The Jehovah’s Witnesses Cult

Jehovah’s Witnesses, also known as the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society (with headquarters in Brooklyn, New York), was officially founded in 1884 [as the Zion's Watch Tower and Tract Society (originally the Zion's Watch Tower in 1879), officially adopting the name of Jehovah's Witnesses in 1931], by Charles Taze Russell (1852-1916). In 1870, Russell was exposed to the teachings of William Miller, one of the founders of the Second Adventist Movement and acquired an interest in end time prophecies. Russell originally denied  the doctrine of Hell, and would go on to reject nearly every other Christian doctrine, as well as add many physically and spiritually dangerous doctrines of his own making. Many of these unique and bizarre teachings were to be found in his six volume series titled, Studies in the Scriptures.

For the year 2000, the Watchtower Society claims a worldwide membership of over six  million (about one  million U.S.) in more than 91,000 congregations in 235 countries speaking 340 languages, and takes in approximately 300,000 new members each year (288,907 in 2000). According to JW statistics, yearly proselytizing is accomplished via 4.8 million home Bible studies and 1.2 billion hours of witnessing. The JWs field over 500,000 full and part-time missionaries. Instruction and training are provided for all JWs at five meetings a week, held primarily in “Kingdom Halls.” Every week, an average of 45 new JW congregations are formed. [In the year 2000 in the United States alone, it was reported that 988,000 Jehovah's Witnesses spent more than 181 million hours in field service (i.e., door-to-door witnessing and Bible studies).]

JW leadership claims its victims by asserting itself to be the sole Christian religion and authority on the earth today, as well as God’s mouthpiece or prophet. The Watchtower further disrupts families through its harsh and unbiblical interpretation of “disfellowshipping” and the practice of “shunning.” Family members who are former JWs are labeled by Watchtower adherents as “apostates” and prevented from even social contact. Disfellowshipped or disassociated children, parents, and grandparents are kept from any type of communication with active members of the organization. Divorces are common within the sect when one member becomes disillusioned with Watchtower teaching and mind-control.

Not only has the name of this cult been changed time and again, but they also change their doctrines regularly — between 1917 and 1928, they changed their doctrines 148 times! (Prior to 1931, Jehovah’s Witnesses had also gone by the names of Millennial Dawn, People’s Pulpit Association, The Brooklyn Tabernacle, and the International Bible Students Association.) Russell died in 1916 and was replaced by the second president, Joseph F. Rutherford. “A process of replacing Russell’s writings with Rutherford’s began in 1921 with the publication of Rutherford’s Harp of God. Between 1921 and 1941, Rutherford was to write twenty books and numerous pamphlets, which would slowly revise the doctrine and structure left him by Russell” (Encyclopedia of American Religions, G. Melton, Vol. 1, p. 485). One of Rutherford’s books that caused a great amount of controversy was the seventh volume of the Studies in the Scriptures.

Russell adopted many of his doctrines from the Seventh-Day Adventists, but the JWs began to emphasize door-to-door evangelism and literature distribution after Russell’s death and subsequent leadership assumption by Joseph Franklin Rutherford. The JWs have published over ten billion pieces of literature since 1928. Its main periodicals are The Watchtower magazine (circulation of over 20 million in more than 130 languages) and Awake! (about 16 million copies in more than 80 languages), both published semi-monthly.

Historically, the JWs are best known for their practices of refusing: (1) to serve in the military; (2) to salute the flag; (3) to celebrate Christmas, birthdays, or other holidays; and (4) to give or to accept blood transfusions. [Rejecting the medical practices of vaccinations, organ transplants, and blood transfusions, the Watchtower has caused the deaths of many of its members throughout its history. Interestingly, vaccinations and organ transplants have now been acknowledged by the Watchtower as acceptable practices, contradicting their previous doctrinal position.] (Although some of these practices are neither Biblical nor unbiblical in and of themselves, depending upon one’s motives and the exact nature of the practice, the reasons the JWs give for them often are unbiblical.)

Below are the highlights of what JWs believe concerning their source of authority, the Godhead, Christ, sin, salvation, heaven and hell, etc.:

1. Source of Authority. JWs claim the Bible as their final authority, but Russell’s writings, especially Studies in the Scriptures, are considered “the light of the Scriptures.” JWs have their own translation of the Scriptures (New World Translation, published in 1961), which reflects the binding interpretations of the group’s leaders. The JWs’ New World Translation greatly perverts the Scriptures to avoid placing themselves under the judgment of God (cf. Jn. 1:1; 8:58; I Tim. 2:6; Ac. 10:36; Col. 1:16-17; 2:9-10; etc.). Hence, the leader’s interpretation of the Bible, not the Bible itself, is the final authority of JWs. The Watchtower magazine is one of the JWs main sources of doctrine, and is considered authoritative by its members.

2. Trinity. JWs believe that God is not a triune God, but only “Jehovah God” (Let God Be True, pp. 100-101); they teach that Trinitarianism is a belief in three gods, and thereby, Satan-inspired polytheism. Rutherford wrote: “… sincere persons who want to know the true God and serve him find it a bit difficult to love and worship a complicated, freakish-looking, three-headed God. The clergy who inject such ideas will contradict themselves in the very next breath by stating that God made man in his own image; for certainly no one has ever seen a three-headed human creature” (Let God Be True, 2nd ed., pp. 101-102).

3. God the Father. Known as Jehovah, the Watchtower considers Him to be the only true eternal God, the Almighty. They write, “There was, therefore, a time when Jehovah was all alone in universal space” (Let God Be True, p. 25). Being alone, the first creative act of Jehovah was to create His Son.

4. Jesus Christ. Since JWs do not believe in the Trinity, they also do not believe that Jesus is God in the flesh. They add the word “other” four times to Colossians 1:16,17, teaching that Christ was God’s first creation, i.e., the reincarnation of Michael the archangel created by Jehovah, rather than the Creator. [The "Watchtower" teaches that Jehovah God created Michael the Archangel before the foundation of the world; Michael was His only begotten son by virtue of the fact that he was the only creature directly created by Jehovah. It was this created Michael who became the JW Jesus (i.e., a denial of the eternality of Christ). JWs say that "Since actual conception took place, it appears that Jehovah God caused an ovum or egg in Mary's womb to become fertile, accomplishing this by the transfer of the life of his first born son (Michael) from the spirit realm to the earth" (Aid to Bible Understanding, p. 920). "Marvelously, Jehovah transferred the life-force and the personality pattern of his first born heavenly son (Michael) to the womb of Mary. God's own active force, his holy spirit, safeguarded the development of the child in Mary's womb so that what was born was a perfect human" (Reasoning, p. 255).] JWs also add an “a” in John 1:1, making the verse read, “the Word was a god” (which in essence, makes the JWs guilty of the same polytheism of which they accuse Trinitarians).

5. Use of Name Jehovah. JWs use the name “Jehovah” only for God (in order to distinguish between God and Jesus Christ), while failing to recognize that Jesus is the fulfillment of “Jehovah” in Isaiah 40:3 and Matthew 3:3. [HJB]

6. Resurrection of Christ . JWs deny the bodily resurrection of Christ through their teaching that the body of Christ was annihilated by God — not risen — but rather a new one was created three days after His death. This they call the “resurrection” of Christ. Thus, Jesus was “resurrected” as a “glorious spirit creature” and does not now have a glorified physical body. Instead, they claim Jesus arose spiritually and only “materialized” at various times after His resurrection so He could be seen alive. (Awake!, 7/22/73, p. 4)

7. The Holy Spirit. JWs deny the deity of the third person of the Trinity, as either God or as a person; they claim that the Holy Spirit is only an impersonal “active force of Almighty God which moves His servants to do His will” (Reasoning From the Scriptures, pp. 406-407; The Watchtower, 6/1/54, p. 24). They have written, “But the holy spirit has no personal name. The reason for this is that the holy spirit is not an intelligent person. It is the impersonal, invisible active force that finds its source and reservoir in Jehovah God and that he uses to accomplish his will even at great distances, over light years of space” (Let Your Name Be Sanctified, p. 269).

8. Sin. JWs believe that the first man, Adam, disobeyed Jehovah when tempted by the angel Lucifer, who was jealous of man. As a result of disobedience, Adam and all his descendants lost the right to life and so became liable to death. This liability is applied to temporal death only.

9. Salvation . JWs claim everlasting life is a reward for doing the will of God and carrying out one’s dedication — in other words, salvation is a reward for good works. (JWs are expected to spend five hours per week in door-to-door visitation and witnessing, are responsible for selling twelve subscriptions to The Watchtower magazine each month, and are responsible for conducting a “Bible study” each month in the homes of their converts.) According to JW theology, a person has one of three possible destinies. The Anointed (144,000) will be in heaven to reign with Jehovah God. The rest of the faithful Jehovah’s Witnesses (not of the 144,000) will live forever on a paradise Earth. Both of these classifications are determined to a great extent on membership in the Watchtower organization as well as going door-to-door spreading the message of the Watchtower. Those people who are not members of the Watchtower organization will be destroyed by Jehovah God and cease to exist. There is no concept of eternal punishment or hell in Watchtower theology (Let God Be True, pp. 90-95, 289). They also believe that men will have a second chance, after death, to be saved.

