R-14. Are the Jehovah’s Witnesses BIBLICAL Christianity? DOWNLOAD to SAVE as a PDF Doc to read OFFLINE. R-14. Are the Jehovah's Witnesses BIBLICAL CHRISTIANITY?
JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES VERSUS BIBLICAL CHRISTIANITY!
The purpose of this study in God's word is to weigh ALL the evidence to see if what the Jehovah's Witnesses teach is SOUND BIBLICAL teaching. And what I mean by BIBLICAL Christianity is do the Jehovah’s Witnesses teach what the Bible ITSELF teaches. In other words, the word “CHRISTIANTY” means something different to every Christian church denomination. So then, this study in God’s word is NOT to judge whether or not Jehovah’s Witnesses are true sincere Christians. But rather, this study is to see if there are any false doctrines being taught by the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Also, this study will examine the Jehovah's Witness Bible Translation of the Greek Scripture to see if it is a sound Biblical translation that teaches BIBLICAL Christianity? Before we begin this study in God's word I would like to ask my Jehovah's Witnesses who are seeking the TRUTH of the whole word of Almighty God to read some, “Did you know questions?”
#1. Did you know that in the early days the Jehovah's Witnesses believed that Jesus died on a cross? In the Jehovah's Witness book titled “The Harp Of God” written in 1921, there is a picture of Jesus hanging on a cross? And in the book called “Reconciliation” written in 1928, did you know that you will again find a picture of Jesus hanging on a cross?
#2. Did you know that it was Joseph Rutherford who made the change from Jesus dying on a cross to Jesus dying on a torture stake as recorded in the 1975 yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses?
#3. Did you know that in the 1969 edition of “The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures” there is a picture of a man hanging on a torture stake that was taken from a book called “Ivsti Lipsi De Crvce” that has ANOTHER picture of a man the writer believes to be Jesus hanging on a CROSS which the Watchtower did not bother to show their followers? So in the book “Ivsti Lipsi De Crvce”, the author is HONEST enough to give the reader BOTH pictures, but in the Jehovah's Witness book “The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures” the Watchtower HIDES the truth from their followers.
#4. Did you know that in the Watchtower publication “Reasoning From the Scripture” there is a QUOTE from the Imperial Bible Dictionary “The Greek word for cross [stauros], properly signified a stake, an upright pole, or a piece of piling, on which anything might be hung, or which might be used for impaling, [fencing in] a piece of ground....” Notice the three dots after the period means that the QUOTE does not END here and what follows should tell YOU that you are being LIED to about Jesus dying on a torture stake. The Imperial Bible Dictionary goes on to say, “But a modification was introduced as the dominion and usages of Roman extended themselves into Greek-speaking countries. Even among the Romans the CRUX (from which our CROSS is derived appears to have been originally an upright pole and this always remained the more prominent PART.” So then, The Imperial Bible Dictionary believes that Jesus died on a CROSS and NOT a stake. Now, the Jehovah’s Witness doctrine of Jesus dying on a torture stake or POLE, as opposed, to Jesus dying on a CROSS may seem “trivial” to some Christians. But to me, it is more about the “MOTIVE” for why the leaders of the Watch Tower decided to change the widely known fact that Jesus died on a CROSS to Jesus dying on a POLE. The motive is clearly seen in the methods of witnessing used by the Jehovah's Witnesses. You see, when a Jehovah’s Witness can show an ERROR in another church denomination then that opens the door of communication to lead unsuspecting Christians to join the Jehovah’s Witnesses. For example, two Jehovah’s Witnesses come to the door of a weak Christian and shows him or her the definition of the Greek word “stauros”. And then they explain that the mainstream church denominations have erred in their teaching that Jesus died on a CROSS. And they emphasize the definition of the Greek word to be a STAKE, A POLE, or a POST. But they avoid pointing out that this Greek word ALSO means CROSS.
G4716 σταυρός stauros stow-ros' From the base of G2476; a stake or post (as set upright), that is, (specifically) a pole or cross (as an instrument of capital punishment); figuratively exposure to death, that is, self-denial; by implication the atonement of Christ: - cross.
That is a bit dishonest in my opinion. But most Jehovah’s Witnesses simply obey what they are TOLD to say, so it is the “leaders” of the Jehovah’s Witnesses that are being dishonest. But even then, the leaders simply “PARROT” what the former leaders taught until God opens their eyes to see that in SOME areas the former leaders ERRORED in what they taught. Now, it is a good thing when leaders CORRECT the past mistakes of a church denomination. But it is WRONG to NOT give the common people a VOICE to be heard when God reveals to THEM an error made by the LEADERS of the church. And that is one of the main issues that I have with ALL church denominations. They close their minds to anyone who teaches differently than what they teach. Before we get into what the Bible ITSELF teaches us let us begin this study by first taking a look at what the Jehovah's Witnesses teach in their statements of faith from their own websites. When you first go to a Jehovah's Witness website you will find topics relating to everyday issues that people struggle over in their daily lives. In other words, they minister to the people's problems and concerns first, before they teach them what they actually believe. For example, they point out the “trouble” in the world to get people interested in God’s coming kingdom. Then after a person becomes a Jehovah's Witness then they are taught what the Jehovah's Witnesses actually believe and teach. By then it is almost impossible to leave the Jehovah's Witness Organization without tearing apart your family. Here is a link to that study on the official Jehovah's Witness website called “Are Jehovah Witnesses Christians?” so you can see for yourself what I mean. Here is what I found written by the Watchtower Society on an official Jehovah's Witness website. I do not control the CHANGES that the Jehovah's Witnesses' websites make. All I can share is what I copied and pasted from the official JW website to my website many years ago.
Are You Christian?
"Yes. We are Christians for the following reasons:
We try to follow closely the teachings and behavior of Jesus Christ.—1 Peter 2:21. We believe that Jesus is the key to salvation, that “there is not another name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must get saved.”—Acts 4:12. When people become Jehovah’s Witnesses, they are baptized in the name of Jesus.—Matthew 28:18,19. We offer our prayers in Jesus’ name.—John 15:16. We believe that Jesus is the Head, or the one appointed to have authority, over every man.—1 Corinthians 11:3.
However, in a number of ways, we are different from other religious groups that are called Christian. For example, we believe that the Bible teaches that Jesus is the Son of God, not part of a Trinity. (Mark 12:29) We do not believe that the soul is immortal, that there is any basis in Scripture for saying that God tortures people in an everlasting hell, or that those who take the lead in religious activities should have titles that elevate them above others.—Ecclesiastes 9:5; Ezekiel 18:4; Matthew 23:8-10.
Now the MAINSTREAM Orthodox church would jump on the statement of the Jehovah’s Witnesses saying “HOWEVER, we are DIFFERENT from other religious groups that are called Christian”. And then, the Trinitarian church denominations would focus on the Jehovah’s Witnesses rejecting the doctrine of the Trinity and wrongly accuse the Jehovah's Witnesses as being a CULT simply because they do NOT believe in the “DOCTRINE” of the Trinity. But in all fairness, the Jehovah's Witnesses simply state that they believe that the Bible ITSELF teaches that Jesus is the SON OF God, and NOT part of a Trinity Godhead. And in my opinion, they are correct in teaching that Jesus is NOT Almighty God Himself and that the Bible ITSELF clearly teaches us that Jesus is the SON OF God. Please understand that I am NOT a Jehovah's Witness, NOR have I ever been a Jehovah's Witness, and I will never become a Jehovah's Witness for many reasons that I will explain in this study. But rather, I am simply a Christian who has been deceived in the past by the doctrine of the Trinity like many other true born-again Christians who are not under the teaching of the Watchtower Society. For you see, there are many OTHER NON-Trinitarian Christians who call themselves “unitarian” Christians. And a “unitarian” Christians believes that there is ONE God in ONE person. Again, I did NOT learn what I teach from ANY man-made organization. But rather, I learned what I teach by the leading of the Holy Spirit as I read and studied the Bible on my own without Bible “commentaries” which are simply “interpretations” of the Scriptures. And it just so happens that what the Holy Spirit has taught me is SOMEWHAT similar to what the Jehovah's Witnesses teach in this AREA of Jesus being the SON OF Almighty God and NOT Almighty God Himself. Again, this is NOT to say that ALL of what the Jehovah's Witnesses teach is the truth of the WHOLE word of God. The TRUTH of the matter is that the Jehovah's Witnesses are CORRECT on this particular point, in that, Jesus is the SON OF Almighty God the Father and that the “DOCTRINE” of the Trinity is NOT taught in the word of TRUTH, the Holy Bible. Nowhere in the Bible is there any CLEAR, PLAIN, and SIMPLE teaching of this man-made “DOCTRINE” of the Trinity. Yes, we do clearly see THREE terms, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, in the Bible. And we clearly see that the Father and Son are united in one purpose and agreement to agree as one. But it is just man's INTERPRETATION that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one and the self-same being who is THE Almighty God Himself. For a deeper understanding of why the “DOCTRINE of the Trinity” is one of the main false teachings that cause division in the church please read the studies under the heading >>>D-0. The BIBLICAL Unitarian VIEW of Jesus<<<. Under that heading, you will also find links to many studies that are related to this subject that are listed within this study as well. You see my dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ, the only CLEAR verse of Scripture in the Bible that PLAINLY states the Jesus IS God is found in Hebrews 1:8 where Almighty God the Father himself is speaking to his Son Jesus and says, “Your throne O God...” whereby CLEARLY teaching us that Jesus IS called GOD by his God and Father. BUT does this clear statement “Your throne O God...” mean that Jesus is the ONE TRUE and ONLY ALMIGHTY God? You see my dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ, if you KEEP this verse in the CONTEXT of where it is found you will ALSO CLEARLY and PLAINLY see that Almighty God the Father is THE ONE true and ONLY Almighty God, who is OVER His Son Jesus and that it is Almighty God HIMSELF who ANOINTED his Son Jesus to be “THEOS”, which is the Greek word that can be translated as either God referring to THE Almighty God the Father, or a god, who would be UNDER and SUBJECT to the one true and only Almighty God the Father. Hebrews 1:8,9 “But unto the Son, He (Almighty God the Father) says, Your throne, O God, (Or your throne O theos, which again can be translated as God or god) is forever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom. (Or more precisely, your throne O God is for an age to an age which means for the AGE of 1000 years in the world to come) 9. You (my dear beloved Son in whom I am well pleased) have loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; THEREFORE (Or for this very reason of doing all my will even to die on the cross) God, EVEN YOUR God, has ANOINTED you with the oil of gladness above your fellows.”
