*TRUTH ABOUT J.W.*
part1:
–Are Jehovah Witnesses (JW) true Christians?
Answer: no.
–Will JW be with God forever?
Answer: No, they will go to hell, unless they turn to the true biblical Jesus.
Here is why they are not true Christians: JW’s do not believe that Jesus is God, but a created angel; also they don’t believe the Holy Spirit is God but the ”active force of God”. They also do not believe in salvation by grace through faith alone in Jesus.
Here are some wrong statements made by the organization JW and the biblical answers:
1. ”Only the Watch Tower Society can interpret the Bible, individuals can’t really understand it” – Watchtower, Oct.1,1997,p.587 – contradicted by Eph1:17-18
2. ”The New World Translation (JW Bible) is the best translation of the Bible” – it is in fact filled with errors and changes: for example Jn1:1 sates Jesus is ”a god” instead of ”God”
3.”God’s name is Jehovah” – the Bible says one of God’s names is YHVH (the most used, about 6000 times; other names: Adonai, El Shadai, El Elion and others); pronunciation “Jehovah” was instituted by Christian scholars in 12th century as nobody knew the pronunciation anymore for Jews were reading it ”ADONAI” (the Lord) being afraid to pronounce the name YHVH, which in fact means ”I am that I am” Gen3:14; Christians can call God “father” or “daddy” (abba): Rom8:15. My earthly father would be offended if I would call him by his first name, Artur, but JW’s must call God “JHWH” or ‘Jehovah’ if they want, because they are not born again Rom8:9, Jn1:12
4. ”Christ is God’s Son and is inferior to him” – Jesus is God who took on human form Jn1:1, 1Tim3:16; see our detailed study ”Jesus is God”
5. ”Christ was first of God’s creation” – Christ is co-eternal with God and was never created Is9:6, Heb13:8
6. ”Christ died on a stake, not a cross” – Jesus died on a cross Jn20:25 , Mat27:37
7. ”Christ’s human life was paid as a ransom for obedient humans” – Christ’s sacrifice was the ransom for all sinners Matt.9:13, 1Tim1:15, 1Jn2:1
8. ”Christ was raised from the dead as a spirit person” – raised bodily Luke 24:39, Jn2:21, Jn20:27
9. ”Christs’ presence today is in spirit or symbolic, not effectual” – Christ lives in the believer Mat.18:20;28:20, Jn14:23, Col1:27, believer is in Christ Eph2:6
10. ”Kingdom under Christ will rule earth in righteousness and peace” – Christ will rule Millennial Kingdom on earth in righteousness and peace Rev.5:12, 20:6
11. ”Kingdom brings ideal living conditions to earth” – New heavens and earth will bring ideal conditions to God’s people Rev21:1-5 as in the millennial kingdom (1000 years) there will be sin and will end with some rebellion and war
12. ”Earth will never be destroyed or depopulated” – God creates new heavens and earth Matt24:31, 1Thes4:16-17, 2Pet3:10, Rev21:1
13. ”Wicked will be eternally destroyed or annihilated” – wicked will be eternally punished Dan12:1-2, Matt25:46, Mark3:29
14. ”The human souls ceases to exist at death” – spirit of Christian goes to heaven and of unbeliever to hell awaiting final judgment Luke16, Rev.6:9
15. ”Only a little flock of 144.000 will go to heaven and rule with Christ” – all people who confess Christ as Savior will be with Him Rom6:8, 2Tim2:11
16. ”Hope for all dead is resurrection as non-JW will be given a second chance” – resurrection is hope only for believers in Jesus and feared by non-believers Jn5:29, Acts 24:15 as there will be no second chance
17. ”Only the 144,000 are born again as spiritual sons of God” – all who confess Christ as Savior are born again Jn1:12, 3:3-7 , 1Jn3:1,2
18. ”Prayers must be directed only to Jehovah in the name or authority of Christ” – prayers may be directed to God the Father, to Jesus or to the Holy Spirit Matt6:9, Acts7:59, 2Cor12:8-10, Rom8:14
19. ”Satan is the invisible ruler of the world” – Satan rules only over those that allow him 2Cor4:4, Jn17:14-16
20. ”Taking blood into the body through mouth or veins violates God’s law” – Taking human blood into the body through mouth violates God’s law, about through veins the Bible says nothing about it
21. ”Bible’s laws on morals must be obeyed as part of obtaining salvation” – we have all disobeyed God’s laws Rom3:23, 1Jn1:10, salvation is only by grace Eph2:8-10
22. ”No clergy class and special titles, all JW members are ministers” – there are special ministers: pastors, elders, deacons 1Tim3:1, 1Pet5:1, Tit1:5
23. ”Baptism by complete immersion symbolizes dedication” – baptism is symbol of dying with Christ and raising with Christ 1Pet3:21, 1Cor12:13 JW baptism vows includes allegiance to their organization as the only “channel of communication of God with earth”, as the only mediator (thus contradicting 1 Tim2:5)
24. ”Christ is Michael the Archangel” – Christ is God Is7:14; Ps110:1; Jer23:5-6; Matt1:23; Jn1:1,20:28,5:18; 8:58;10:30; 14:9; Acts16:31-34; Rom9:5; 2Cor4:4; Phil2:5-8; Col1:15a; Heb3:4 understood in context; 2 Pet.1:1; 2:20, Jn1:1,18, 20:28, Acts20:28, Col2:9, Tit2:13, Heb1:8,13, 1Jn5:20