10. The Body of Christ. JWs believe that the members of the spiritual Body of Christ, or “Christian Congregation,” number only 144,000 (Rev. 7:4-8). Most of those members of Christ’s Body are now deceased and are reigning with Jesus in heaven since 1918. (Anybody born after 1936 cannot be in that number.) The remaining members still on earth, approximately 8,000 (out of whom are selected the “Governing Body”), are known as the “Remnant.” They are collectively known as Jehovah God’s “channel of communication” to men. They are the only ones “born again” and are the only ones who have a hope of going to Heaven. The rest of Jehovah’s faithful witnesses only hope to be worthy enough to inherit the Earth, and will never see “Jesus/Michael,” nor will they ever go to Heaven. All “so called Christendom” will be destroyed at Armageddon.

11. Soul Sleep. JWs deny the immortality of the soul. They do not believe the soul can exist apart from the body, but that a corpse remains in an unconscious state in the grave waiting for the resurrection. [HJB]

12. Annihilation of the Wicked. JWs teach that the “second death” is annihilation and extinction — the wicked will cease to exist and will not suffer everlasting torment. They claim that a “doctrine of a burning hell” is “wholly unscriptural,” “unreasonable,” “contrary to God’s love,” and “repugnant to justice.” [HJB] They claim that “hell” is the grave.

13. Prophecy . The Bible lists six identifying marks of false prophets, any one of which is sufficient for identification: (1) through signs and wonders they lead astray after false gods (Dt. 13:1-4); (2) their prophecies don’t come to pass (Dt. 18:20-22); (3) they contradict God’s Word (Isa. 8:20); (4) they bear bad fruit (Mt. 7:18-20); (5) men speak well of them (Lk. 6:26); and (6) they deny that Jesus, the one and only Christ, has come once and for all in the flesh (1 Jn. 4:3), thereby denying His sufficiency in all matters of life and godliness (2 Pe. 1:3). Most cults are founded upon false prophecies, which, if pointed out, offer an effective way to open blind eyes and rescue cultists. Russell’s false prophecies formed the basis for what became The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society and the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Russell declared that the Second Coming had taken place invisibly in October 1874, and the Lord was truly present, and that in 1914 the faithful (the 144,000) would be translated to heaven and the wicked destroyed. Armageddon (which began in 1874) would culminate in 1914 with the complete overthrow of earth’s rulers and the end of the world. C.T. Russell, still on earth, died in 1916.

In the early 1920s, JWs zealously distributed on the streets and from door to door a book titled Millions Now Living Will Never Die. It was prophesied, “The year 1925 is a date definitely and clearly marked in the Scriptures, even more clearly than that of 1914 … we may confidently expect that 1925 will mark the return of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the faithful prophets of old … to the condition of human perfection” (”Millions Now Living Will Never Die,” The Watchtower, 7/15/24, p. 89). The JWs even built a house in San Diego where the patriarchs were to live and tried to deed it to King David. (The house was quietly sold in 1954.) In the early 1940s, JWs were declaring that Armageddon, only months away, would end World War II and the defeat of the Nazis would usher in God’s rule on earth (The Watchtower, 12/41). Their book, Children, suggested that plans to marry and have children be postponed until after Armageddon. It’s been a long wait! Not giving up, they later prophesied that God’s millennial kingdom would commence in 1975. Again JWs were told not to engage in any plans for this world, including marriage and having children. Many quit their jobs, sold their homes, and dedicated themselves to going door to door. (Source: 3/97, The Berean Call.) All in all, the Watchtower has predicted the end of the world for 1914, 1918, 1925, 1975, and 1989.

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Five Myths of Jehovah’s Witnesses

(Source: 4Q1993, The DISCERNER.)

Myth #1: The JWs are polytheist, believing in both a big God, Jehovah, and a little God, Jesus Christ.
Fact: JWs are absolutely monotheist, believing in Jehovah the Father who is the one true God and in His son, Jesus Christ, who is not God in any way at all.

Myth #2: JWs are pacifist and refuse to pay taxes.
Fact: JWs today refer to their stand as neutrality, not pacifism; that is, they are not against the use of force or even killing; rather they seek to maintain strict neutrality in the world’s affairs, not taking sides or serving any government. As to paying taxes, the Witnesses do pay them.

Myth #3: JWs will not accept blood for any reason.
Fact: While it’s true that they will not accept blood transfusions, JWs are allowed to have all the component parts of blood plasma.

Myth #4: The Watchtower Society claims to be an inspired prophet with continuing revelations. 
Fact: JWs’ Governing Body has always enjoyed all the privileges of prophets or apostles without any of the responsibilities. So, technically, though they do not claim to be inspired prophets, in practice, that is just what they are to the millions of JWs around the world. [Due to the resignation of the Governing Body's president and six other board members in October of 2000, JWs formed three new corporations to run its U.S. operations.]

Myth #5: JWs are super-zealots living exemplary Christian lives.
Fact: The foremost reason for their super zealot reputation is the active door-to-door ministry. Many are impressed by their willingness to spend so much time in their mission work. But what are their motives? Mainly they are fear and guilt. The tight control the organization holds over its members helps bring about conformity in moral standards.

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More Documentation of JW Beliefs

1.  There is one God in one person (Make Sure of All Things, p. 188).

2.  There is no Trinity (Let God be True, pp. 100-101; Make Sure of All Things, p. 386); i.e., Unitarian.

3.  The Holy Spirit is a force, not alive (Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, pp. 406-407).

4.  The Holy Spirit is God’s impersonal active force (The Watchtower, June 1, 1952, p. 24).

5.  Jehovah’s first creation was his “only-begotten Son” … was used by Jehovah in creating all other things (Aid to Bible Understanding, pp. 390-391), i.e., deny the eternality of the Son).

6.  Jesus was Michael the archangel who became a man (The Watchtower, May 15, 1963, p. 307; The New World, p. 284).

7.  Jesus was only a perfect man, not God in flesh (Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, pp. 89-90) i.e., Scripture is wrong.

8.  Jesus did not rise from the dead in his physical body (Awake! July 22, 1973, p. 4).

9.  Jesus was raised “not a human creature, but a spirit” (Let God be True, p. 276).

10. Jesus did not die on a cross but on a stake (Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, pp. 89-90), i.e., Scripture is wrong.

11. Jesus returned to earth, invisibly, in 1914 (The Truth Shall Make You Free, p. 300).

12. Jesus’ ransom sacrifice did not include Adam (Let God be True, p. 119).

13. The JW church is the self-proclaimed prophet of God (The Watchtower, February 15, 1979, p. 30).

14. JWs claim to be the only channel of God’s truth (The Watchtower, February 15, 1981, p. 19).

15. Only their church members will be saved, i.e., 144,000 of them (The Watchtower, February 15, 1979, p. 30).

16. Good works are necessary for salvation (Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 1, pp. 150, 152).

17. The soul ceases to exist after death, i.e., annihilation (Let God be True, pp. 59, 60, 67).

18. There is no hell of fire where the wicked are punished (Let God be True, pp. 79-80).

19. Only 144,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses go to heaven (Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, pp. 166-167, 361; Let God be True, p. 121).

20. Blood transfusions are a sin (Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, pp. 72-73).

21. Salvation is by faith and what you do (Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 1, pp. 150, 152).

22. It is possible to lose your salvation (Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, pp. 358-359).

23. The universe is billions of years old, though created by a Creator, i.e., theistic evolution (Your will Be Done on Earth, p. 43).

24. Each of the six creative days of God in Genesis 1, was 7,000 years long. Therefore, Man was created toward the end of 42,000 years of earth’s preparation (Let God be True, p. 168).

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The Jehovah’s Witness “Jesus” — what JWs confess and what they mean are two totally different things: (Source: 1/94, Mount Carmel Outreach Newsletter.)

(1) “Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” — The first created son of God was known as Michael the Archangel. This angel was recreated as a perfect man on earth and named “Jesus.” This Jesus died on a torture stake (not a cross), so that men could work their way into God’s Kingdom. This Jesus/Michael now rules over his Kingdom invisibly since 1914. (Since he failed to show up then, to destroy the unfaithful, he was declared by the Watchtower “powers that be,” to be invisible!)

(2) “We believe in the second coming of Jesus Christ.” — The angel Michael turned his attention to the affairs of the Earth in 1914 by establishing an invisible heavenly kingdom. This is what is meant by “second coming.” He will never return visibly to Earth, but will rule through his “anointed” or “remnant” group of JWs here on Earth.

(3) “Jesus was resurrected.” — God (Jehovah) placed a newly created copy of Jesus’ life pattern (or personality) into a newly created Michael the Archangel’s spiritual (not physical) body. Since Jesus had been totally annihilated, Jehovah had to recreate Jesus from his memory, and he is now Jesus/Michael in heaven.

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* Unless otherwise cited, three primary sources were used for this report: (1) Grolier’s 1995 Multimedia Encyclopedia, (2) Funk & Wagnall’s Encyclopedia, and (3) What They Believe, Harold J. Berry [HJB], BTTB:1990, pp. 51-70; (4) “Watchtower Bible and Tract Society”, Rick Branch (Watchman Fellowship Profile, 1993); and (5) Examining & Exposing Cultic & Occultic Movements, Jack Sin, “Focus on JWs,” April 2000, pp. 16-20.