So I have to AGREE with the Jehovah's Witnesses on this particular point that Jesus is NOT Almighty God Himself because they do in fact rightly and correctly teach that Jesus is NOT the one true and ONLY ALMIGHTY God, who ALONE is the FATHER. Again, for a deeper understanding of this subject please read the study >>>D-0. The BIBLICAL Unitarian VIEW of Jesus<<< But for now, please understand that it is impossible for an Almighty God to have ANOTHER God over Himself and Jesus has the Father as his God over him. So clearly, the Bible ITSELF teaches us that the Father ALONE is the ONLY true God, according to John 17:1-3 and many other verses of Scripture that clearly state that the Father is the God OF His Son, Jesus. One of the many DIFFERENCES between the Jehovah's Witnesses and Biblical Unitarian Christians is WHEN Jesus was created by Almighty God the Father. The JWs believe that the Son of God was begotten by Almighty God in the eternity past. And Biblical Unitarian Christians believe that Jesus is the FULFILLMENT of PROPHECY and Almighty God created Himself a human Son on the womb of the Virgin Mary just as the PROPHECIES in the Bible clearly teach. And thus, Biblical Unitarian Christians believe that Jesus was MADE both Lord and Christ AFTER the cross and resurrection, according to Acts 2:26 and many other verses of Scripture. Let us now take a look at the second difference that the Jehovah's Witnesses openly state which is that they do NOT believe that the soul is IMMORTAL. Well to ME, just a little common sense should tell you that AGAIN the Jehovah’s Witnesses are teaching the TRUTH on this matter as well. Think about this for a moment, IF we were ALREADY IMMORTAL beings, or beings that possessed an IMMORTAL soul, then WHY would we be given the promise of ETERNAL LIFE in the world to come to make us IMMORTAL beings? There would be no need for the promise of ETERNAL LIFE because we would ALREADY be IMMORTAL if so be that the soul is indeed immortal as some Christians falsely teach. The TRUTH of the matter is that the soul is NOT immortal as some Christians in the mainstream church denominations teach. For you see, the word of TRUTH in Matthew 10:28 CLEARLY teaches us that we are not to fear any man that is able to kill ONLY the body, but rather we are to fear God who is able to destroy BOTH the body AND the SOUL.
Matthew 10:28.
“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the SOUL: but rather fear Him (Almighty God the Father) which is able to DESTROY BOTH SOUL and body in HELL.”
Please read the study Ee-21. Is THE SOUL OF MAN IMMORTAL? In that study you will find all the verses that CONTRADICT the false teaching that that man possesses an immortal soul. The soul can only live as long as God’s Spirit gives life to the soul. And God is able to DESTROY both the body and the SOUL in hell. The next statement where the Jehovah’s Witnesses differ from the mainstream church denomination is that the Jehovah's Witnesses do NOT believe in the doctrine of eternal TORTURE in the flames of hellfire for all eternity which REQUIRES the wicked to have an IMMORTAL soul. Hence, the man-made doctrine of the so-called “immortal” soul created by the Roman Catholic Church and then carried over into some of the Protestant church denominations. The Bible itself teaches us that “Hell” will be cast into the lake of fire that was prepared for the angel that rebelled against God. So in truth, both death and Hell will be DESTROYED in the lake of fire. So again, I am inclined to agree with the Jehovah's Witnesses on this point as well. Please read the following studies called Ee-23. Is THE DOCTRINE OF HELL BIBLICAL? and Ee-22. Does Revelation 20:10 Teach Eternal Torment?. I have studied this subject for myself and there is far more evidence that supports total destruction of the wicked as opposed to eternal TORTURE in Hell. It is true that the Bible teaches us about an eternal fire that will never be quenched. But it is also true that the Greek word that is translated as eternal also means for an AGE. And it is true that the wicked, who when they realize that they could have had eternal life in paradise will be tormented with this thought as they are cast into these flames of fire to be eternally destroyed or to be destroyed for all eternity never to rise again. In other words, it is the judgment itself that is eternal. The flames are only for an age to an age, and the SMOKE arises from the pit as an eternal reminder that God is also a consuming fire to those who rebel against Him. But nowhere do I find any CLEAR, PLAIN, and SIMPLE teaching in the Bible of eternal TORTURE where Almighty God sadistically keeps these wicked souls alive for all eternity to be TORTURED. This goes entirely against the true nature of our loving and MERCIFUL Almighty God and against all the Scriptures that clearly teach us that the wicked will be DESTROYED. The TRUTH of the matter is that NONE of these beliefs that we have looked at thus far qualify for categorizing the Jehovah's Witnesses as being a “cult”. So then, WHY exactly do the mainstream church “Trinitarian” church denominations deem the Jehovah's Witnesses as being a “cult”? Well, as I said before, it is MAINLY because the Jehovah's Witnesses do NOT believe in the “DOCTRINE” of the Trinity. And, therefore, almost all “Trinitarian” church denomination automatically considered any group of Christians that REJECT the doctrine of the Trinity to be a “CULT” or heretical teaching based solely on their nonconformance to man-made church “DOCTRINE” of the Trinity that again is NOT SOUND BIBLICAL teaching. The doctrine of the Trinity CONTRADICTS many verses of Scripture in the Bible. But since the purpose of this study is not about the doctrine of the Trinity let us continue this study to see if the Jehovah’s Witnesses are, in fact, a “cult” by asking another very simple question, “Do you as a Jehovah's Witness believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior?” Again, here is Jehovah's Witnesses’ answer from their official website: Do You Believe in Jesus?Yes, we believe in Jesus, who said: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) We have faith that Jesus came to earth from heaven and gave his perfect human life as a ransom sacrifice. (Matthew 20:28) His death and resurrection make it possible for those exercising faith in him to gain everlasting life. (John 3:16) We also believe that Jesus is now ruling as King of God’s heavenly Kingdom, which will soon bring peace to the entire earth. (Revelation 11:15) However, we take Jesus at his word when he said: “The Father is greater than I am.” (John 14:28) So we do not worship Jesus, as we do not believe that he is Almighty God.
Now we are beginning to see some areas that I myself personally do not see as being entirely Biblical. First of all, let us go back and take a look at the statement of belief of the Jehovah's Witnesses that they do NOT believe in taking on TITLES where one rules over another. Here is their exact statement:
or that those who take the lead in religious activities should have titles that elevate them above others.—Ecclesiastes 9:5; Ezekiel 18:4; Matthew 23:8-10.
