A few observations.
First, most new religious movements are apocalyptic. We see it in both Paul and in the stories about Jesus. Luther claimed the then-reigning Pope was the anti-Christ. Seventh-day Adventists and Mormons both show this.
Second, with JWs, I think the hold on them is emotional, not rational. They are given a vision of an eternal paradise they will live in forever (not heavenly but much more down to earth, with things like lions for pets). Second, they are given the notion, over and over, that they must remain loyal or they will lose out forever. This is all playing on wishful thinking and on fear. Also, they quote the Bible constantly, although as a general rule the Bible text quoted does little if anything to support their point and when it does there are many other possible interpretations. They are, of course, selective, as are all fundamentalists, as to the passages they prefer.
This is the sad consequence of the Protestant doctrine that the Bible is God's Word, which any reasoning and unindoctrinated person can easily see it is not. However, the approach does work with some people already indoctrinated that way.
Finally, the idea that we are living in the last days has a certain logic -- a lot of people think we are doomed since technology has changed the world so rapidly and mass communication makes all the world's problems so visible. There is also the egoistic notion, "I am important, so the times I live in must be important.
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