SOURCE

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The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ False Bible Exposed

The New World Translation EXPOSED! The Watchtower Society’s Corrupt Bible By Ben Rast | Contender Ministries | Posted May 15, 2005

Dr. Walter Martin once said that the average Jehovah’s Witness can make a “doctrinal pretzel” out of the average Christian in about 30 seconds.  This does not mean Jehovah’s Witnesses are doctrinally correct. There are a couple of reasons this is so. First, the average JW gets exponentially more training in their doctrine than the average Christian gets in orthodox biblical doctrine. This disparity must be corrected by pastors, teachers, and even the individual parishioners, who must take responsibility to educate themselves on sound, biblical doctrine (as well as attacks on that doctrine). One other smaller (but still vitally important) reason is the reliance of Jehovah’s Witnesses on a biased and erroneous translation of the Bible – the New World Translation. If you allow a JW to recite from the NWT without checking the verse in a more accurate translation – such as the KJV – you may be relying on an erroneous translation of a verse. While there are scores of examples of errors in the NWT, this article will focus on some of the primary mistranslations that affect doctrine. We will discuss some issues of Greek and Hebrew grammar, but in a simplified manner. First, it’s important to look at the issue of translation in the greater context, and the background of the translation of the NWT. The Bible manuscripts exist in three main languages.  Most of the Old Testament was written in Hebrew, though portions of Daniel are in Aramaic.  The New Testament was written in Koine Greek – the Greek language widely spoken 2000 years ago.  This differs from Classical Greek and Modern Greek.  Even before the birth of Christ (by two or three hundred years), the Old Testament was translated into Koine Greek.  This translation became known as the Septuagint, and is represented by the Roman numerals LXX (seventy).  These Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic manuscripts were copied and distributed widely, with the copying and distribution accelerating in later centuries as new forms of script developed which made copying a faster process.  At various times, the manuscripts were compiled into full biblical texts.  It is from these manuscripts and compilations that the Bibles we read today were translated (for more information on this process, please see “A Primer on Bible Transmission”).  Because of this, it stands to reason that advanced training and knowledge in one or more of these languages would be a prerequisite for those who wished to perform translation work on a Bible translation committee.  However, this logic and reason was seemingly unimportant to the Watchtower Society and their translation committee for the NWT. The Watchtower Society first published the New World Translation of the New Testament in 1950.  Their complete Bible was published first in 1961, with subsequent revisions published in 1970 and 1984.  The Watchtower was always quite secretive about the composition of their translation committee, claiming that credit should be given to God and the truth, rather than the translators.  In the October 22, 1989 issue of Awake!, the Watchtower Society’s magazine publication, the society recited the words of their founder Charles T. Russell, “It is the truth rather than its servant that should be honored…”  However, former members of the Society revealed the identities of the translation committee members as Frederick W. Franz, Nathan H. Knorr, George D. Gangas, Albert D. Schroeder, Milton G. Henschel, and Karl Klein.  A review of their qualifications is disturbing: Translator Qualifications Franz, Frederick Probably the only person to actually translate.  Franz was a liberal arts student at the University of Cincinnati: 21 semester hours of classical Greek, some Latin. Partially completed a two-hour survey course in Biblical Greek in junior year. Self-taught in Spanish, biblical Hebrew and Aramaic Gangas, George No training in biblical languages.  Gangas was a Turkish national who knew Modern Greek.  Translated Watchtower publications into Modern Greek. Henschel, Milton No training in biblical languages. Klein, Karl No training in biblical languages. Knorr, Nathan No training in biblical languages Schroeder, Albert No training in biblical languages.  Schroeder majored in mechanical engineering for three years before dropping out. I don’t want to seem derogatory to Mr. Franz, but his primary training was in Classical Greek, not biblical Greek. He dropped out of a survey course on that topic. He was self-taught in biblical Hebrew and Aramaic, which is commendable, but does it qualify him as a Bible translator?  I have a very limited knowledge of New Testament Greek attained through private study (no formal training).  Any person can take classes on New Testament Greek or do self-study in this area with the help of books and language dictionaries.  However, I would not presume to be qualified to serve on a Bible translation committee.  Mr. Franz seemed to lack the fluidity he claimed.  In a court of law in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1954, Mr. Franz failed a simple test on his Hebrew language skills. On cross-examination, Franz was asked to translate a particular verse from Genesis into Hebrew.  He was unable to do so.  The person most capable among his peers to translate the Bible failed a simple test. This calls into question the use of the word “translation” in the New World Translation. As we will see, this “translation” is more likely a paraphrase that was heavily edited to introduce Watchtower bias. Before we continue, let me make one important note. Some legitimate translations (such as the King James Version) make use of brackets or italics to indicate words inserted for proper flow, but which are not found in the original language manuscripts.  In legitimate translations, this tool is only used for proper flow in English, or to indicate words that are found in some ancient manuscripts but not in others. However, you will find the NWT goes further. Not only do the NWT brackets show words included for flow, but also words not found in the manuscripts which, when included, result in a material change of meaning in the verse. You’ll see examples of this below. I will sometimes underline the disputed words or phrases, and a discussion will follow. Genesis 1:1-2 NWT:  In [the] beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth proved to be formless and waste and there was darkness upon the surface of [the] watery deep; and God’s active force was moving to and fro over the surface of the waters. NIV:  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. NASB: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. KJV: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness [was] upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. DISCUSSION:  The Jehovah’s Witnesses reject the doctrine of the Trinity.  They believe in a non-triune God named Jehovah, they believe Jesus is “a god” subordinate to Jehovah, and they reject the notion that the Holy Spirit is a person of the Trinity.  They believe that the Holy Spirit is an extension of Jehovah – an “active force” He sends out.  The Hebrew words here are ruwach elohim, which are accurately translated as “Spirit of God.”  Ruwach can be translated as “wind” also, but when joined in context with God, it is a reference to the Spirit of God (as Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon states, “Spirit of God, the third person of the triune God, the Holy Spirit, coequal, coeternal with the Father and the Son”).  This is the first example of the NWT forcing its doctrinal bias into the text of Scripture. Zechariah 12:10 NWT: And I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of favor and entreaties, and they will certainly look to the One whom they pierced through, and they will certainly wail over Him as in the wailing over an only [son]; and there will be a bitter lamentation over him as when there is bitter lamentation over the firstborn [son]. NIV: And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. NASB: I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. KJV: And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. DISCUSSION:  This passage is one of the most phenomenal Messianic prophecies, because God (Yahweh/Jehovah) is speaking in the first person about Him being the one who will be pierced through.  Obviously, Jesus fulfilled this prophecy, and the Jehovah’s Witnesses recognize this as well.  The implications are clear.  Since this was God’s prophecy about what would happen to Him, and Jesus fulfilled this prophecy, then Jesus MUST be God.  In fact, in the NWT Zechariah 12:1 indicates these are the “words of Jehovah.”[1] The NWT translators apparently missed the inclusion in this verse of the Hebrew ayth, which Strong’s indicates it is a contraction of a word that gives the meaning of “self.” Mathew 14:33 (among others) NWT:  Then those in the boat did obeisance to him, saying: “You are really God’s Son.” NIV:  Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” NASB: And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!” KJV:  Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God. DISCUSSION:  Throughout the New Testament we find people who worshiped Jesus.  