And yet the Watchtower Society “lords OVER the discreet SLAVES” in even a greater way than that the Roman Catholic church “lords OVER the laity”. And THIS is where I myself would consider the Jehovah's Witnesses to be a CULT. In other words, I would call any church denomination a cult when their leaders lord OVER their followers by dogmatically demanding that THEY are the ONLY true church and if you leave THEIR church then you can NOT be saved. It is easy to become a Jehovah's witness, but if one ever wants to leave, because they can no longer believe ALL that the Watchtower Society DEMANDS that they believe, then they must pay the high price of being DISFELLOWSHIPPED or SHUNNED by ALL their family members. Please read the study Z-9. Is SHUNNING BIBLICAL?. This is NO light matter, so, therefore, I strongly WARN people NOT to become a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses or have anything to do with the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. For you see, when you learn the TRUTH and you try to share the TRUTH with your fellow Jehovah’s Witnesses then they MUST shun you or they will also be shunned. And shunning destroys families. And God said, “let NO man divide asunder what God has joined together.” Secondly, the verse in Revelation 11:15 that they quoted to try and support their belief that Jesus is NOW presently, as is, right NOW today ruling as King of God's heavenly kingdom is rather a PROPHECY that has not yet been fulfilled. The second coming of Jesus has NOT occurred as yet. But the Jehovah's Witnesses FALSELY teach that Jesus has indeed ALREADY come in 1914 INVISIBLY. We will get into this more in-depth further in this study. Thirdly, they simply state that they do NOT worship Jesus BECAUSE they do NOT believe that Jesus is THE ALMIGHTY God. Again I agree that Jesus is NOT THE ALMIGHTY God, who the Bible clearly teaches is the FATHER. However, I myself do indeed praise and give honor to Jesus because the word of TRUTH clearly teaches us that we are to honor the Son EVEN AS we honor Almighty God the Father. And this word translated as “HONOR” does indeed mean to show reverent worship to the SON OF Almighty God even as we worship the Father. Therefore, I believe that the Jehovah's Witnesses are in ERROR by NOT worshiping Jesus as Almighty God teaches us to honor His Son Jesus, whom He Himself has now HIGHLY EXALTED and has given him a name above every name. When Jesus comes again, ALL will bow down to his name to the glory of the Father. Almighty God Himself will say, let all the angels WORSHIP him. You see, when Jesus comes again in his Father's kingdom even the angels will WORSHIP him. The word of TRUTH says that EVERY knee shall bow to that name of Jesus to the glory of Almighty God the Father. So then to ME, if it pleased Almighty God the Father to HIGHLY EXALT his Son Jesus and give him a name ABOVE EVERY other name and commands us to HONOR his Son EVEN AS we honor the Father, then that is what I myself am going to do. Jesus gave his LIFE for me. Jesus is WORTHY of all our praise and thanksgiving and by praising Jesus we are NOT dishonoring Almighty God the Father because it PLEASES God that we honor his Son Jesus even as we honor Almighty God himself. The Jehovah's Witnesses are definitely in ERROR for NOT worshiping Jesus, but they do have it CORRECT in stating that Jesus is NOT the one true and ONLY ALMIGHTY God, who alone is the Father, and they are WRONGLY persecuted by the mainstream church for their stand on this particular TRUTH. This is one of the reasons WHY I willingly take the persecution that I get from my fellow brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ and stand firm in what I believe that the WHOLE word of God teaches about Jesus because there are Christians just like me that are also seeing this TRUTH that Jesus is NOT THE one true and ONLY ALMIGHTY God as some in the mainstream church DOGMATICALLY DEMANDS and teaches. And when these dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ begin to see that they are NOT being taught the TRUTH, they then turn to groups like the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Mormons, and the Unitarian Universalism, because these groups teach that Jesus is NOT the Almighty God, whom the Bible teaches is the FATHER not realizing the OTHER teachings of these groups that are in fact NOT teaching SOUND Biblical doctrine in OTHER areas of their teachings. You see my dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ, what these innocent babes in Jesus Christ do NOT fully realize is that these OTHER doctrines that these groups teach ARE in fact NOT ALL sound biblical teachings and therefore can lead them to lose their salvation. It is like the saying, “Out of the frying pan and into the fire”. They come out of one false teaching only to be deceived by other false teachings. And it this reason that is the very purpose of this study in God's word to inform you, the reader, of ALL what the Jehovah's Witnesses teach so that you will NOT be DECEIVED by their FALSE teachings. I want you the reader and seeker of the TRUTH to be able to discern truth from error and keep ONLY that which is the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of God. Fourthly, the Jehovah's Witnesses teach that Jesus came DOWN from heaven as a SPIRIT being called the Word. This is a study in and of itself so I will not even attempt to even try to explain why this teaching is NOT sound Biblical teaching in this study. So please read the study V-32. John 3:13-Jesus descended from Heaven! The next question that is asked on this official Jehovah's Witness website is “Do you believe that you as Jehovah's Witnesses are the ONLY true church?” Do You Believe That You Have the One True Religion?"Those who are serious about religion should think that the one they’ve chosen is acceptable to God and Jesus. Otherwise, why would they be involved in it?Jesus Christ didn’t agree with the view that there are many religions, many roads, all leading to salvation. Rather, he said: “Narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are the ones finding it.” (Matthew 7:14) Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that they’ve found that road. Otherwise, they’d look for another religion."
Please notice that they skirted around this question and did NOT come right out and tell you upfront that they TOTALLY believe that they SAY that they are the ONE and ONLY TRUE church and if you are NOT a Jehovah's Witness then you have absolutely NO chance of salvation!
You will see this for yourself as we dig DEEPER into what the Jehovah's Witnesses actually believe and teach. But for now, I want you to be AWARE that if ANY church teaches you that they ALONE have the TRUTH and that you MUST be a part of THEIR church, then you are IN a “CULT” in my own personal opinion. NO church can save you, it is the word of TRUTH that sets you free from sin and death. Search the WORD of God daily to see if what you are being taught is, in fact, the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. The next question is more direct and to the point, but as you will see again their answer is still yet vague and avoids a direct answer to the question. Do You Feel That You Are the Only People Who Will Be Saved?
"No, Many millions who lived in centuries past and who weren’t Jehovah’s Witnesses will have an opportunity for salvation. The Bible explains that in God’s promised new world, “there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Acts 24:15) Additionally, many now living may yet begin to serve God, and they too will gain salvation. In any case, it’s not our job to judge who will or won’t be saved. That assignment rests squarely in Jesus’ hands.—John 5:22, 27."
Please notice that they say in centuries PAST people were saved, but they do not openly tell you that these people who were saved in centuries past were indeed NOT Jehovah's Witness BECAUSE there were NO Jehovah's Witnesses back then, Centuries ago. They neglect to tell you that the Jehovah's Witnesses did not yet exist in centuries past yet MANY people were saved WITHOUT the Jehovah's Witness organization so how can THEY be the ONLY true church? Also, notice the vague statement that many may YET BEGIN to serve God which in reality to THEM means that many yet in the future MAY realize that the Jehovah's Witnesses are the ONLY ones that have the TRUTH and then they will BEGIN to serve God by BECOMING a Jehovah's Witness and, therefore, be saved. Then notice that they get off the subject entirely by putting it in the hands of Jesus and saying we are not here to judge whether a person is saved or not. So again, be WARNED about what the Jehovah's Witnesses do NOT say upfront, but only after you are baptized into their man-made organization will they lord OVER you by deceiving you that ONLY Jehovah's Witnesses can be saved. And did you notice the very subtle teaching that in the world to come EVERYONE will be saved? If not, read it again.
Many millions who lived in centuries past and who weren’t Jehovah’s Witnesses will have an opportunity for salvation. The Bible explains that in God’s promised new world, “there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Acts 24:15) Additionally, many now living may yet begin to serve God, and they too will gain salvation.
