A mission statement was once found inside every cover of the Awake! magazine published by the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York Inc. It’s interesting to see how those mission statements changed over the years. Take special notice of the following terms and when they were introduced into the mission statements and how they turned a standard mission statement into prophetic statements that ultimately proved false:

this/our/the generation

1914 C.E. / 1914

new order / New Order

new system

new world

system of things

August 22 1946 – July 22 1964 Mission Statement

THE MISSION OF THIS JOURNAL News sources that are able to keep you awake to the vital issues of our times must be unfettered by censorship and selfish interests. “Awake!” has no fetters. It recognizes facts, faces facts, is free to publish facts. It is not bound by political ambitions or obligations; it is unhampered by advertisers whose toes must not be trodden on; it is unprejudiced by traditional creeds. This journal keeps itself free that it may speak freely to you. But it does not abuse its freedom. It maintains integrity to truth. “Awake!” uses the regular news channels, but is not dependant on them. Its own correspondents are on all continents, in scores of nations. From the four corners of the earth their uncensored, on-the-scenes reports come to you through these columns. This journal’s viewpoint is not narrow, but is international. It is read in many nations, in many languages, by persons of all ages. Through its pages many fields of knowledge pass in review – government, commerce, religion, history, geography, science, social conditions, natural wonders – why, its coverage is as broad as the earth and as high as the heavens. “Awake!” pledges itself to righteous principles, to exposing hidden foes and subtle dangers, to championing freedom for all, to comforting mourners and strengthening those disheartened by the failures of a delinquent world, reflecting sure hope for the establishment of a righteous New World. Get acquainted with “Awake!” Keep awake by reading “Awake!”

Nothing wrong with this mission statement.

August 8 1964 – December 22 1974 Mission Statement

THE REASON FOR THIS MAGAZINE News sources that are able to keep you awake to the vital issues of our times must be unfettered by censorship and selfish interests. “Awake'” has no fetters, It recognizes facts, faces facts, is free to publish facts. It is not bound by political ties; it is unhampered by traditional creeds. This magazine keeps itself free, that it may speak freely to you. But it does not abuse its freedom. It maintains integrity to truth. The viewpoint of “Awake!” is not narrow, but is international. “Awake!” has its own correspondents in scores of nations. Its articles are read in many lands, in many languages, by millions of persons. In every issue “Awake!” presents vital topics on which you should be informed. It features penetrating articles on social conditions and offers sound counsel for meeting the problems of everyday life. Current news from every continent passes in quick review. Attention is focused on activities in the fields of government and commerce about which you should know. Straightforward discussions of religious issues alert you to matters of vital concern. Customs and people in many lands, the marvels of creation, practical sciences and paints of human interest are all embraced in its coverage. “Awake!” provides wholesome, instructive reading for every member of the family. “Awake!” pledges itself to righteous principles, to exposing hidden foes and subtle dangers, to championing freedom for all, to comforting mourners and strengthening those disheartened by the failures of a delinquent world, reflecting sure hope for the establishment of God’s righteous new order in this generation. Get acquainted with “Awake!” Keep awake by reading “Awake!”

With the addition of the words “this generation” the publishers of Awake! subtly changed their mission statement into a prophetic statement.

January 8 1975 – December 22 1977 Mission Statement

WHY THIS MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED Today as never before, what goes on in the rest of the world affects each one of us. “Awake!” reports on the world scene. But it does more for you personally. It probes beneath the surface and points to the real meaning behind current events. And it gives practical suggestions to help you to cope effectively with the mounting problems of our time. The scope of subjects covered by “Awake!” makes it a magazine for the entire family. Customs and people in many lands, the marvels of creation, religion, practical sciences and points of human interest all are included in its pages. In keeping its freedom to bring you the truth, this magazine has no commercial advertisers to please. Also, it stays politically neutral and it does not exalt one race above another. Most importantly, “Awake!” provides hope, giving you a basis for confidence in the Creator’s promise of a new order of lasting peace and true security within our generation.

It’s no longer “this generation”; it is “our generation”. Interesting change of words considering the year 1975.

January 8 1977 – December 22 1981 Mission Statement

WHY THIS MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED “Awake!” is for the enlightenment of the entire family. It reports the news, tells about people in many lands, examines religion and science. But it does more. It probes beneath the surface and points to the real meaning behind current events, yet it stays politically neutral and does not exalt one race above another. It also shows how to cope with today’s problems. Most importantly, “Awake!” builds confidence in the Creator’s promise of a peaceful and secure new order within our generation.

1975 came and went but the promise didn’t. It’s still for “our generation”.

January 8 1982 – May 22 1983 Mission Statement

WHY AWAKE! IS PUBLISHED AWAKE! is for the enlightenment of the entire family. It shows how to cope with today’s problems. It reports the news, tells about people in many lands, examines religion and science. But it does more. It probes beneath the surface and points to the real meaning behind current events, yet it stays politically neutral and does not exalt one race above another. Most importantly, this magazine builds confidence in the Creator’s promise of a peaceful and secure new order before the generation that saw the events of 1914 C.E. passes away.

The prophecy has changed. It’s 7 years since 1975. I guess it wasn’t for “our generation”. It must be later, but before the folks who saw the events of 1914 die.