Since worship is an action that should be reserved for God, and the Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the deity of Jesus Christ, the NWT had to rectify these verses. The Greek word here is proskuneo.  While this word can be translated as doing obeisance (which is defined as giving reverence or homage), the giveaway is the Watchtower’s inconsistency in translating this word.  In every instance in the New Testament were proskuneo is given to Jesus Christ, it is translated as doing “obeisance.”  Where proskuneo is directed to the Father (“Jehovah” in the NWT), they rightly translate it as “worship” (as in John 4:20). John 1:1 NWT:  In [the] beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god. NIV: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. NASB: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. KJV: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Here, every legitimate translation of the Bible reads the same – the Word (logos) was God (theos).  The NWT stands alone in its contention that the Word was a god.  This is to reinforce the JW doctrine that Jesus is not Jehovah, but is simply a subordinate god.  The last Greek phrase in its entirety is theos en ho logos, where ho is a definite article (the).  The Watchtower says that when theos is preceded by the definite article ho, it implies identity or personality.  Since the first use of theos in this verse is preceded by ho, it refers to God.  The second use of theos is not preceded by ho, making it an indefinite description or quality. This is simply wrong thinking.  It’s an important point to make that theos without the definite article ho is used elsewhere in the New Testament in reference to Jehovah God, and is translated appropriately in the NWT (such as in Luke 20:38).  They are inconsistent with this argument, positing the “indefinite quality” assertion only in reference to Jesus. John 8:58 NWT:  Jesus said to them: “Most truly I say to YOU, Before Abraham came into existence, I have been.” NIV:  “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” NASB:  Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.“ KJV:  Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. DISCUSSION:  There are deep doctrinal implications in the words of Jesus here.  “I am” speaks to his eternality.  It is also a name of God that He divulged to Moses.  Exodus 3:14 says, God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ “ The Greek in John 8:58 is ego eimi, where ego means “I” and eimi is a first person singular present indicative, to “exist”.  The Septuagint provides ego eimi as the Greek words in Exodus 3:14.  The Hebrew word is hayah, which is derived from the same root as Yahweh.  The NWT seeks to distance Jesus’ claims to eternality or deity.  Thus, it stands alone in its gross mistranslation of this verse. Acts 20:28 NWT:  Pay attention to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the holy spirit has appointed YOU overseers, to shepherd the congregation of God, which he purchased with the blood of his own [Son]. NIV:  Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. NASB:  Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. KJV:  Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. DISCUSSION:  Some more grammatical games and bracket inclusions combine to once again pervert Holy Scripture in order to deny the deity of Jesus Christ.  Going through my collection of legitimate Bible translations (and some not-so good translations), I find the NWT stands alone in their mistranslation of this verse.  The verse speaks of God purchasing the church “with His own blood”.  This is obviously a reference to God the Son, Jesus Christ.  What a powerful biblical testimony to the deity of Christ, and what an anathema to the neo-Arian doctrines of the Jehovah’s Witnesses!  In order to overcome this, a little mistranslation is made to completely change the meaning and deceive their followers.  Not a single extant Greek manuscript contains the word “son”. Colossians 1:16,17 NWT:  because by means of him all [other] things were created in the heavens and upon the earth, the things visible and the things invisible, no matter whether they are thrones or lordships or governments or authorities. All [other] things have been created through him and for him. Also, he is before all [other] things and by means of him all [other] things were made to exist, NIV:  For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. NASB:  For by Him all things were created, {both} in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things have been created through Him and for Him.  He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. KJV:  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. DISCUSSION:  This is one of those passages that speak clearly toward the deity of Jesus Christ and His role as the Creator of all things.  It’s also one of those passages where the Watchtower Society is powerless to form an argument from the Greek, so they play the brackets game.  In order to deny the deity of Jesus Christ and to buttress their argument that Jesus was simply the first of God’s creations, they insert the word “other”.  The NWT reads that Jesus, as the first created being, created all “other” things.  Since the Greek word for “other” is not found in the Greek manuscripts, they bracket the word to indicate that they’re inserting a word that does not belong.  This additional word does not help the flow or clarity of the text, but is instead designed to attack the explicit biblical teaching of Christ’s deity and role as Creator.  Greek scholar and theologian Robert Reymond referred to the addition of “other” as “sheer theological perversity…”[2] As an example of the deceptive practices of the Watchtower Society, the 1950 version of the NWT did not bracket the word “other,” making it appear that it was part of the Greek Text.  Only since 1961, when pressured to do so by Bible scholars, did they add the brackets. Titus 2:13 NWT:  while we wait for the happy hope and glorious manifestation of the great God and of [the] Savior of us, Christ Jesus NIV:  while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ NASB:  looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus KJV:  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; DISCUSSION:  This verse identifies our great God and our Savior Jesus Christ as being one and the same.  While an argument can be made that the KJV separates the two much like the NWT (by placing the Greek pronoun hemon, meaning “our,” in an improper location), the wording of the NWT and the additional bracketed definite article go beyond a disputed positioning of the Greek, and presents an inferior and erroneous translation that once again separates Jesus Christ from His deity. Legitimate scholars in the Biblical languages and manuscripts don’t think much of the NWT.  Dr. Bruce Metzger is a well-known scholar whose works are seminary standards.  He used the following adjectives when describing the NWT: “a frightful mistranslation,” “erroneous,” “pernicious,” and “reprehensible.”[3] British Bible scholar H.H. Rowley stated that the NWT is “a shining example of how the Bible should not be translated.”[4] He also referred to the NWT as “an insult to the Word of God.”[5] While this list could go on, let me conclude with the words of Dr. William Barclay who stated, “It is abundantly clear that a sect which can translate the New Testament like that is intellectually dishonest.”[6] It is clear that many are unaware of the dangerous differences found in the New World Translation.  We’ve received several emails from people who were confused by a verse shown to them by a Jehovah’s Witness.  Often the confusion results from the fact that the verse was like one of those in this article, and when we directed the person to a legitimate translation of that verse, their confusion lifted.  When conversing with a Jehovah’s Witness, never let them read a verse from the NWT without verifying the wording in a legitimate translation.  As Christians, our faith is supported by the God-breathed Scriptures.  We must be on guard against translations that attack our faith through corruption of God’s Word. NOTES: 1. The Hebrew name for God is YHWH – four consonants only.  Because of a nearly superstitious fear of taking the Lord’s name in vain, the Jews avoided using this name, and often used the name Adonai.  Eventually, the vowels from Adonai were included in YHWH to form Yahowah.  Today, this name is often spelled in English, Yahweh.  As a human contrivance, Yahowah mutated to Jehovah in some manuscripts.  Yahweh and Jehovah are considered synonymous, and mean “The LORD.”  Jehovah’s Witnesses maintain that Jehovah is the correct name for God, and He must be referred to as such. 2.  Robert L. Reymond, Jesus, Divine Messiah: The New Testament Witness (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1990), p. 248. 3.  Bruce Metzger; cited in Ron Rhodes, Reasoning from the Scriptures with the Jehovah’s Witnesses (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1993), p. 97. 4.  H.H. Rowley, “How Not to Translate the Bible,” The Expository Times, No. 1953, pp.41-42. 5.  Ibid. 6.  William Barclay; cited in Rhodes, p. 97.