That is a form of “universalism” which wrongly teaches that “eventually” every single person will be saved, including Satan, the Devil, and the fallen angels. Please read the study Bb-1. Is Universalism SOUND Biblical Teaching? In TRUTH, we are here to judge BY the word of TRUTH and WARN all men everywhere to REPENT of their sins and call upon the name of the Lord to be saved. Please read the study E-4. HOW CAN I BE SAVED? That study will give you a deeper understanding of true BIBLICAL salvation. Again, NO church denomination or church organization can save you. It is the GOSPEL of Jesus Christ that is the power of God to save WHOSOEVER of any person in the whole world that BELIEVES the true gospel and endures unto the end to be saved. Again, I want to point out to you my dear brothers and sister in our Lord Jesus Christ, if you go directly to a Jehovah's Witness website, or you listen to the Jehovah's Witnesses who come to your door you will not find one thing that stands out and screams at you that this group is a “cult”. Please do NOT misunderstand what I am saying. I am NOT saying that ALL Jehovah's Witnesses are NOT saved and they are NOT Christians, but rather, that there is an EXTREMELY high price for leaving this church denomination. Whereas, most every other church denomination allows Christians to attend other churches and even switch churches if that is their desire with NO SHUNNING of those Christians who choose to leave and go to another church denomination. It is ONLY those churches the lord OVER their followers with FEAR claiming that they are the ONE true church. That is MY definition of a “CULT”. So ANY church denomination that teaches that THEY ALONE have the truth and you MUST be a part of THEIR church in order to be saved is a “CULT” by MY OWN personal definition. You will not see so readily that the teaching of the Jehovah's Witnesses is NOT SOUND BIBLICAL teaching if you already see in God's word that Jesus is NOT the Almighty God, whom the Bible clearly teaches is the Father. So then, when the mainstream church teaches that the Jehovah's Witnesses are a “cult”, it is simply BECAUSE they do NOT believe in the doctrine of the Trinity. Some of you that are Jehovah’s Witnesses who already see that Jesus is not the Almighty God the Father will say, “So what, the Bible itself does NOT teach that God is a Trinity”, and then think in your mind that the Jehovah's Witnesses are teaching the TRUTH because they have it right on this POINT that Jesus is NOT Almighty God HIMSELF as the mainstream churches falsely teach. And you may WONDER WHY, the mainstream church, calls the Jehovah’s Witnesses a “cult” because you know that they teach the TRUTH about Jesus NOT being THE ALMIGHTY God Himself who ALONE is the FATHER? And then there are those who are NOT Jehovah's Witnesses who are innocent babes in Jesus Christ. And when they look into this group called the Jehovah’s Witnesses for themselves to see what else they believe by going to their official website and they learn that Jesus is NOT Almighty God Himself as they were previously taught by their Trinitarian or Oneness Pentecostal church denomination. And before you know it, they are THINKING about becoming a Jehovah's Witness being totally unaware of all the OTHER false teachings in the Jehovah’s Witnesses. And WHY is it that both you, a Jehovah’s Witness, and they, those considering to become a Jehovah’s Witness, are being DECEIVED? It is simply because the mainstream church denominations of Oneness Pentecostalism and Trinitarianism would not take the time to search out the TRUTH for themselves and TEACH you the WHOLE word of Almighty God. In other words, I do not place all the blame on these so-called “cults”, but rather, the blame for there even being “cults” should be placed upon the mainstream church denominations for NOT teaching these babes in Jesus Christ the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. You do know my dear brother and sisters in the Lord in the mainstream church, that simply just going to websites that you KNOW teaches the doctrine of the Trinity is NOT searching out the TRUTH for yourself. You are just PARROTING what you have been TAUGHT by those who are merely PARROTING what they have been TAUGHT from generation to generation. So PLEASE take some good advice from HISTORY and LISTEN to those that gave their LIFE for what they believed to be the word of TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. Take time to CONSIDER the WHOLE matter. Crawl out of that TUNNEL VISION that has you BLINDED by this false man-made “DOCTRINE” of the Trinity and take a closer look at what the CLEAR, PLAIN, and SIMPLE word of God teaches. Otherwise, more and more Christians will be converted to Islam, or to become Jehovah's Witnesses, or joining the Mormons or some other “cult” such as Unitarian Universalism, UNTIL the mainstream church starts TEACHING God's people the WHOLE word of Almighty God. Then these babes in Jesus Christ will NOT become the prey of wolves that TRY will DECEIVE them because they have been rooted and grounded in the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. But those who continue to cling to the false teaching of the Trinity will be the “WHO” that will be held responsible for these little ones being DECEIVED by the false teaching of cults like the Jehovah's Witnesses? At the very LEAST the mainstream church should REMOVE this “DOCTRINE” of the Trinity from their DOGMATIC and NON NEGOTIABLE statements of ESSENTIAL beliefs and place it in the DEBATABLE section of beliefs because NOWHERE in the Bible are we COMMANDED to believe such a “DOCTRINE”. WHY can you not see the DIVISION that this man-made “DOCTRINE” has and is yet causing in the body of Jesus Christ. May Almighty God have mercy upon you in the Day of Judgment who teach this false “DOCTRINE” of the Trinity and the false doctrine of Oneness Pentecostalism that wrongly teaches that Jesus IS the Father Himself. Moving on in this study, let us take a look at what some FORMER Jehovah's Witnesses, whose eyes of understanding have been OPENED and who have come out of Jehovah's Witnesses have to say about what the Watchtower Society teaches. For those who have never heard of the Watchtower Society, it is a group of 10 to 15 so-called mature Christian men who are believed by the Jehovah's Witnesses to be the ONLY men who receive direct revelation from Almighty God. And these 10 or 15 men then write ALL the TEACHINGS of the Jehovah's Witnesses in magazines called the Awake and the Watchtower which are used to TEACH the people. And ONLY the writings of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society are to be used to teach the discreet slaves by forbidding Jehovah's Witnesses to study the Bible on their OWN unless the use ONLY what the say they can use. In other words, the Jehovah's Witnesses are not encouraged to be free thinkers and read the Bible for themselves, but rather, they are dogmatically TOLD what to believe and they are taught that ONLY the elders of the church can interpret the Bible correctly. But yet the elders say that they do NOT receive direct REVELATION from God. Now in truth, the mainstream churches do the SAME thing, but not in such an extreme way as these different “cults” do when RESTRICTING their members to read ONLY THEIR APPROVED books. Where has the TRUST in the leading of the Holy Spirit gone? WHY do so many church denominations dogmatically teach that you must read ONLY their APPROVED books, which in my own personal opinion are often more UNSOUND Biblical teachings than some of the books that some church denominations have banned to be read. Let us get back to the study at hand. Here is just a short portion of a very long personal testimony of a lifelong Jehovah's Witness who is at this present time still yet an active member, but definitely see the ERRORS of the DOGMATIC NON NEGOTIABLE governing body of the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Watchtower Society.
“I realize as an elder that I am speaking out against the very organization I try to faithfully represent, but I personally think that the Governing Body is wrong by teaching that only what they teach us, as printed in the Watchtower publications, should be considered to be “the truth.” They’ve made the expression of any personal opinions or group debates over their official versions of Biblical truths subject to disciplinary action – often leading to someone being dis-fellow-shipped. That is why I feel that I must keep my own identity somewhat anonymous. I don’t feel that addressing problems within the organization should be punished as long as it is done with good intent and an honest heart, but that is the way things are at this time. Until Jehovah changes the hearts and understanding of the Governing Body through his Holy Spirit and love for his Witnesses on Earth, I don’t want my family to suffer because I want to speak out. I’m not ready for that. I’m not sure I will ever be prepared to leave the Truth. To be a faithful Witness of Jehovah, according to the Governing Body, you must accept what they teach without question and without debate. I personally know of several excellent and otherwise faithful brothers and sisters who have left the organization or have been dis-fellow-shipped because they honestly questioned just a few details of the Watchtower’s doctrinal teachings.”
I can relate somewhat to what this person is feeling. I recently made a stand at the church I have been a member of for many years. Long story, short, they started up this policy that you had to sign their statements of faith in order to teach. Well in all good conscience I could not sign their document, because to me it was NOT entirely Biblical. And thus, I had to step down from teaching at the church unless I taught EXACTLY as they demanded. Now to me, whose teaching God's word is my life, my heart's desire, this took the wind right out of my sail, so to speak. I lost all the joy that I had of going to church. You see, to me, if I could not teach the word of Almighty God, then why go to church. I love to teach God's word, it is what brings me joy and purpose to my life. So the only choice that this church denomination gave to me was to either stay and fight for the truth or go find another church that believes as I do about the “DOCTRINE” of the Trinity being FALSE teaching. This is WHY many turn to these “cults” not realizing that they are “cults” until they have been deceived again in another area. I mean at the very least, the Trinitarian churches should make their followers aware that there are Christians called Biblical Unitarians who do not believe in the doctrine of the Trinity. And then, they should explain WHY they believe that Trinitarians have the best theology that makes the most sense to them. I mean when I left the Trinitarian churches, I was all alone for many years before I ever even heard the term Biblical Unitarian. The only church that I knew of that was NOT Trinitarian was the Jehovah's Witnesses. And the thought did occur to me to check them out but thank God the Holy Spirit in me spared me the ordeal of becoming a Jehovah's Witness only to learn later that they have false teaching. Now after doing my own research, I have come to realize that being a Jehovah's Witness and then leaving that faith that there is a very high price to pay, which is to be disfellowshipped. This means you are treated as an outcast by your own family members and even your spouse, just because you do not agree with the man-made doctrines of the church. Please read the study Z-9. Is SHUNNING BIBLICAL? Thank God my wife and family stand by me and agree that many of the “DOCTRINES” in the mainstream church need to be RE-WRITTEN in order to be SOUND BIBLICAL teaching. But in many of these “cults”, the price is very high for leaving or even QUESTIONING what their church denomination or religion teaches. The price for leaving ISLAM is DEATH, and yet there are CHRISTIANS who are being converted to ISLAM simply because Muslims are using the word of TRUTH, the Holy Bible itself, to prove to these babes in Jesus Christ that Jesus is NOT THE ONE TRUE and ONLY ALMIGHTY God Himself. And when these babes in Jesus Christ SEE this TRUTH, they then convert to the religion or to the Christian “cult” that showed them that they have been LIED to by the mainstream churches. These babes in Jesus Christ TRUST these FALSE groups NOT knowing that they are false in many OTHER areas. But rather, those babes in Christ WRONGLY see them as having the TRUTH in all areas because they are the ones who EXPOSED the LIES that they had been taught in the mainstream churches all their lives about God being a so-called Trinity Godhead. This is WHY the mainstream churches need to WAKE UP and ADDRESS this issue or CONTINUE to lose these babes in Christ to these FALSE religions and “cults”. The good thing is that in all of this controversy Almighty God is MOVING on both sides to get us to put away these doctrines of men and teach only the CLEAR, PLAIN, and SIMPLE word of TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. So hang in there my dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ, who are struggling over this doctrine of the Trinity and are looking for people of like-minded faith. God is OPENING the eyes of understanding both in the mainstream church and in these “cults” that have broken off from the mainstream church over this ONE false teaching of the doctrine of the Trinity. Unity of faith is coming! Keep your FAITH in Jesus Christ! There are some who have cast away all faith in God when they find out that they have been LIED to a SECOND time after joining one of these cults of false religions and finding out later that they too have NOT been teaching the WHOLE TRUTH. Now, the part to me that makes the Jehovah Witnesses a “CULT” is the fact of their DOGMATIC NON NEGOTIABLE governing body teaching the people that they CANNOT understand the word of Almighty God WITHOUT their teachings. In other words, the governing body EXALTS themself above all other Christians by dogmatically teaching that WITHOUT them and their TEACHING, then there can be NO salvation. This is a LIE from the pit of Hell by the Watchtower Society so to my dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ, who are yet Jehovah's Witnesses, DO NOT BE DECEIVED any longer. COME OUT from under this governing body that has deceived you into believing that they ALONE are the ONLY TRUE church. I know that the price is high, but go to the God of ALL COMFORT and HE will give you complete and perfect PEACE as you seek HIM over any church ORGANIZATION. The following is a quote taken from a former Jehovah's Witness:
“When you study with the Jehovah's Witnessed, you agree to attend five meetings a week where you are taught from Watchtower literature. You cannot be baptized until you have studied their material for at least six months and have answered numerous questions before a panel of elders. Men are not supposed to have long hair or wear beards and women are to dress in modest apparel. They refuse to vote, salute the flag, sing the "Star-Spangled Banner, celebrate birthdays or Christmas, won't take blood transfusions, and can't join the armed forces. A schedule of door-to-door canvassing is REQUIRED where you distribute the Watchtower literature, acquire donations, and forward all monies to the headquarters in Brooklyn, New York. If you ever leave the Jehovah's Witness organization, you are considered an apostate and are to be SHUNNED.”