June 8 1983 – May 22 1986 Mission Statement

WHY AWAKE! IS PUBLISHED AWAKE! is for the enlightenment of the entire family. It shows how to cope with today’s problems. It reports the news, tells about people in many lands, examines religion and science. But it does more. It probes beneath the surface and points to the real meaning behind current events, yet it stays politically neutral and does not exalt one race above another. Most importantly, this magazine builds confidence in the Creator’s promise of a peaceful and secure New Order before the generation that saw the events of 1914 passes away.

The folks haven’t died yet. They are all at least in their late 70’s if we assume that they were all at least 15 years of age when the events of 1914 took place.

June 8 1986 – December 22 1986 Mission Statement

WHY AWAKE! IS PUBLISHED AWAKE! is for the enlightenment of the entire family. It shows how to cope with today’s problems. It reports the news, tells about people in many lands, examines religion and science. But it does more. It probes beneath the surface and points to the real meaning behind current events, yet it stays politically neutral and does not exalt one race above another. Most importantly, this magazine builds confidence in the Creator’s promise of a peaceful and secure new system before the generation that saw the events of 1914 passes away.

“New order” wasn’t a good choice of words. “New system” must be a better choice.

January 8 1987 – February 22 1988 Mission Statement

No mission statement in this period. Maybe “new system” wasn’t the best term the society came up with. They probably needed 14 months to mull it over.

March 8 1988 – December 22 1990 Mission Statement

WHY “AWAKE!” IS PUBLISHED AWAKE! is for the enlightenment of the entire family. It shows how to cope with today’s problems. It reports the news, tells about people in many lands, examines religion and science. But it does more. It probes beneath the surface and points to the real meaning behind current events, yet it always stays politically neutral and does not exalt one race above another. Most importantly, this magazine builds confidence in the Creator’s promise of a peaceful and secure new world before the generation that saw the events of 1914 passes away.

The end is so close now. The folks who saw the events of 1914 are now well into their 80’s and beyond. “New system” was replaced with “new world”. Much better term. Those 14 months paid off.

January 8 1991 – October 22 1995 Mission Statement

Why Awake! Is Published Awake! is for the enlightenment of the entire family. It shows how to cope with today’s problems. It reports the news, tells about people in many lands, examines religion and science. But it does more. It probes beneath the surface and points to the real meaning behind current events, yet it always stays politically neutral and does not exalt one race above another. Most important, this magazine builds confidence in the Creator’s promise of a peaceful and secure new world before the generation that saw the events of 1914 passes away.

No need for paragraphs. And why use “importantly” when you can use “important”.

November 8 1995 – December 22 2001 Mission Statement

Why Awake! Is Published Awake! is for the enlightenment of the entire family. It shows how to cope with today’s problems. It reports the news, tells about people in many lands, examines religion and science. But it does more. It probes beneath the surface and points to the real meaning behind current events, yet it always stays politically neutral and does not exalt one race above another. Most important, this magazine builds confidence in the Creator’s promise of a peaceful and secure new world that is about to replace the present wicked, lawless system of things.

All of the folks who saw the events of 1914 are now in their 90’s. This promise isn’t looking so good. The generation that saw the events of 1914 were quickly passing away.

January 8 2002 – December 2012 Mission Statement

THIS JOURNAL IS PUBLISHED for the enlightenment of the entire family. It shows how to cope with today’s problems. It reports the news, tells about people in many lands, examines religion and science. But it does more. It probes beneath the surface and points to the real meaning behind current events, yet it always stays politically neutral and does not exalt one race above another. Most important, this magazine builds confidence in the Creator’s promise of a peaceful and secure new world that is about to replace the present wicked, lawless system of things.

Nothing to see here. The promise is still on track, just pushed out because the generation that saw the events of 1914 were well and truly dead.

January 2013 – Present Mission Statement

No mission statement since December 2012. This is the same period that the overlapping generation was invented.

It’s probably best that Watchtower removed their mission statement. After all, the magazine’s mission statement did not build confidence in the Creator’s promise, if that promise was to be made through the corporation that publishes the Awake! The folks who follow every word that the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses eschew, have a tendency to forget that these same “spokespersons for God” have been making false prophecies in the inside of their magazines since at least 1964.

The “generation that saw the events of 1914” passed away before “the Creator’s promise of a peaceful and secure new world.” This emphatically proves that the publishers were wrong. They lied. They misled millions with a false promise. And now they have removed any reference to such a promise from the pages of their magazine while at the same time telling their followers that the end is more imminent now than it was ever before.

If one makes a genuine mistake about events in the bible, raise your hand and admit it. This shows genuine humility. But no. The leaders of Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t do that. They don’t apologise for their wrongs. They simply make minor alterations to their publications and hope no one notices. In any case, they have millions of followers who will make excuses for them. And they know it. Yet despite their followers being militant in their defence of Watchtower, the Watchtower corporation will throw them under the bus at any opportunity only to distance themselves from their own false prophecies. For example, in their 2017 Regional Convention, the Governing Body have been showing a video criticising their followers for believing in their false prophecies. See JW Survey‘s in-depth review of this video here: Watchtower Whitewashes failed 1975 prophecy in 2017 convention video.

If Jehovah’s Witnesses were really interested in the truth, they would question their organisation. They would ask why the organisation did not take responsibility for their own errors. They would demand that they make clear admissions to those mistakes in the pages of their literature. And they would request that they own up to what they are responsible for and refrain from aportioning the blame on “others”.

Note: PDFs of any of the above referenced Awake! magazines can be found on our magazines page.