25. ”Christ is created” – Christ was never created Acts13:33
26. ”There are 2 classes on believers, ”John” class will inherit heaven” – all believers are equal in Christ in terms of inheriting heaven 1Cor12:13, Gal3:28, Jn17:23
27. ”In terms of salvation, the greatest name is ‘Jehovah’ ” – the greatest name is ‘Jesus Christ’ in terms of salvation Acts4:12, Phil.2:9, Eph1:20-22
28. ”Man does not have a spirit” – man has a spirit 1Thes5:23, Rev6:9, Luke16:19-31
29. ”We are to worship Jehovah only” – we worship Father, Son, Holy Spirit Heb1:6, Mat28:9, Jn20:28, Rev5:13;6:9
30. ”Jesus’ second coming occurred invisibly in 1914 and His kingdom was established in heaven” – Jesus will return physically to earth and all alive will see Him as His kingdom is established on earth Rev1:7
31. JW have made prophecies that the end of the world would happen in:
–1914 ”Zion’s Wt”, 1/15/1892,pg1355, reprint
–1918 ”The Time is at Hand”, 1908,pg101
–1925 ”Millions now Living Will Never Die” pg.89
–1920 “The finished mistery” 1917, pg542
–1940 ”Informant”, May 1940
–1975 ”Wt”, 5/1/1968, pg 273 also Aw, 1/22/1969, pg16 and Aw, 5/22/1969, pg15
32. They accused others of making false prophecies (but they made also such false prophecies):
A. ‘Light’ 1930, pg47, “They have been prophesying particularly since 1918, and everyone knows that their prophecies to date have not come to pass; and that alone is strong evidence that they are false prophets”. Also see ‘WatchTower’, 10/15/1958, pg613
B. ‘Awake’, 10/8/1968, pg23…”those in times past who predicted an “end of the world”, even announcing a specific date…they were guilty of false prophesying”
C. ‘Paradise Restored’ 1972, pg353,354, ”False prophets will try to hide who they really are”
D. ‘Wt’, 6:15:1974, pg381 “Similarly the “false prophet” is not a person, but is a system or an organization. A “prophet” claims to have inspired information for the direction of others”
33. They say they are not false prophets, but they affirm about others that they are false prophets because of false prophecies: ‘Aw’, 3/22/1993, pg3,4, ”They do not claim that their predictions are direct revelations from Jehovah and that in this sense they are prophesying in Jehovah’s name. ……when their words do not come true, they should not be viewed as false prophets…. ”
When we point to JW’s that they made false prophecies their excuse is that they receive ‘gradual progressive light, small errors in the process of receiving truth’…
34. Jesus is not mediator: in ‘Worldwide Security’ 1986, p10 ‘The Desire for Peace and Security Worldwide’: “Jesus Christ, is not the Mediator between Jehovah God and all mankind. He is the Mediator between his heavenly Father, Jehovah God, and the nation of spiritual Israel, which is limited to only 144,000 members”. This is contradicted by 1Tim2:5
35. The 144.000 in Rev7:4, yet a future event, are men, virgins, Jews; according to JW they are not Jews, some are women, some married and is a past and present event
36. Since Rutherford’s time, the Society has made it clear that angels transmit information to the remnant of Jehovah’s Witnesses, particularly starting under Rutherford:
“These angels first hear the instruction which the Lord issues to his remnant and then these invisible messengers pass such instruction on to the remnant. The facts show that the angels of the Lord with him as his temple have been thus rendering service unto the remnant since 1919” Vindication III,1932,pg250
Many false doctrines were received from angels by Rutherford, like about Christ’s presence in 1914
37. The JW’s deny the existence of hell: “. . . the Bible hell is mankind’s common grave…” (Let God Be True, pg92. Page ninety-eight of this book refers to the doctrine of Hell as a “God defaming doctrine.”)
“The doctrine of a burning hell where the wicked are tortured eternally after death cannot be true . . . .” (Let God Be True,pg99. The Bible teaches there is a hell: Luk16:23; Deu32:22; Mat5:22; 18:9; 25:41 Jas3:6
38. JW’s deny the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. Instead they teach that Jesus’ body was dissolved into gases. Charles Taze Russell, founder of the organization taught, “The man Jesus is dead, forever dead” (Studies in the Scriptures, Vol5, 1899, p.454). Contradicted by: Luke24:39 — “Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” See also — Jn2:19-21; Jn20:26-28; 1Cor15:6,14
39. Jehovah’s Witnesses deny that salvation is God’s free gift. Instead they teach that salvation must be earned or merited. To obtain salvation and escape judgment, a person must join and do the works prescribed by the Jehovah’s Witness organization. However, the Bible clearly teaches that salvation cannot be earned or merited — it is God’s free gift: Eph2:8-9; Rom4:1-4; Gal2:16; Tit3:5
…see part 2