JW Feb. Broadcast, Part 1: The GB Plays the Role of Victim in the Face of Negative News Reports

The Governing Body is now dealing with a public relations crisis which seems to be worsening steadily.  The February 2024 broadcast on JW.org indicates that they’re aware that what’s coming down the pike is far more devastating to their reputation than anything they’ve faced so far. Of course, they take the position of innocent victims, loyal servants of God being unfairly attacked by vicious enemies. Here it is in a nutshell as expressed by the broadcast host, Governing Body Helper, Anthony Griffin.

“But it’s not just in such lands where we face false reports, misinformation and outright lies. In fact, even though we bear the truth, apostates and others may cast us as dishonest, as deceivers. How can we respond to that unfair treatment?”

Anthony says that the evil apostates and worldly “others” are treating the truth-bearing Witnesses of Jehovah unfairly, assailing them with “false reports, misinformation, and outright lies” and casting them as “dishonest” and as “deceivers”.

If you are watching this video, it is likely you are doing so because you have decided you will no longer allow yourself to be told what is true and what is false by men. This, I know from personal experience, is a learning process. It takes time to learn how to see the flaws in what might initially appear to be sound reasoning. Before we look at and evaluate what the two GB member Helpers are telling us to believe in this month’s broadcast, let’s consider what our loving Father in heaven inspired the Apostle Paul to write on the subject of avoiding being misled by lies and deceitful men.

To the Christians in the ancient city of Colossae, Paul writes:

“For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, and for those in Laodicea, and for those who have not met me face to face. My goal is that their hearts, having been knit together in love, may be encouraged, and that they may have all the riches that assurance brings in their understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this so that no one will DECEIVE YOU THROUGH ARGUMENTS THAT SOUND REASONABLE. (Colossians 2:1-4 NET Bible)

Pausing here, we take note that the way to avoid being deceived by clever “arguments that sound reasonable” is to measure all things against “the treasures of knowledge and wisdom” found in Christ.

It is Christ that we look to for our salvation, not any man or group of men. Returning to Paul’s words,

For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your morale and the firmness of your faith IN CHRIST. Therefore, just as you received CHRIST JESUS AS LORD, continue to live your lives IN HIM, rooted and built up IN HIM and firm in your faith just as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. (Colossians 2:5-7 NET Bible)

Christ, Christ, Christ. Paul only points to Christ as Lord. He makes no mention of trusting in men, no mention of trusting in the Apostles for salvation, no mention of a Governing Body. Just Christ. It follows that if any man or group of men marginalize Jesus Christ, pushing him to one side so they can slide into his place, they are acting as deceivers—really, antichrists.

Now comes Paul’s key exhortation to us:

Be careful not to allow anyone to captivate you through an EMPTY, DECEITFUL PHILOSOPHY that is according to HUMAN TRADITIONS and the elemental SPIRITS OF THE WORLD, and not according to Christ.” (Colossians 2:8 NET Bible)

It is fundamental to our discussion today that we grasp the full meaning of Paul’s words in verse 8, so let’s look at another Bible translation to help round out our understanding.

“Don’t let anyone capture you with EMPTY PHILOSOPHIES and HIGH-SOUNDING NONSENSE that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.” (1 Colossians 2:8 NLT)

Paul is appealing to you as an individual. He instructs you: “Be careful not to allow…” He says, “Don’t let anyone capture you…”.

How can you avoid being captured by someone using high-sounding nonsense and arguments that sound reasonable, but are really deceitful?

Paul tells you how.  You turn to the Christ in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Elsewhere, Paul explains what this means: “We tear down arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5 BSB)

I’m going to play key excerpts from the February broadcast. You’re going to hear from two GB Helpers, Anthony Griffin and Seth Hyatt. Seth Hyatt will follow in a second video. And of course, I’m going to say a word or two.  As Paul directs, for you “not to allow anyone to capture you” with “arguments that sound reasonable”, but which are in reality lies, you have to determine whether what you hear comes from the spirit of the Christ, or the spirit of the world.

The Apostle JOHN tells you to “not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.” (1 John 4:1 NLT)

This is surprisingly easy to do once you give yourself permission to question everything, and not believe everything at face value.

As we listen to the next clip, let’s hear if Anthony Griffin speaks with the spirit of Christ or the spirit of the world.

“So we must think in agreement with one another, but especially with Jehovah and his organization. The later part of Isaiah 30:15 says “Your strength will be in keeping calm and showing trust.” That’s exactly what the faithful slave has done. So let us have unity of mind with them and have the same calmness and confidence in Jehovah as we face personal challenges in our life.”

He says that “we must think in agreement with…Jehovah and his Organization.” He says this repeatedly throughout the broadcast. Observe:

“So we must think in agreement with one another, but especially with Jehovah and his organization…That conveys the level of trust that we want to have in Jehovah and his earthly representatives today…So let’s work hard to have unity of mind with Jehovah’s organization…Trust in Jehovah and his organization…So, as the great tribulation approaches humbly trust in Jehovah and his organization… Be at unity with Jehovah’s organization today…”

Do you see the problem? Jehovah is never wrong. Jehovah’s will is expressed in the Bible and is revealed through Jesus. Remember, in Christ are found all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  Jesus says that he “cannot do a single thing of his own initiative, but only what he sees the Father doing.” (John 5:19) So it would be correct to say that we must think in agreement with Jehovah and Jesus.