Again, I know the price is high, but do not fear what MAN can do to you, but rather fear Almighty God and his judgment if you do not obey what his Holy Spirit is teaching you and leading you to do. Keep reading and you will clearly see WHY the teachings of the Watchtower and Bible Tract Society are NOT SOUND BIBLICAL teachings when exposed to the LIGHT of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. The Watchtower teaches that Jesus was a spirit being that existed in heaven BEFORE he came to the earth to become a man. The Watchtower also teaches that Jesus was the archangel named Michael before he became a man. Please read the studies O-4. Did Jesus Always PREEXIST as God's SON? and Z-6. Is JESUS MICHAEL the ARCHANGEL? But for now, here are a few reasons why the Bible itself does NOT teach that Jesus pre-existed as the SON OF God. The CLEAR, PLAIN, and SIMPLE word of TRUTH teaches that in the beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was WITH God, and the WORD was God. It is MAN that INTERPRETS this verse in John 1:1 to mean that in the beginning was JESUS, and JESUS was WITH God and JESUS was God, but in TRUTH the WORD was MADE or BECAME flesh in John 1:14. And in Philippians chapter 2, it is INTERPRETED that whatever form Jesus had before with God was laid aside and put off in order to BECOME in the likeness of a MAN, a HUMAN BEING. But, in TRUTH, the word translated as “BEING” in the form of God actually means who CAME INTO BEING in the form of God. And the HUMAN Jesus was MADE Lord and Messiah AFTER the cross and resurrection, according to Acts 2:36. So, according to the Bible ITSELF, that is WHEN the human Jesus CAME into BEING in the form of God. For a deeper understanding of this subject of the WORD becoming a MAN please read the study >>>N-0. Who is JESUS ACCORDING to the Bible?<<< And along with that study also read all of the related studies that I have listed in that study. But for now, let us take a look at WHY Jesus was NOT Michael the archangel or any other angel before the WORD that was with God was one day made to become flesh and was given the name Jesus, which means the salvation of Yahweh that is transliterated to the name Jehovah or more precisely as Yehovah in English. The word of TRUTH teaches us that all of MANKIND, which INCLUDES Jesus, was made a little LOWER than the angels. Please read Psalm 8 in order to see that it is Almighty God the Father that brought forth his Son Jesus into existence in the form of a man who was made at first to be a little LOWER than the ANGELS, but then Almighty God would EXALT him ABOVE the ANGELS for his obedience to do all his will.
Psalm 8:1-9.
“O LORD our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth! Who has set Your glory above the heavens? 2. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings have You ordained strength because of your enemies, that you might still the enemy and the avenger. 3. When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained; 4. What is man, that You are mindful of him? and the son of man, that You visit him? 5. For You have made him (Speaking specifically of pointing to Jesus, but in truth, the pronoun “him” here is teaching us that ALL of mankind are created) a little LOWER than the angels, and (You Almighty God) have crowned him with glory and honor. 6. You made him to have dominion over the works of your hands; You have put all things under his feet: 7. All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; 8. The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passes through the paths of the seas. 9. O LORD our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth!”
Then we see in the Bible that if man OVERCOMES just as Jesus himself OVERCAME the enemy of Almighty God that old serpent called the Devil and Satan, then we will be granted to sit on the Almighty God's throne with Jesus and be given the authority to JUDGE the angels in the world to come.
Please read Revelation 3:21,22.
“To him that OVERCOMES will I grant to sit with me in my throne, EVEN AS I ALSO OVERCAME, and am set down with my Father in HIS throne. 22. He that has an ear, let him HEAR what the Spirit says unto the churches.”
Then we read in 1 Corinthians 6:2,3 that we shall be given authority to not only judge the world but also we shall JUDGE the ANGELS that rebelled against Almighty God the Father.
1 Corinthians 6:2,3.
“Do you not KNOW that the SAINTS (Those of us who OVERCOME) shall JUDGE the world? And if the world shall be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3. Know you not that WE shall judge ANGELS? How much more, things that pertain to this life?”
Just as Jesus was HIGHLY EXALTED because he OVERCAME the enemy by becoming OBEDIENT unto death on the cross so shall we who also OVERCOME be granted to sit and REIGN WITH Jesus during his 1000 year reign. So then, how can MAN be ANGELS before mankind was created? This makes NO SENSE whatsoever. We are plainly taught in Genesis that Almighty God formed the body of a man out of the dust of the ground and then BREATHED his LIFE into this body of dirt and it BECAME a LIVING SOUL. There is NO mention of mankind being ANGELS before their creation. The Bible even tells us that ANGELS were CREATED perfect in all their ways before they made the choice to rebel against him. Please read the study Q-8. WHO IS LUCIFER?---IS LUCIFER SATAN? That study will give you a deeper understanding on the subject of God’s enemy, Satan. But for now, let us continue to examine the teachings of the Watchtower to see if they are SOUND BIBLICAL teachings in the LIGHT of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. Here is a list of THIRTY things that the Jehovah's Witnesses teach. Notice that they give their references to the articles written by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. I will emphasize in bold letters, underlining, and highlighting the teachings that are NOT SOUND Biblical teachings. And again, this is NOT to say that ALL of the teachings that are not emphasized are ENTIRELY sound Biblical teachings.
#1. There is one God in one person, Make Sure of All Things, p 188. (And I absolutely agree that the Bible itself teaches us that the one true God is ONE person who alone is the Father)
#2. There is no Trinity, Let God be True, p. 100-101; Make Sure of All Things, p.386. (And I absolutely agree that the Bible itself teaches us that the one true Godhead is ONE person who alone is the Father. And thus, God is NOT a so-called Trinity Godhead)
#3. The Holy Spirit is a force, not alive, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, p. 406-407. (I highly disagree. The Holy Spirit is the Father, according to many verses of Scripture. Please read the studies, “THE HOLY SPIRIT IS NOT THE THIRD PERSON OF THE TRINITY!” and “THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE FATHER”)
#4. The Holy Spirit is God's impersonal active force, The Watchtower, June 1, 1952, p. 24. (Again, please read the above-mentioned studies for the SOUND Biblical TRUTH of the WHOLE word of God)
#5. Jehovah's first creation was his 'only-begotten Son'. . . was used by Jehovah in creating all other things", Aid to Bible Understanding, p. 390-391. (Please read the study P-4. Ephesians 3:9-11 Did Jesus Create all Things? For you see, while it is true that Jesus is the FIRST creature created in the image of the invisible God, it is NOT true that Jesus was created in the eternity past and the Jehovah’s Witnesses CLAIM)
#6. Jesus was Michael the archangel who became a man, The Watchtower, May 15, 1963, p. 307; The New World, 284. (Please read the study Z-6. Is JESUS MICHAEL the ARCHANGEL?)