The Plain Truth about the Jehovah’s Witnesses

by Pastor James Melton

In 1870, at the age of eighteen, an ex- Congregationalist by the name of Charles Taze Russell started a Bible class in Pittsburgh. In 1876, the class elected Russell as their Pastor. He founded the “Herald of the Morning” in 1879, which eventually developed into what is known today as “The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom.” Today this publication has grown to over seventeen million copies per month in over one hundred languages. In 1884, Russell incorporated the “Zion’s Watch Tower Tract Society” at Pittsburgh. Today this organization has branches in over one hundred countries, and it has missionary works in over two hundred and fifty. With over one-half million volunteer workers, the Jehovah’s Witnesses have become a serious threat to Bible believers throughout the world. Russell died in 1916, and Judge J.F. Rutherford took over the Society’s leadership. It was under Rutherford’s leadership that the group took the name “Jehovah’s Witnesses,” and Society headquarters moved to Brooklyn. Rutherford died in 1942, and Nathan Knorr took control and boosted the membership to over two million. In 1961, the Society published its own “translation” of the scriptures, called “The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.” Knorr died in 1977. As of 1996, the president of the Watchtower Society was Milton Henschel. The Trinity Doctrine Denied According the Bible, God is a Trinity. As all humans are a trinity (soul, body, and spirit–1 Ths. 5:23), God is also a Trinity. In Genesis 1:26, God said, “Let us make man in our image. . .” In Genesis 11:7, God said, “. . . .let us go down, and there confound their language. . .” The terms “us” and “our” obviously refer to the Holy Trinity. So the Trinity is found in the very early chapters of the Bible. In the New Testament, we can see all three Members of the Trinity at the Baptism of Jesus in Matthew chapter three. God the Father is speaking from Heaven. God the Son is being baptized, and God the Holy Ghost is descending like a dove. When Jesus gave the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20, He said in verse 19, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” So one can clearly see that God’s word testifies to the fact that He is a Trinity. However, the Jehovah’s Witnesses deny this altogether. The book, “Let God Be True”, (Watchtower Bible & Tract Soc., 1952) says the following on page 92: “The trinity doctrine was not conceived by Jesus or the early Christians.” Then on page 93, this book says: “…the plain truth is that this is another of Satan’s attempts to keep the God-fearing person from learning the truth of Jehovah and His Son Jesus Christ.” The JW’s cannot UNDERSTAND the Trinity, so they CONDEMN the Trinity. They fail to realize that it is not our job to tell God WHAT HE IS or to even FULLY UNDERSTAND how He can exist. Our responsibility is to BELIEVE WHAT HE SAYS, AS HE SAYS IT, WHERE HE SAYS IT, WITHOUT CHANGING A SINGLE WORD! I John 5:7 says, “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” Who are we to believe, the Jehovah’s Witnesses or God’s word? The Deity of Christ Denied As the Second Member of the Trinity, Jesus Christ stands co-existent in Eternity with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. There are many proofs in the Scriptures for the Deity of Christ. Some are as follows: (1) In Zechariah 12:10, Jehovah speaks of the future return of Christ and says, “. . . They shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourne for him, as one mourneth for his only son . . . .” This is spoken again in Revelation 1:7, which is clearly a reference to Christ Himself, but in Zechariah 12:10 GOD said, “. . . They shall look upon me whom they have pierced . . . .” The One that they pierced was Jesus Christ! So, in Zechariah 12:10, God is saying that He is Jesus Christ. (2) In John 1:1, John 1:14, 1 John 1:1, and in 1 John 5:7, Jesus is called “the Word,” and John 1:1 says that”the Word was God.” (3) Thomas referred to Jesus as “My Lord and my God” in John 20:28, and Jesus did not see the need to correct him. (4) Isaiah 7:14 gives us the prophecy of the Virgin Birth of Christ and states that His name would be “Immanuel.” Matthew 1:23 tells us that this word means “God with us.” (5) In Isaiah 9:6, Jesus is called “Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” The Bible certainly would not say this about anyone less than God. (6) In John 10:30, Jesus says, “I and my Father are one.” Jesus is not a lesser god; He is ONE with the Father. (7) Micah 5:2 tells us that Jesus is “from everlasting.” (8) In John 8:58, Jesus tells the Pharisees,”Before Abraham was, I am.” He claimed to be the “I AM”of Exodus 3:14, which is God Almighty. (9) Jesus allowed others to worship Him (John 9:38; Matt. 14:33; and Luke 24:52), which was forbidden, unless He was God (Rev. 22:9). (10) Jesus forgave sins (Mark 2:5), which only God can do (Mark 2:7). (11) The Lord Jesus Christ is omnipresent (Matt. 18:20; 28:20; II Cor. 13:14; I John 5:7). We know He is God because He is capable of being everywhere at once. (12) Jesus is omniscient (Mark 11:2-6; Matt. 12:40). He is God because He knows all things. (13) The Lord Jesus is also omnipotent (Rev. 19:6; Matt. 28:18). He has all power. (14) According to John 1, 1 John 1, Colossians 1, and Hebrews 1, Jesus Christ is the Creator of Genesis 1! (15) Jesus never sinned! Romans 3:23 says that ALL HAVE SINNED and come short of the glory of God, but Jesus did not sin (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18). So Jesus had to be God. The Scriptures are clear that Jesus Christ is Deity, yet the Jehovah’s Witnesses deny this truth. Here are a few blasphemous remarks made by the JW’s over the years concerning the Lord Jesus Christ: “. . . he was the first and direct creation of Jehovah God” (The Kingdom is at Hand, p. 46, 47, 49). “If Jesus were God, then during Jesus’ death, God was dead in the grave” (Let God Be True, p. 91). “. . . the true Scriptures speak of God’s Son, the Word, as ‘a god’.” He is a “mighty god,” but not the Almighty God, who is Jehovah” (The Truth Shall Make You Free, p. 47). Again, who are we to believe, the Jehovah’s Witnesses or God’s word? Literal Resurrection Denied The Bible speaks of a literal and physical resurrection, but the Watchtower Society teaches that Jesus only rose from the grave spiritually. Their literature speaks for itself: “Therefore the bodies in which Jesus manifested himself to his disciples after his return to life were not the body in which he was nailed to a tree. They were merely materialized for the occasion, resembling on one or two occasions the body in which he died . . . .” (The Kingdom Is At Hand, pg. 259) “Our Lord’s human body . . . did not decay or corrupt . . . whether it was dissolved into gasses or whether it is still preserved somewhere . . . no one knows.” (Studies In The Scriptures, Vol. 2, pg. 129) According to the words of Jesus Christ Himself, He is NOT merely a spirit being. He is a literal and physical risen Savior. In Luke chapter twenty-four, beginning at verse thirty-six, the disciples see the risen Christ and they supposed they had seen a spirit (vs. 37). Then Jesus cleared the matter up for everyone when He said, “. . . Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.” (Luk. 24:38-39) When Jesus appeared to Thomas He said, “. . . Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.” (Jhn. 20:27) The risen Christ had the crucifixion scars in His body to PROVE that He had been physically resurrected from the dead. If Jesus didn’t rise physically then He lied in John 2:18-22 when He said that His “body” would rise in three days. He didn’t say His spirit would rise. He said that His BODY would rise. When He arose His disciples actually REMEMBERED this prophecy and believed. The bodily resurrection of Christ is a fundamental Bible doctrine. The salvation of a person’s soul rests upon this doctrine, because if Jesus didn’t physically rise from the dead AS HE SAID HE WOULD, then we’re all lost and going to Hell according to 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 (JW’s included). Literal Second Coming Denied If the Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected literally and physically from the dead, and if He appeared physically to His disciples, then His Second Coming must also be literal and physical. Acts 1:11 tells us that Jesus will return “in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” Jesus ascended into Heaven literally, physically, and visibly, so He will return “in like manner.” The JW’s deny this. They insist that the Second Coming of Christ will be SPIRITUAL, rather than literal and physical: “Christ Jesus comes, not again as a human, but as a glorious spirit person.” (Let God Be True, pg. 196) “Since no earthly men have ever seen or can see the Father, they will be unable to see the glorified Son.” (Let God Be True, pg. 197) “It is a settled Scriptural truth, therefore, that human eyes will not see him at his second coming, neither will he come in a fleshy body.” (The Truth Shall Make You Free, pg. 295) The word of God says otherwise. Paul says in Titus 2:13 that we should be LOOKING for that blessed hope and the glorious APPEARING of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ. If the JW’s are right in saying that we will not be able to see Christ, then why did Paul tell us to be LOOKING for His APPEARING? Revelation 1:7 says, “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.” In Matthew 24:30, Jesus Himself says, “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” There’s nothing spiritual or invisible about the Second Coming of Christ. The “clouds” will be literal (Rev. 1:7), as will the “fire” (2 Ths. 1:8), the “saints” (1 Ths. 3:13), the “mountains and rocks” (Rev. 6:16), and the thousand- year reign (Rev. 20:1-7). A “spiritual” or “invisible” Second Coming is totally foreign to the written revelation of God. Literal Burning Hell Denied The JW’s have traditionally believed and taught that there is no eternal punishment for the wicked: “. . . the Bible hell is mankind’s common grave…” (Let God Be True, pg. 92. ) “The doctrine of a burning hell where the wicked are tortured eternally after death cannot be true . . . .” (Let God Be True, pg. 99) We call it to the reader’s attention that it was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ who first used the term “hell fire” (Mat. 5:22), and it was Jesus Christ who said in Matthew 25:41, “. . . Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” A JW believes that Hell is only the grave that everyone goes to at death. He believes that the saved ones in the graves will be given eternal life on earth after the White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20:11-15, while the unsaved in the graves will be annihilated once and for all in the Lake of Fire. JW’s refuse to believe that God will punish the wicked forever in the Lake of Fire. Of course, the Scriptures say something entirely different: (1) There is no FIRE in the grave, but there certainly is fire in the “hell” of the Bible (Luk. 16:23; Deu. 32:22; Mat. 5:22; 18:9; Jas. 3:6). (2) No one PRAYS from the grave, but they certainly do in Hell (Luk. 16:24; Jon. 2:2). (3) Hell was originally made for the Devil and his angels (Mat. 25:41), but the grave was not. (4) A Christian’s SOUL does not go to the grave at death (Phi. 1:21-23; 2 Cor. 5:1-10; 1 Ths. 5:10). Only the BODY goes to the grave. An unsaved man’s body also goes to the grave at death, but his SOUL goes to a place of TORMENT and FLAMES (Luk. 16:22-23). (5) The grave cannot possibly be Hell because Jesus said it would be better to enter into life (eternal life) without a hand, a foot, or an eye, than to go to Hell (Mat. 18:8-9). How could it be “better” if Hell is only the grave where there is no suffering at all? According to Jesus Christ, Hell is a lot WORSE than losing a hand, a foot, or an eye forever. (6) Annihilation cannot be true because the Bible uses such terms as “shame and everlasting contempt” (Dan. 12:2) and “torment . . . forever” (Rev. 14:11). Shame and torment are sufferings that are experienced by a LIVING BEING, not an annihilated corpse. God is an ETERNAL Being; therefore, an eternal payment is required for sin (Mar. 9:44-48; Isa. 66:22-23). You can have a FAIR TRIAL, or you can have a FREE PARDON. In a fair trial before God, you will be eternally damned to Hell because you are a sinner against a Holy God. God will have no choice but to sentence you to Hell forever. Friend, be not deceived by the Jehovah’s Witnesses! They are false teachers and their doctrines are dangerous. For more information about other false teachers, order The Bible Believer’s Handbook of Heresiesfrom the address below. If you’ve never received Jesus Christ as your Saviour, please read Understanding God’s Salvation Plan You can have eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

Copyright © 1998 James L. Melton

FAILED PROPHECIES of the Watchtower Society of Jehovah’s Witnesses

FAILED PROPHECIES of the Watchtower Society of Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW’s)

JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES CLAIM TO BE PROPHETS

The Watchtower of April 1st, 1972, page 197, had this statement, “So, does Jehovah have a prophet to help them, to warn them of dangers and to declare things to come?…These questions can be answered in the affirmative. Who is this prophet?… This “prophet” was not one man, but was a body of men and women. It was the small group of footstep followers of Jesus Christ, known at that time as International Bible Students. Today they are known as Jehovah’s Christian witnesses…Of course it is easy to say that this group acts as a “prophet” of God. It is another thing to prove it. The only way that this can be done is to review the record. What does it show?”

Since the JW’s claim to be God’s prophet, we are free to put them to the Bible test for a prophet, found in Deuteronomy 18:18-20. Verse 22 of this same chapter says,

“When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD (YHWH), if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken.”

Verse 20 plainly says, “that prophet shall die”. False prophecy cannot be “explained away” and treated lightly. The Watchtower has invited us to examine their record, and we will! All quotes are from publications of the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society and available at headquarters in Brooklyn, New York. Some of these publications may also be found in local Kingdom Hall libraries. Judge this self-proclaimed “prophet” for yourselves!

