the 8 million or so minions (aka associate members) could always just fend for themselves.
Well done Meleti ! Keep those vids coming.
Comment by rudytokarz on 2023-08-22 09:53:06
Eric,
This was a bit surprising to me as I was a MS/Elder throughout the years of 1991-2001 and I didin't remember the Awake articles that showed the United Nations in such a positive light....I apparently just didn't notice. I went to the JW Online Library to confirm and the articles are, in retrospect, quite obvious.
Now if the reason behind the articles was that they would have less opposition in areas where their status or opinions of them was a bit negative or at least put the Org in a better light, I can imagine that GBs odd ideas of 'theocratic warfare' would justify the actions at least to them. Even so, it is the perfect example of speaking out of both sides of their mouth.
Rudy