#7. Jesus was only a perfect man, not God in flesh, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, p. 306. (I agree, but the Jehovah’s Witnesses wrongly teach that the Word was the Son of God in the eternity past. Please read the study U-6. What does God INCARNATE TRULY Mean? for a SOUND Biblical teaching that Almighty God HIMSELF CREATED Himself a MAN leaving void of any divinity. And God created that man to become DIVINE as his reward, the JOY set before him to endure the cross, according to Hebrews 12:2. But first, the FULLY and TRULY a HUMAN BEING needed to be tempted like all mankind and to overcome temptation to not sin. God needed a MAN made LOWER than the angels to JUDGE Satan and the fallen angels, according to Acts 17:29-31)
#8. Jesus did not rise from the dead in his physical body, Awake! July 22, 1973, p. 4.(Simply read the clear statement of FACT found in Luke 24:23 which plainly states that Jesus is NOT a ghost or a spirit, but rather has a PHYSICAL IMMORTAL body or flesh and bone. “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones, as you see me have.”)
#9. Jesus was raised "not a human creature, but a spirit." Let God be True, p. 276. (Same as above. Simply read Luke 24:23. The Jehovah's Witnesses NEED to teach that Jesus was raised as a “spirit” being in order to COVER their ERROR that Jesus has already returned INVISIBLY in 1914)
#10. Jesus was born again, The Watchtower, Nov. 15, 1954, p. 682. (And I agree that the Bible itself teaches us that Jesus was born-again)
#11. Jesus did not die on a cross but on a stake, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, p. 89-90. (Please read the study Z-7. DID JESUS DIE ON THE CROSS?)
#12. Jesus began his invisible rule over the earth in 1914, The Truth Shall Make You Free, p. 300. (Simply read the sound Biblical statement of the FACT that when Jesus returns EVERY EYE shall SEE HIM found in Revelation 1:7 “Behold, he comes with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindred of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.”)
#13. Jesus' ransom sacrifice did not include Adam, Let God be True, p. 119. (Jesus died for the sins of the WHOLE world including Adam and Eve. What part of the WHOLE world is not understood to mean the WHOLE world?)
#14. Their church is the self-proclaimed prophet of God, The Watchtower, April 1, 1972, p. 197.(The church was SENT by Jesus to proclaim the gospel)
#15. They claim to be the only channel of God's truth, The Watchtower, Feb. 15, 1981, p. 19. (Yes, the CLAIM to be Christ, the anointed ones of God. But Jesus WARNS us that there would be many FALSE Christ. Please read the study Z-9. Is SHUNNING BIBLICAL?)
#16. Only their church members will be saved, The Watchtower, Feb 15, 1979, p. 30. (Same as number 15 above)
#17. Good works are necessary for salvation, Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 1, p. 150, 152. (Please read the study “IS ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED BIBLICAL?” which teaches us WHAT works we must do in order to obtain eternal life in the world to come. But doing work FOR the Watchtower ORGANIZATION is NOT Biblical. It is working in VAIN. It will NOT profit you in heaven. In fact, working to spread a FALSE gospel goes against what the Bible itself teaches)
#18. The soul ceases to exist after death, Let God be True, p. 59, 60, 67.(Please read the study Aa-3. Is the Doctrine of Soul Sleep Biblical? Part 1)
#19. There is no hell of fire where the wicked are punished, Let God be True, p. 79, 80. (I agree that the doctrine of eternal torture is NOT taught in the WHOLE word of God, but I do not know ALL of what the Watchtower teaches on this subject. Please read the study Ee-23. Is THE DOCTRINE OF HELL BIBLICAL? and Ee-22. Does Revelation 20:10 Teach Eternal Torment?)
#20. Only 144,000 Jehovah's Witnesses go to heaven, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, pp. 166-167, 361; Let God be True, p. 121. (Please read the studies related to the second coming of Jesus for the sound Biblical teaching of the end of days. The 144,000 have nothing to do with being a Christian. In fact, you really do NOT want to be one of the 144,000 because they do not receive eternal life to live and reign WITH Jesus during the 1000 year reign of Jesus in the world to come.)
#21. Only the 144,000 Jehovah's Witnesses are born again. Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, p. 76.; Watchtower 11/15/54, p. 681. (Same as above, but I also highly suggest that you read the study E-8. WHAT IS THE ONE TRUE CHURCH?)
#22. Only the 144,000 may take communion. (This FALSE teaching of an ELITE group of believers is NOT sound Biblical teaching. Please read the studies under the heading >>>J-0. Prophecy-2nd COMING of Jesus<<< Those studies with give you a SOUND BIBLICAL understanding of the coming of Jesus and the 1000 year reign of Jesus)
#23. Blood transfusions are a sin, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, pp. 72-73. (I myself do NOT see this in Scripture)
#24. The Cross is a pagan symbol and should not be used, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, p. 90-92. (Yes, the cross is a pagan symbol but so is the STAKE. We as Christian do not use the cross as the pagans. The wedding ring is also a pagan symbol but Christians are not sinners simply because we use wedding rings)
#25. Salvation is by faith and what you do, Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 1, p. 150,152. (And that depends on the “WHAT” that we are required to do. We are NOT required to attend church five days a week, nor are we required to go out and witness so many HOURS each week and fill out a time card. These are MAN-MADE rules and NOT God's commandments. I do agree that Christians MUST keep the moral commandments of God under the New Covenant written in the New Testament in order to receive eternal life in the world to come. Please read the study F-2. Is ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED BIBLICAL?)
#26. It is possible to lose your salvation, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, p. 358-359. (I agree, please read the above study.)
#27. The universe is billions of years old, Your will Be Done on Earth, p. 43. (I agree that the earth, as well as the entire Universe is OLDER than just 6,000, but mankind itself is only around 6000 years old, according to the genealogies and ages in the Bible. And Jesus has only been around for 2000 years. For you see, Jesus came into existence as the HUMAN Son of God AT his virgin birth. And then, His God and Father highly exalted His human Son to be MADE both Lord and Christ AFTER the cross and resurrection, according to Acts 2:36)
#28. 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. (I disagree! First of all, 42,000 years contradicts what the JW's just said under point #27 that the Universe is BILLIONS of years old. Now, I believe that the Bible itself likens a day to be as a THOUSAND years and NOT as 7000 years. And the seven 1000 year-long days of creation symbolize that God will finish his creation of man to be created in his image by conforming us into the image of his Son Jesus in the SEVENTH 1000 year long day of the Lord, please read the study J-1. Does God Have a 7000 Year PLAN of Salvation? This does NOT mean that the earth cannot be billions of years old. I personally believe that Genesis chapter 1 is God RESTORING the earth after He Himself FLOODED the earth to STILL His ENEMIES, Lucifer and the fallen angels. Please read all of the studies under the headings >>>D-0. The BIBLICAL Unitarian VIEW of Jesus<<<, and >>>Q-0. WHY are we HERE?-Is God at WAR?<<<)
#29. 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. (The Bible says to obey the laws of the land unless they contradict the laws of God. So it should be left up to each individual believer between them and God as to whether or not they serve in the armed forces. And as for as keeping of days, one day is not above another day and there is NO wrong in observing birthdays, Christmas, Easter, or even Halloween for that matter if they are not celebrated with the INTENT of worshiping false gods. Please read the study Dd-94. Is CHRISTMAS a PAGAN Ritual in DISGUISE?)
#30. Satan was entrusted with the obligation and charged with the duty of overseeing the creation of the earth, Children, p. 55 (That depends on WHEN they are talking about. I believe that LUCIFER was given the throne over the OLD earth BEFORE mankind was ever created. Lucifer rebelled and made WAR against God. And the very reason that God ever created the human race was so that he could end that war and destroy Satan. Please read the study Q-1. UNDERSTANDING WHY?)
Let us now take these statements of faith of the Jehovah's Witnesses and view them in the light of the WHOLE word of Almighty God.
#1. There is one God in one person, Make Sure of All Things, p 188.
Yes, I agree. The word of TRUTH clearly teaches that there is only ONE ALMIGHTY God who ALONE is the FATHER, so I have to agree with this statement that there is ONE God, in that this means there is only one ALMIGHTY God and this ONE TRUE and ONLY ALMIGHTY God is ONE person or ONE being. The Bible clearly teaches us that Almighty God is a SPIRIT, therefore, Almighty God the Father who is SPIRIT and his Holy Spirit are ONE and the SAME BEING. And yes, Jesus IS GOD, but clearly from the whole word of TRUTH Jesus is NOT the one true and ONLY ALMIGHTY God who alone is the FATHER. Jesus is NOT the Father. Please read the studies under the heading >>>N-0. Who is JESUS ACCORDING to the Bible?<<< for all the Scriptures left IN their CONTEXT to prove that the “DOCTRINE” of the Trinity is FALSE teaching of man. The Bible clearly teaches us that Jesus BECAME a God under his God AFTER the cross.
# 2. There is no Trinity, Let God be True, p. 100-101; Make Sure of All Things, p.386.
I have already covered this point in statement #1, in which I agree that the “DOCTRINE” of the Trinity is FALSE. However, I do believe in THREE distinct WORKINGS of Almighty God and they are Almighty God Himself, His SPOKEN Word of PROPHECY, and His OWN Holy Spirit which is a part of His OWN being as Spirit. You see, Jesus as the SON of Almighty God was NOT with God in the beginning, in either human form or in any other form except as the WORD of PROPHECY of Almighty God that was within the mind of God. Again, please read the in-depth studies is God word on this subject that I list in the heading >>>N-0. Who is JESUS ACCORDING to the Bible?<<<
#3. The Holy Spirit is a force, not alive, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, p. 406-407.