6,000 YEARS OF HUMAN HISTORY PROPHECIES

6,000 years from Adam ended in A.D. 1872. (Daily Heavenly Manna, inside cover page).

6,000 years of human history ended in 1873.(The Time is at Hand, p.33)

6,000 years of human history ended in 1972.(The Truth Shall Make You Free, p.152, 1943 edition).

6,000 years of human history ended in 1975. (Awake!, October 8th, 1968, page 15).

ARMAGEDDON PROPHECIES

Armageddon would end in 1914. (The Time is at Hand. page 101, 1911 Edition).

Armageddon would end in 1915. (The Time is At Hand, page 101, 1915 Edition).

Today, JW’s expect Armageddon any minute!

THE RETURN OF CHRIST PROPHECIES

Since Christ failed to show up for any of the Watchtower dates, JW’s altered their teaching to make his coming conveniently “invisible”.

Christ returned in 1874. (The Finished Mystery, pages 386, 295, 1917 Edition). The Watchtower publications taught this 1874 date right up to 1929. The “Prophecy” book published in 1929, states on page 65,

“The Scriptural proof is that the second presence of the Lord Jesus Christ began in 1874 A.D.”

Christ returned in 1914. (The Truth that Leads to Eternal Life, p.87).

THE MILLENNIUM PROPHECIES

The Millennium began in 1873. (Thy Kingdom Come, page 305).

The Millennium began in 1874. (Finished Mystery, page 386).

PROPHECIES ON THE RESURRECTION

The resurrection would occur in 1878 (They Kingdom Come, page 234).

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the faithful prophets of old would return in 1925. (Millions Now Living Will Never Die, page 89).

The Watchtower Society even published a book telling their followers to add a room onto their houses, an get an undertaker to decorate it. Undertakes, of course, would be looking for employment, since there would be no more deaths in 1926. When the room was completed, Watchtower devotees were to call up Jerusalem, where Abraham would have an office, and request that their parent be “awakened” from death. They would soon appear in the new room! (The Way to Paradise, pages 228,229).

PROPHECIES ON SPACE TRAVEL

“Man cannot by airplane or rockets or other means get above the air envelop which is about our earthly globe…” (The Truth Shall Make You Free, p. 285, 1943 edition.)

THE BOOK OF RUTH

The Book of Ruth is “not prophetical”. (Watchtower Reprints IV, p.3110, 12/7/02).

The Book of Ruth “is prophetic”. (Preservation”, p. 169, 175, 176.)

PROPHECIES ON SODOM and GOMORRAH

Will the men of Sodom be resurrected?

1. Yes….Watchtower 7/1879 page 8.

2. No…..Watchtower 6/1/52 page 338.

3. Yes….Watchtower 8/1/65, page 479.

4. No…..Watchtower 6/1/88, page 31.

5. Yes…Live Forever (old Ed.) page 179.

6. No….Live Forever (new Ed.) page 179.

7. Yes…Insight, vol. 2., page 985.

8. No…Revelation book, page 273.

These changes are more like flashing lights, on and off again. How can they be trusted?

THE “HIGHER POWERS” OF ROMANS 13:1

“Higher Powers” refers to earthly governments. (The Time is at Hand (1889) pg. 81.)

“Higher Powers” refers to Jehovah God and Jesus. (The Truth Shall Make You Free, pg.312).

“Higher Powers” refers to earthly governments. (Man’s Salvation…at Hand (p.326)

Notice how the “brighter light” dimmed back again!

THE REVELATION NAME “ABADDON-APOLLYON”

Refers to Satan. (Studies in the Scriptures, (Vol. 7 pg. 159).

Refers to Jesus Christ. (Then is Finished the Mystery of God, page 232).

Quite a change!

THE “ALPHA AND OMEGA” OF REVELATION

Refers to Jehovah God. (Awake! August 22, 1978, page 28).

Refers to Jesus Christ. (Watchtower, October 1, 1978, p.15).

Notice the rapid change of “truth” and “interpretation of scripture” in just two months!

THE FAITHFUL AND DISCREET SLAVE

Refers to their founder, Charles Taze Russell. (Watchtowers from 12/1/16-3/1/23, pg. 68.)

Refers to the “Remnant of Spiritual Israelite” (the supposed remnant of the 144,000 “heavenly class”). (From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained, page 193).

THE 1914 GENERATION FIASCO

Until October 22nd, 1995, each ‘Awake’ magazine proclaimed,

‘…the Creator’s promise of a peaceful and secure new world before the generation that saw the events of 1914 passes away.’

Beginning with the November 8th, 1995 ‘Awake’, the reference to the 1914 disappeared. Why? Because it is another false prophecy! 1914 plus 80 years (the longest time possible for a ‘generation’ by their own admission) ran out in 1994. This prophecy was attributed to Jehovah as ‘the Creator’s promise’. Therefore this particular false prophecy was done in the name of the Lord, and is subject to His condemnatory judgment on false prophets. There is not escape! Time is the enemy of a false prophet.

IN CONCLUSION

Although the official publication of the Jehovah’s Witnesses claims,

“…Jehovah’s witnesses today make their declaration of the good news of the kingdom under angelic direction and support” according to the Watchtower of April 1, 1972, page 200, they have proved to be an embarrassment to the angels!

Undaunted, the Watchtower of July 1st, 1973, page 402, goes on to claim,

“Consider too, the fact that Jehovah’s organization alone in all the earth is directed by God’s holy spirit or active force.”

Obviously the Holy Spirit did not prompt these false prophecies!

Not only does the Bible give us a simple test for prophets, which we considered at the beginning of this tract, namely that their prophecies will fail, but the word of God has more to say about prophecies and prophesying.

The Bible reveals three sources of prophecy. One, it is from God, and inspired by Him. Two, it is from the Devil and inspired by him. Thirdly, prophecies can come out of the “flesh”, or out of our “own spirit”.

Since the Watchtower society of Jehovah’s witnesses has so many failed prophecies, we know they are not prophesying by God’s direction, and through His Holy Spirit, or by the angels.

This leaves us with two alternatives for the false prophecies of the Watchtower Society. They are from Satan, or they are from “the flesh”.

The Watchtower has chosen the latter, claiming that “we all make mistakes” etc. “We have new light”. Is this an “out” for them? No, for Jehovah’s witnesses should carefully read Ezekiel, chapter 13. This chapter is a judgment of God on prophets who hope for a fulfillment of their words, after prophesying falsely. Verse 8, says,

“Because you have spoken falsehood and seen lie, therefore, behold, I am against you”, declares the Lord God.”

The Watchtower Society of Jehovah’s Witnesses is a proven false prophet, and the Lord, by His own decree, is against them. Why would you want to remain in this doomed organization and share in its judgment?

For Further Information,

MacGregor Ministries
Box 294, Nelson, B.C. V1L 5P9 Canada
Box 454 Metaline Falls, WA 99153 U.S.A

Beware of Jehovah’s Witnesses

Beware of Jehovah’s Witnesses!

by David J. Stewart

Jehovah’s Witnesses are false prophets! I believe that some of them are very sincere, but dead wrong on the truth of Jesus Christ. They are one of the most dangerous false religions in the world today!  Why Dangerous? Because they come closer to imitating true Christians than any other religion. They dress like Believers, talk like Believers, go door-to-door like soul-winning Believers, etc. Nevertheless; they are Satan’s workers, full of lies and deceit. There are an estimated 6,000,000 Jehovah Witnesses (JW’s) in the world today, small when compared to the billions of Muslims, Catholics and Buddhists.

We are admonished in I John 4:1, “Beloved, believe NOT every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: BECAUSE MANY FALSE PROPHETS ARE GONE OUT INTO THE WORLD.” Now we must be careful here to “rightly divide” the Word of Truth. I John 4:2 tells us that “Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God.”  Nearly every false religion believes a person named Jesus once came in a fleshly body and walked this earth. So this Scripture obviously means more than is read at a casual glance. We must be careful to “Search the Scriptures” as Jesus commanded in John 5:39. I believe this Scripture is referring to Christ’s deity (that God Almighty came in the flesh, Jesus Christ). I never quite understood this verse until I found out that JW’s believe that Michael the Archangel came down to earth and became Jesus Christ. That’s right, JW’s believe that Michael became Jesus! I find no biblical evidence to even remotely support this crazy teaching. Anyone who denies that God Almighty came in the flesh is a liar.

Every false religion one way or another attacks (either by denying or diminishing) the deity of Christ.  JW’s will say that Jesus is “a god,” but not Almighty God. They will say that Satan himself is also called a “god” and do their best to diminish the deity of Christ, tearing Him down. How silly can they get? Deuteronomy 6:4 proclaims that THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD!  We are commanded in the ten commandments (Exodus 20:3), “Thou shalt have NO OTHER GOD’S BEFORE ME.” So either Jesus is Almighty God, or He’s no god at all.  There is only one true and living God, all other gods are false gods. The JW’s worship a false God just as do the Muslims, Catholics and so many others.  JW’s also deny the bodily resurrection of Christ and His bodily second coming. They deny the rapture and instead believe that Jesus returned (only in Spirit) in the year 1914 to start setting up His kingdom on earth (through the JW’s of course). JW’s don’t believe that the Holy Spirit lives inside (indwells) the true Believer. They deny that Jesus is God and that the Holy Spirit is a person. JW’s like to point out that the word “trinity” isn’t in the Bible.  No, but the word “Godhead” is! Colossians 2:8,9 says, “…after CHRIST.  FOR IN HIM DWELLETH ALL THE FULNESS OF THE GODHEAD BODILY.”  This Scripture (amongst many others) teaches us that there is a Godhead, one God who has manifest Himself to mankind in three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  What a truth!  God the father and God the Holy Spirit walked this earth in the bodily person of God the Son, Jesus Christ.  Look back to Colossians 2:2, “…to the acknowledgement of the mystery of GOD, AND OF THE FATHER, AND OF CHRIST.” Even the Word of God tells us it’s a mystery. Some things weren’t meant to be understood, just believed. “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face…” (I Corinthians 13:12).