In fact, Jesus tells us that he and the Father are one and he prays that his followers will be one just as he and the Father are one. There is no mention of any organization in the Bible. If the Organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses teaches something that isn’t in the Bible, then how can we be in agreement with the Organization and Jehovah? If the Organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses isn’t teaching what the Word of God teaches, then to be in agreement with Jehovah is to be in disagreement with the Organization. You can’t do both in that circumstance, can you?

What is Anthony Griffin really asking you to do here? Isn’t it true that if the Watchtower magazine declares something as truth which you find differs from what the Bible teaches, you will be required, as a member of Jehovah’s Witnesses, to preach and teach what the Watchtower teaches, not what the Bible says. So, in essence, what being in agreement with Jehovah and his Organization really means is being in agreement with the Governing Body—Period! If you doubt that, offer a truthful comment in a Watchtower study that differs from what the study article states, but which can be fully supported in Scripture, and then go home and wait for two elders to call you up and arrange a “shepherding call”.

Now here’s an interesting fact. If you enter in quotes the phrase “Jehovah and his organization” into the search engine of the Watchtower library on your computer, you’ll find more than 200 hits. Now if you enter, again in quotes, the words “Jehovah’s organization”, you’ll get over 2,000 hits in the publications of the Watch Tower Society. If you substitute Jesus for Jehovah (“Jesus and his organization” and “Jesus’ organization”) you’ll get zero hits. But isn’t Jesus the head of the congregation? (Ephesians 5:23) Do we not belong to Jesus? Paul says that we do at 1 Corinthians 3:23, “and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God”.

So why doesn’t Anthony Griffin say that we should all think in agreement with “Jesus and his Organization”? Isn’t Jesus our leader? (Matthew 23:10) Didn’t Jehovah God leave all the judging to Jesus? (John 5:22) Didn’t Jehovah God grant Jesus all authority in heaven and earth? (Matthew 28:18)

Where is Jesus?  You have Jehovah and this Organization. But who represents the Organization? Isn’t it the Governing Body? So, you have Jehovah and the Governing Body, but where is Jesus? Has he been replaced by the Governing Body? It appears he has, and that is born out further by the way the theme of Anthony’s talk is applied. That theme is taken from Isaiah 30:15 which he utilizes to exhort his listeners “to be calm and to trust” in the Governing Body, stressing the need to “have unity of mind with [the Governing Body] as opposed to Christ.

You can see the need to trust in Jehovah for your salvation. That’s well established in Scripture. You can see the need to trust in Jesus Christ for your salvation. Again, that’s well established in Scripture. But the Bible makes the powerful point that you must not put your trust in men for your salvation.

“Do not put YOUR trust in nobles, nor in the son of earthling man, to whom no salvation belongs.” (Psalm 146:3 NWT)

So, Anthony needs to show us how the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses is an exception to this rule, but how is he going to do that when there can be absolutely no exception to this rule? He just wants you to accept what he says as a given. Is that not the “high-sounding nonsense” Paul spoke of to the Colossians?

Anthony next tries to find a Bible example to support his theme of “be calm and trust in the Governing Body”. Here’s what he uses:

“In 2 Kings chapter 4, a Shunammite woman is mentioned who had confidence in the prophet Elisha. She suffered a terrible tragedy in her life. Yet, she remained calm and showed trust in the man of the true God Elisha. Her example of trust in Jehovah’s representative is worthy of imitation. In fact, there is an expression she uses in chapter 4 that conveys the level of trust we want to have in Jehovah and his earthly representatives today.”

Now he’s comparing the Governing Body with Elisha, God’s prophet who by God’s spirit performed miracles. The Shunammite woman had confidence that Elisha could resurrect her dead child. Why? Because she had already known of miracles that he had performed that established he was God’s true prophet. She had become pregnant long after it was no longer possible for her to do so because of a miracle Elisha performed. Years later, when the child that she bore because of the blessing of God upon her through Elisha died suddenly, she trusted that Elisha could and would restore the boy to life, which he did. Elisha’s credentials were well established in her mind. He was God’s true prophet. His prophetic words always came true!

In comparing themselves to Elisha, the Governing Body is committing the logical fallacy called “Star Power” or “Transference”. It’s the opposite of “guilt by association”. They claim to be God’s representative, so they must also claim that Elisha was God’s representative instead of calling him God’s prophet as the Bible does. Having now built a fictitious association with Elisha, they want you to think they can be trusted like Elisha was.

But Elisha never had to apologize for a failed prophecy, nor issue “new light”. On the other hand, the so-called “faithful and discreet slave” falsely predicted that the great tribulation started in 1914, that the end would come in 1925, then again in 1975, then again before the generation expired in the mid 1990s.

If we are going to accept the association Anthony Griffin is making between Elisha and the Governing Body, the only one that fits the facts is that Elisha was a true prophet, and the Governing Body is a false prophet.

In the next video, we’ll cover Seth Hyatt’s talk which is so meaty, so filled with carefully crafted deception and misdirection, that it truly deserves its own video treatment.  Until then, thank you for watching and thank you for continuing to support us with your donations.