The Jehovah's Witnesses are definitely in ERROR on this point, because the word of TRUTH clearly teaches us that we can OFFEND and GRIEVE the Holy Spirit and an IMPERSONAL FORCE cannot be grieved!
Please read Ephesians 4:30.
“And GRIEVE NOT the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption.”
Also, we are WARNED in Mark 3:29 NOT to BLASPHEME the Holy Spirit. We can say whatever about Jesus, the Son of Almighty God, and be FORGIVEN of our sin, but if we BLASPHEME the Holy Spirit that sin will NOT be FORGIVEN in this life or in the world to come.
Mark 3:29.
“But he that shall BLASPHEME against the Holy Ghost has NEVER forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:”
Plain and simple you cannot BLASPHEME an IMPERSONAL FORCE, but rather only a PERSONAL Almighty God who ALONE is the FATHER and who is a SPIRIT and sends forth his OWN Holy Spirit can be BLASPHEMED against. And the Jehovah's Witnesses come very close in my opinion to BLASPHEMING Almighty God by calling his Holy Spirit and IMPERSONAL FORCE.
#4. The Holy Spirit is God's impersonal active force, The Watchtower, June 1, 1952, p. 24.
Same as # 3 above.
#5. Jehovah's first creation was his 'only-begotten Son'. . . was used by Jehovah in creating all other things", Aid to Bible Understanding, p. 390-391.
This particular statement I find to be SOMEWHAT the TRUTH. Yes, Jesus as the SON of Almighty God was BROUGHT FORTH into being on a certain DAY in time. In other words, BEFORE that certain DAY in history that Jesus was BEGOTTEN by his God, Jesus did not EXIST as a physical human being. But rather, Jesus existed only in the mind and PLAN of Almighty God before the DAY that Jesus was ACTUALLY brought forth into EXISTENCE. I say SOMEWHAT because the Jehovah’s Witnesses ERROR by interpreting the Scriptures to mean that Jesus is the FIRST of God’s creatures and that Jesus was brought into existence in the eternity past. Please read the studies O-14. When did Jesus Become God's Son? Part 1 and O-1. DID JESUS HAVE A BEGINNING? for all the Scriptures to prove that Jesus as the SON of Almighty God did, in fact, have a beginning. BUT that beginning was at his virgin birth and NOT in the eternity past.
#6. Jesus was Michael the archangel who became a man, The Watchtower, May 15, 1963, p. 307; The New World, 284.
I already covered this point in the study above. Jesus was NOT an ANGEL before Jesus came into existence at his virgin birth. And Jesus is NOT going to BECOME an angel in the world to come. Jesus will ALWAYS be Jesus, the Son of MAN who became the “eternal” Son of Almighty God AFTER the cross, whom his Father has HIGHLY EXALTED because of his HUMAN Son's complete OBEDIENCE to do ALL his God Father's will.
#7. Jesus was only a perfect man, not God in flesh, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, p. 306.
Now on this point, the Jehovah's Witnesses could not be more WRONG. Yes, Jesus was fully a man tempted in every point just like we are tempted. And YES, Jesus lived a perfect SINLESS life as an EXAMPLE for us to FOLLOW. But Jesus was NOT just a MERE ORDINARY man like every other human being. Jesus had a UNIQUE birth like no other human being has ever had or will ever have. This is one of the reasons of why Jesus is called the FIRST and the LAST. Before Jesus, Almighty God had never before brought forth such a Son that He Himself would train up to be His Messiah and we are assured that never again will God ever need to bring forth ANOTHER Savior for mankind. Jesus is the FIRST and the LAST of his kind. Jesus is the ONLY Savior that Almighty God the Father HIMSELF has CHOSEN to be the MEANS BY WHICH He desires to save mankind. Jesus is the first and last Savior that God will ever need. God spoke forth His WORD and His spoken WORD of prophecy was made or BECAME a human being like no other human being ever before or shall ever be hereafter. Jesus was BORN of a VIRGIN which means that Jesus did NOT have an EARTHLY father. Yes, Jesus was a MAN but Jesus was not ONLY as every other man. Jesus was APPOINTED by Almighty God to be HIS LAMB, the MEANS by which Almighty God would RECONCILE mankind back to HIMSELF. And had the principalities and powers and the rulers of darkness KNOWN this they would NOT have CRUCIFIED the Lord of GLORY. Almighty God manifested or CLEARLY REVEALED HIMSELF through His HUMAN Son Jesus whom He BROUGHT FORTH into existence on the earth, a created being that had never existed before THIS DAY that Almighty God had BEGOTTEN His Son Jesus, the salvation of Almighty God the Father. Please read the following studies. O-13. What does Firstborn of every Creature mean? O-14. When did Jesus Become God's Son? Part 1 O-15. When did Jesus Become God's Son? Part 2 O-16. When did Jesus Become God's Son? Part 3
#8. Jesus did not rise from the dead in his physical body, Awake! July 22, 1973, p. 4.
Again, the Jehovah's Witnesses are in ERROR on this point as well. The word of TRUTH clearly and plainly teaches us that Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day with a FLESH and BONE body that a SPIRIT does NOT possess.
Please read Luke 24:36-43.
“And as they thus spoke, Jesus HIMSELF stood in the midst of them, and said unto them, Peace be unto you. 37. But they were terrified and frightened, and SUPPOSED that they had seen a SPIRIT. 38. And he said unto them, WHY are you troubled? And why do thoughts arise in your hearts? 39. Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I MYSELF: handle me, and see; for a SPIRIT has NOT flesh and bones, as you see me have. 40. And when he had thus spoken, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have you here any meat? 42. And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of a honeycomb. 43. And he took it, and did EAT before them.”
CLEARLY, the word of TRUTH teaches us that Jesus was NOT raised as a SPIRIT BEING, but rather Jesus was raised as HIMSELF with a FLESH and BONE physical body that is now an ETERNAL and incorruptible body that will never perish or decay like the physical bodies we now have presently.
#9. Jesus was raised “not a human creature, but a spirit.” Let God be True, p. 276.
Same as #8 above. Jesus was given an immortal body of flesh and bone AFTER the cross.
#10. Jesus was born again, The Watchtower, Nov. 15, 1954, p. 682.
Now, I do not know exactly what the Watchtower means or infers by Jesus being born-again. Certainly, the Bible teaches us that Jesus was ANOINTED with the Holy Spirit of Almighty God the Father when Jesus was baptized in water by John the Baptist. The Holy Spirit descended from heaven upon Jesus and remained. So then, in essence, from that point on in Jesus' life, he lived to do the entire WILL of his God and Father through the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. And since NO human can receive the INDWELLING of the Holy Spirit until AFTER they are “born-again” then one could interpret the water baptism of Jesus as Jesus being born-again. The word of TRUTH teaches us that Jesus overcame sin THROUGH the eternal Holy Spirit of Almighty God. The mighty works that Jesus did he did through the ANOINTING of the INDWELLING of the Holy Spirit and NOT through his own strength as a man or even as the Son of God, and most assuredly NOT as being Almighty God in the FLESH as some Christians falsely teach. Now we know that Jesus was BORN of a woman, and we also know that Jesus is called the FIRSTBORN among many brethren, which is speaking of his RESURRECTION. So yes, Jesus was indeed BORN-AGAIN to become the FIRSTBORN of every creature AT his resurrection. But I do not find that Jesus needed to be BORN-AGAIN in the way that the Bible teaches that we as SINNERS must be born-again and become NEW creatures in Jesus Christ in order to be brought BACK into the right relationship with Almighty God. You see, Jesus was NEVER OUT of being in the right relationship with his God and Father, Almighty God. Unless, of course, Jesus sinned BEFORE his water baptism which the Bible does not say one way or the other. Also, in truth, we who are born-again by the word of God have not yet received the END of our salvation to become IMMORTAL new creatures of God. So the TRUE sound Biblical meaning of being born-again could very well mean our ACTUAL receiving of eternal life. So then we are BEING saved and we will not be made perfect until we endure unto the END to obtain ETERNAL LIFE in the world to come.
#11. Jesus did not die on a cross but on a stake, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, p. 89-90.
I personally do not see the point of why it matters whether Jesus died on a wooden STAKE or Jesus died on the conventionally and widely accepted wooden CROSS. So long as we are all in agreement that Jesus was CRUCIFIED and HANGED upon a TREE, as in, a stake or a cross made of WOOD the real heart of the matter is that Jesus died FOR our sins. I have never really searched out all the evidence on this particular point, but what evidence that I have seen, to ME, points to a CROSS. But again, really, what does it truly matter except having two different teachings causes DIVISION. So show me WHY the Jehovah's Witnesses find it is so vitally important to your salvation that Jesus was crucified on a STAKE as opposed to a CROSS. Help me to understand WHY? Otherwise, this is a meaningless argument. We call the pole that has a CROSSMEMBER like unto a CROSS a telephone POLE but yet it is a CROSS. So to me, Jesus carried a wooden cross member that was attached to a POLE which became a CROSS only when a person was crucified.