The problem with so many people is that they refuse to believe in something they can’t understand. They rely on their HEARTS for guidance instead of the HOLY BIBLE. II Corinthians 3:14-16 tells us that people’s minds are blinded because of the hardness (veil) upon their heart. If a person will turn in their stubborn, sinful heart to the Lord—they will come to the knowledge of the truth. JW’s prey on those who have to make sense out of everything. Their whole religion is based on “what makes sense.” I’ve witnessed to several JW’s and they always say the same thing, “That doesn’t make any sense.” It might not make good sense, but IT’S IN BIBLE! Why is this such a surprise? Many things don’t make sense: people don’t make sense, the boss doesn’t make sense, the government doesn’t make sense, etc. Faith is believing what you cannot fully comprehend (for if you could, it would be science). “For THE PREACHING OF THE CROSS IS TO THEM THAT PERISH FOOLISHNESS…” (I Corinthians 1:17).  The truth is foolishness until you get saved.  “…BUT UNTO US WHICH ARE SAVED IT IS THE POWER OF GOD.”  You see my friend, you must accept Jesus Christ by the faith of your heart as your personal Savior—Nothing will make sense until you do. I Corinthians 2:14 makes it clear that the Bible is foolishness to the unbeliever (the natural man). If you reject Christ, it is only because of the wicked, sinful pride in your heart.

May I also say that there is a great danger that I must warn you about concerning the Jehovah Witnesses.  JW’s have become very crafty in their teachings and twisting of the Scriptures. II Peter 3:16 says that Peter had a hard time understanding some of Paul’s epistles which can be twisted by the workers of iniquity “…in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable WREST (twist), AS THEY DO ALSO THE OTHER SCRIPTURES, UNTO THEIR OWN DESTRUCTION.” “JW’s will tell you that they believe in accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior. This is enough to lure many multitudes of unsuspecting people, woefully ignorant of the truth, into their false religion. The problem is that your being led to a false Jesus. The Apostle Paul warns us in II Corinthians 11:3,4 of those who would corrupt us by preaching “ANOTHER JESUS.” There are many false Jesus’ in the world today because of multitudes of woefully ignorant people tampering with God’s Word. Peter said they do it to their own destruction. The Islamic Muslims and Black Muslims don’t believe that Jesus was crucified, nor is He the Savior. The Mormons deny Christ’s deity as do the JW’s. Catholics elevate Mary to the deity with Jesus and form  many damnable heresies all of their own.  Buddhists deny Christ as Savior and God to follow the philosophy of Buddha. On and on we could go, false religions and more false religions. If a man persuades you to accept Jesus as Savior but then tells you that Jesus was really Bozo the clown incarnate, would you believe him? Of course not! So why believe the JW’s when they try to tell you that Michael the archangel became Jesus? This is ludicrous and totally unscriptural. Interestingly, JW’s try to hide this ridiculous teaching of theirs from new converts because it exposes JW’s for what they are—Satanic liars.

A young man once asked an older preacher if he believed a person could deny the deity of Christ and still be saved. The old man replied, “YOU WILL BELIEVE IN THE DEITY OF CHRIST IF YOU ARE SAVED!” I accepted Jesus as my Savior, asking Him to forgive me of my sins when I was a teenager. I didn’t know about the deity of Christ or the virgin birth because I simply had not heard those things. When I grew older and heard of these truths, I knew in my heart that they were true. The Holy Spirit of God (who lives within every Believer) bared witness to my spirit that these doctrines were true. I never had a problem believing the deity of Christ, the Godhead, the virgin birth, Jesus’ sinless life, etc.  Even though some things didn’t make sense, I knew in my heart that they were true.

If you deny that Christ is God, you are not a true Believer. In John 8:24 and 57-59, Jesus claimed that He was the “I AM” of Exodus 3:14 (see also John 5:18 and Philippians 2:6). The Jews began to stone Jesus for what He had claimed, that He was God—Jesus went away from the wicked crowd. John 8:24 reads, “…for IF YE BELIEVE NOT THAT I AM he, ye shall die in your sins.”  Notice that the pronoun “he” is in italics. This simply means it was added by the King James translators because they were scholarly enough to let us know it wasn’t in the original (unlike modern translations which have no italics). Jesus said we will die in our sins if we do not believe upon Him as He is!  The false Jesus of the Jehovah Witnesses cannot save because it is a mythical character and does not exist in reality! Paul made clear in II Corinthians 11:3,4 that Satan is subtle and wants to deceive us just as he did Eve in Eden.  The Devil always misquotes the Bible, rarely avoids it completely.  I am always amazed that false prophets will bring up Bible verses until you prove them wrong with the Bible, then they’ll tell you they don’t believe the Bible.  If they don’t believe God’s Word, why do they keep quoting it?  Because they are of their father, the Devil, who is a master counterfeiter.  Only Jesus ever accepted worship from another (Matthew 8:2;9:18), only Jesus ever forgave sin (Mark 2:5), only Jesus had the Holy Spirit without measure (John 3:34). Only Jesus!  Jesus Christ is Almighty God!

The Watchtower Mind Control Techniques

Does the Watchtower Organization
Control the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Thinking?

Copyright Matthew J. Slick, 1995 – 2008

CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS AND RESEARCH MINISTRY

Following are quotes from the literature of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, better known as the Jehovah’s Witnesses organization. After reading the quotes below, it is obvious that the Watchtower discourages individual thinking among the Jehovah’s Witnesses and requires them to submit to the teaching of the Watchtower organization.
Romans 14:5 says, “One man regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind.” The Bible wants us to think and to be convinced in our own minds about issues that are debatable (Rom. 14:1-12). However, the Watchtower does not want its people to be convinced in their own minds. It wants them to submit to the Watchtower.

1. The Bible can only be understood via the Watchtower organization.

   1. Quote:  “Only this organization functions for Jehovah’s purpose and to his praise. To it alone God’s Sacred Word, the Bible, is not a sealed book.” The Watchtower; July 1, 1973, pp. 402.

   2. Comment:  This is an amazing quote. Only the watchtower organization can properly interpret the Bible. It is saying that the Lord Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, cannot give a Christian a proper understanding of the Bible even though it is Jesus who opens the mind to understand Scripture (Luke 24:45). This effectively prevents the Jehovah’s Witness from thinking and interpreting the Bible for himself apart from the watchtower organization’s guidance.

2. Individuals are not able to rightly interpret the Bible apart from the Watchtower organization.

   1. Quote:  “Thus the Bible is an organizational book and belongs to the Christian congregation as an organization, not to individuals, regardless of how sincerely they may believe that they can interpret the Bible.” The Watchtower, Oct. 1, 1967. p. 587.

   2. Comment:  The Watchtower restricts its followers from looking at the Bible by itself without the guidance of the organization’s input. This is not freedom to think for oneself and it is a sure way to keep the Jehovah’s Witnesses intellectually in line with Watchtower teachings. Also, contrast the quote above with the following quote from the Watchtower:  “The Vatican belittles Bible study by claiming it is the only organization authorized and qualified to interpret the Bible.” The Watchtower, 7/1/1943, p. 201.  The funny thing is that that is exactly what the Watchtower does. It claims to be the only source of true spiritual knowledge.

3. If you don’t understand something, meekly wait for the Watchtower to tell you what the truth is, otherwise you are foolish.

   1. Quote:  “We should eat and digest and assimilate what is set before us, without shying away from parts of the food because it may not suit the fancy of our mental taste…We should meekly go along with the Lord’s theocratic organization and wait for further clarification, rather than balk at the first mention of a thought unpalatable to us and proceed to quibble and mouth our criticisms and opinions as though they were worth more than the slave’s provision of spiritual food. Theocratic ones will appreciate the Lord’s visible organization and not be so foolish as to put against Jehovah’s channel their own human reasoning and sentiment and personal feelings.” The Watchtower, February 1, 1952, pp. 79-80.

   2. Comment:  Here, the watchtower tells us that submission is to God’s “theocratic organization”, the watchtower organization and that submission must be complete and meek.  Undoubtedly, this is clearly teaching that independent thought is not welcome in the Watchtower Organization.

4. The Watchtower magazine is the means of God’s communication
   1. Quote: “It should be expected that the Lord would have a means of communication to his people on the earth, and he has clearly shown that the magazine called The Watchtower is used for that purpose.” (1939 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses, p. 85.)
   2. Comment:  This says that the Jehovah’s Witness organization is the means God uses to communicate on earth today.  But, the Bible says that God speaks to us through His Son:  Heb. 1:1-2 says it is Jesus:  “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, ²in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.”

5. Cannot understand the Bible outside of watchtower organization

   1. Quote:  “We all need help to understand the Bible, and we cannot find the Scriptural guidance we need outside the ‘faithful and discreet slave’ organization.” (The Watchtower, Feb. 15, 1981.)

   2. Comment:  The Jehovah’s Witness organization has set itself up as the sole means of understanding the Bible. In contrast to this, Jesus opens the mind to understand the scriptures (Luke 24:45). It isn’t the Watchtower organization that does this, but God. Admittedly, we have denominational differences.  But the differences are not in the essentials and we certainly are able to understand those essentials apart from the Watchtower.
      

6. Those who think apart from the Watchtower’s guidance are like Satan

   1. Quote:  “From time to time, there have arisen from among the ranks of Jehovah’s people those, who, like the original Satan, have adopted an independent, faultfinding attitude…They say that it is sufficient to read the Bible exclusively, either alone or in small groups at home. But, strangely, through such ‘Bible reading,’ they have reverted right back to the apostate doctrines that commentaries by Christendom’s clergy were teaching 100 years ago…” The Watchtower, August 15, 1981.

   2. Comment:  So, if you think independently, find fault with something the Watchtower says, then you are like Satan. Is this freedom of thought?  Is this how Christ works in the church? Hardly. Also, what are the apostate doctrines spoken of in the above quote? Of  course, that would be the Trinity, the deity of Christ and the Holy Spirit, the physical resurrection of Christ, etc., all things the Watchtower organization denies.  So, if you read the Bible by itself, reading it for what it says, without the watchtower guiding you, you will adopt these doctrines — which the Watchtower says are not true!

7. If you love God, then you accept the Watchtower.

   1. Quote:  “We cannot claim to love God, yet deny his word and channel of communication.” The Watchtower, October 1, 1967, p. 591.

   2. Comment:  In other words, if you love God then you will be “in” the watchtower organization. If you reject the organization, then you reject God. Amazing!  So, the Jehovah’s Witness is urged to not leave the organization lest they end up rejecting God.  Is this encouraging freedom on thought?  No.

8. The truth of God can be known only through the Watchtower organization.

   1. Quote:  All who want to understand the Bible should appreciate that the “greatly diversified wisdom of God” can become known only through Jehovah’s channel of communication, the faithful and discreet slave. The Watchtower; 10/1/1994; p. 8.

   2. Comment: Here, the Watchtower states that the only way to understand God’s word is through the Watchtower organization. In other words, your thinking must be in submission to the teaching of the Watchtower.

These few quotes should be more than adequate to demonstrate that the Watchtower not only maintains a control over the thinking of its adherents, but actually discourages independent thought. This is definitely one of the signs of a cult.

Is the Jehovah’s Witness Religion Christian?

Is the Jehovah’s Witness Religion Christian?

Copyright by Matthew J. Slick, 1995 – 2008

CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS AND RESEARCH MINISTRY

The answer to the question is, “No. It is not Christian.” Like all non-Christian cults, the Jehovah’s Witness organization distorts many essential doctrines of Christianity. It denies the deity of Christ, His physical resurrection, and salvation by grace.  This alone makes it non-Christian. To support its erring doctrines, the Watchtower organization (which is the author and teacher of all official Jehovah’s Witness theology), has even altered the Bible to make it agree with its changing and non-Christian teachings.
Typical with cults that use the Bible to support its position is a host of interpretive errors:

• Taking verses out of their immediate context.
• Refusing to read verses in the entire biblical context.
• Inserting their theological presuppositions into the text.
• Altering the Biblical text to suit their needs.
• Latching onto one verse to interpret a host of others.
• Changing the meanings of words.
• Proclaiming some passages to be figurative when they contradict their doctrines.
• Adding to the Word of God.

Additionally, the Jehovah’s Witness organization requires of its members regular weekly attendance at their “Bible Study” meetings where they are repeatedly indoctrinated with anti-Christian teachings. This is done by reading the Watchtower magazine, following along with what it says, reading the questions it asks, and reciting the answers it gives. In other words, the Watchtower Organization carefully trains its members to let the Organization do their thinking for them. For confirmation of this, please read: Does the Watchtower organization control the JW’s thinking?
The Witnesses are told they will be persecuted when they go door to door teaching their doctrines.  They are further told that this is simply the enemy fighting against God’s organization because they are in “the truth.”  So, when someone disagrees with them, they are conditioned to reflect on what the Watchtower has told them.  They then feel confirmed in being in God’s true organization on earth (like all cults claim).  They are strongly encouraged to have friends and acquaintances that are only JW’s, thereby keeping outside examination to a minimum. They are told to shun those who leave their group, that way, there is no way to see why someone has left and no way to find out that they are in error from those who have found the truth in Christ. They are conditioned to shy away from any real biblically knowledgeable person. An example of this is frequently found on the Internet. I was once banned from a Jehovah’s Witness chat room after I not only answered their objections to the Trinity and deity of Christ, but challenged them in return. Subsequently, my name was passed around to all other Jehovah’s Witness rooms where I was banned from them as well.  This is a frequent occurrence on the Internet where the Jehovah’s Witnesses are alive and well.  It is obvious that critical examination of their doctrines is not encouraged by the Watchtower Organization.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses consider themselves to be Christians because they believe they are serving the true and living God.  Like many cults, they think they are the only true church on earth.  Yet, they deny the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the personhood of the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ physical resurrection, and salvation by grace through faith.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses are discouraged from looking into Jehovah’s Witness history or old Watchtower literature which is replete with contradictions, altered doctrines, and false prophecies. Instead, they are indoctrinated repeatedly against basic Christian doctrines (Trinity, deity of Christ, etc) and into the notion that they alone are the true servants of God and that all others are either in “Christendom” or simply unbelievers.
Primarily, the Jehovah’s Witness organization is a mind control organization that uses its people to pass out literature and send in “donations” to the headquarters in Brooklyn, New York.

“Thus the Bible is an organizational book and belongs to the Christian congregation as an organization, not to individuals, regardless of how sincerely they may believe that they can interpret the Bible.” The Watchtower, Oct. 1, 1967. p. 587.

The Watchtower organization of the Jehovah’s Witnesses is a non-Christian organization that uses its people to promulgate false doctrines, and collects “contributions” for distribution of a multitudinous amount of literature, and expand its grip into the lives of its members and their families.
It is a non-Christian cult.

Blasphemous Teachings from the Jehovah’s Witness Religion

What do the Jehovah’s Witnesses Teach? There is one God in one person, Make Sure of All Things, p 188. There is no Trinity, Let God be True, p. 100-101; Make Sure of All Things, p.386. The Holy Spirit is a force, not alive, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, pp. 406-407. The Holy Spirit is God’s impersonal active force, The Watchtower, June 1, 1952, p. 24. Jehovah’s first creation was his ‘only-begotten Son’. . . was used by Jehovah in creating all other things”, Aid to Bible Understanding, pp. 390-391. Jesus was Michael the archangel who became a man, The Watchtower, May 15, 1963, p. 307; The New World, 284. Jesus was only a perfect man, not God in flesh, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, pp. 306. Jesus did not rise from the dead in his physical body, Awake! July 22, 1973, p. 4. Jesus was raised “not a human creature, but a spirit. Let God be True, p. 276. Jesus was born again, The Watchtower, Nov. 15, 1954, p. 682. Jesus did not die on a cross but on a stake, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, pp. 89-90. Jesus began his invisible rule over the earth in 1914, The Truth Shall Make You Free, p. 300. Jesus’ ransom sacrifice did not include Adam, Let God be True, p. 119. Their church is the self-proclaimed prophet of God, The Watchtower, April 1, 1972, p. 197. They claim to be the only channel of God’s truth, The Watchtower, Feb. 15, 1981, p. 19. Only their church members will be saved, The Watchtower, Feb, 15, 1979, p. 30. Good works are necessary for salvation, Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 1, pp. 150, 152. The soul ceases to exist after death, Let God be True, p. 59, 60, 67. There is no hell of fire where the wicked are punished, Let God be True, p. 79, 80. Only 144,000 Jehovah’s Witness go to heaven, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, pp. 166-167, 361; Let God be True, p. 121. Only the 144,000 Jehovah’s Witness are born again. Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, p. 76.; Watchtower 11/15/54, p. 681. Only the 144,000 may take communion, Blood transfusions are a sin, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, pp. 72-73. The Cross is a pagan symbol and should not be used, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, pp. 90-92. Salvation is by faith and what you do, Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 1, pp. 150,152. It is possible to lose your salvation, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, pp. 358-359. The universe is billions of years old, Your will Be Done on Earth, p. 43. Each of the 6 creative days of God in Genesis 1, was 7000 years long. Therefore, Man was created toward the end of 42,000 years of earth’s preparation, Let God be True, p. 168. They also refuse to vote, salute the flag, sing the “Star Spangled Banner,” or celebrate Christmas or birthdays. They are not allowed to serve in the armed forces. Satan was entrusted with the obligation and charged with the duty of overseeing the creation of the earth, Children, p 55 CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS AND RESEARCH MINISTRY Copyright Matthew J. Slick, 1995 – 2008