#12. Jesus began his invisible rule over the earth in 1914, The Truth Shall Make You Free, p. 300.
Again, the Watchtower has made many ERRORS in their prophecies of the second coming of Jesus, which should PROVE to anyone who is seeking the TRUTH that these men in the governing body of the Jehovah's Witnesses are FALSE prophets. Now, some Jehovah’s Witnesses argue that the WatchTower no longer teaches that Jesus has already returned INVISIBLY. But according to the official Jehovah’s Witness website, there is no record of the leaders openly admitting that their former leaders erred in their teachings that Jesus returned invisibly in 1914. The Bible itself assures us that Jesus has NOT returned, as yet, because there are still WARS being fought. The Bible teaches us that the weapons of war will be beaten into plowshares and men will NOT learn war during the 1000 year reign of Jesus in his Father's kingdom. Please read the studies that I have related to >>>J-0. Prophecy-2nd COMING of Jesus<<< You may want to start with the two studies called J-6. The LITERAL 1000 YEAR REIGN of Jesus!, and J-7. Is the 1000 YEAR REIGN of Jesus LITERAL
#13. Jesus' ransom sacrifice did not include Adam, Let God be True, p. 119.
The Watchtower teaches that Adam's sin was a WILLFUL sin and, therefore, can NOT be forgiven. To him that KNOWS to do RIGHT and does it NOT to HIM it is SIN. Well, this INCLUDES every one of us. We ALL have sinned WILLFULLY at one time or another in our life. So then, according to the Watchtowers INTERPRETATION of the Bible concerning WILFUL sin, then NO man can be FORGIVEN of their sins. The Watchtower also falsely REASONS that no MURDER will be FORGIVEN for their sin of murder. We know that Jesus personally FORGIVES men of their SINS by asking God to forgive the ones who crucified him. And the ones who CRUCIFIED or MURDERED the INNOCENT man, Jesus, were FORGIVEN by Jesus himself who said, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. They knew very well that they were MURDERING Jesus but what they did not know was that Jesus was the MESSIAH, the CHRIST, the LAMB of Almighty God to take away the SINS of the world, which INCLUDES MURDER.
#14. Their church is the self-proclaimed prophet of God, The Watchtower, April 1, 1972, p. 197.
The key wording here is SELF-proclaimed! Need I say more? Those who EXALT THEMSELVES shall be abased or brought down low. And as far as being a “prophet” the Watchtower has only proven to be a FALSE prophet.
#15. They claim to be the only channel of God's truth, The Watchtower, Feb. 15, 1981, p. 19.
Again, this is the number 1 MARK of a CULT, to me. Anyone who proclaims that they ALONE have the TRUTH and if you do not follow them, then you cannot obtain eternal life, then GET OUT from among them as quickly as you can for they are FALSE teachers. The book of Revelation speaks of SEVEN different churches and yet we are all of ONE body of Christ. There are many multiple different denominations, but we are all still brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ. But when any church EXALTS itself above all others making the CLAIM that they ALONE are the ONE TRUE church and apart from them there is NO salvation, then I would say it is time to move on and get out of that self-exalting church denomination. Now please do not misunderstand what I am saying. CHRISTIANITY is indeed a NON INCLUSIVE faith and we as Christians do NOT accept the many different roads that lead to heaven as an all-inclusive belief. The word of TRUTH, the Holy Bible, is very clear that there is NO OTHER name given among men whereby we MUST be saved and clearly that name is Jesus or Yeshua. But there are many parts of this one body of Jesus Christ called the CHURCH. In other words, the one true church is NOT a building of a particular denomination, but rather, the ONE TRUE church is a PEOPLE who follow their ONE Lord Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father, the God, and Father of Jesus.
#16. Only their church members will be saved, The Watchtower, Feb 15, 1979, p. 30.
Again, NO denomination or church organization can SAVE you. Please read the study E-4. HOW CAN I BE SAVED?
#17. Good works are necessary for salvation, Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 1, p. 150, 152.
Now, if you mean by SALVATION as actually obtaining ETERNAL LIFE in the world to come, then ABSOLUTELY good works ARE necessary to obtain ETERNAL LIFE. But if you mean by SALVATION to be FORGIVEN of all your past sins and be brought back into the right relationship with Almighty God, then NO, absolutely NOT! For you see, we are saved by GRACE, THROUGH FAITH and NOT of ourselves lest any man should BOAST. Jesus is the AUTHOR of our faith and Jesus is also the FINISHER of our faith. Our salvation, as in, the BEGINNING of our salvation has an ENDING or the receiving of the END of our salvation which is our obtaining eternal life in the world to come. And obtaining eternal life does indeed require good works but we cannot do good works consistently and without boasting or inner pride apart from God dwelling IN us to empower us to overcome sin. And thus, all the glory belongs to God, and pride is destroyed. But if you notice in the very next verse we are saved to DO GOOD WORKS of righteousness. And if we rebel against God and walk in DISOBEDIENCE to His commandments under the New Covenant written in the New Testament, then we will NOT inherit ETERNAL LIFE in the world to come. This is made VERY CLEAR throughout the WHOLE word of Almighty God. The WORKS that Paul is referring to in Ephesians 2:9 are the WORKS of the Law of Moses CONTAINED in ORDINANCES that Jesus ABOLISHED on the cross, according to Ephesians 2:15 and Colossians 2:8-17. Your very eternal life can be at stake on how YOU define this statement of faith of being saved by graces and not by works so you had better search this TRUTH out thoroughly for YOURSELF. WHY would you trust any man with a matter so great as your ETERNAL LIFE? Please read all the studies that I have written exposing the FALSE teachings of once saved always saved AND the false teachings of the seventh day of the week Sabbath-keeping Christians. We MUST keep our wedding garment CLEAN lest Jesus blots out our name from the Lamb's book of life. But Sabbath-keeping Christians have erred in the other extreme to wrongly teach that Christians must keep all the Law of Moses. Please read Revelation 3:3-6 right now if you have any doubt about this truth that we will be judged BY our WORKS.
Revelation 3:3-6.
“Remember, therefore, how you hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. IF therefore you shall NOT watch, I WILL come on you as a thief, and you shall not know what hour I will come upon you. (You do NOT want Jesus to come upon you as a thief. This means that you will not receive eternal life and you will be left behind to suffer the wrath of Almighty God at the coming of Jesus) 4. You have a few names even in Sardis which have NOT defiled their garments, and THEY (Speaking of ONLY those of you who have OBEYED my commandments under the New Covenant written in the New Testament keeping sin out of your life) shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. 5. He that overcomes, the SAME shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will NOT blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. (This means that if you do NOT overcome sin in your life that Jesus WILL blot out your name from the book of life. We overcome sin in TWO ways. We either stop sinning altogether OR we repent and confess our sins quickly so that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all our unrighteousness. But the GOAL is to stop sinning and IF we do sin we know that we have an advocate with the Father, according to 1 John 2:1-4) 6. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches.”
#18. The soul ceases to exist after death, Let God be True, p. 59, 60, 67.
This is one of the many things I do not like about statements of faith, they are too short and do not make it clear what the writer means. As this statement stands as written the answer is NO, the soul does NOT cease IMMEDIATELY after death. We read in Revelation chapter 6 about the SOULS being under the altar in heaven AWAITING their change. The souls of the Christians in heaven are CONSCIOUS and talking to God. And the souls of the wicked are awaiting the Day of Judgment being tormented in their MINDS of having NO HOPE knowing that the lake of fire awaits them. Now, AFTER the Day of Judgment, I would agree that the WICKED souls cease to exist, but certainly, the righteous souls will partake of ETERNAL LIFE in the worlds or ages to come after the Millennial reign of Jesus. Please read the study Aa-3. Is the Doctrine of Soul Sleep Biblical? Part 1
#19. There is no hell of fire where the wicked are punished, Let God be True, p. 79, 80.
Well, the WAY it is stated, there certainly IS a literal fire where the wicked will be PUNISHED. However, the “DOCTRINE” of ETERNAL TORTURE in those flames of fire I personally do NOT believe is SOUND BIBLICAL teaching. The punishment is eternal, in that, once the wicked are destroyed there is never a chance of God changing His mind and resurrecting them again. The second death is the final END for the wicked. But to be fair, the Jehovah’s Witnesses reject the eternal torment in Hell or the lake of fire, as opposed, to there being no FIRE that will punish the wicked by consuming them to ashes. Again, this is why I dislike short statements of faith because it is not always clear what they actually mean.
#20. Only 144,000 Jehovah's Witnesses go to heaven, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, pp. 166-167, 361; Let God be True, p. 121.
The Watchtower is in ERROR on three points in this statement of faith. First of all, the 144,000 is speaking of the sealed tribes of ISRAEL and has nothing to do with the church age in this present world. Secondly, they are in ERROR by SELF-proclaiming and exalting that ONLY Jehovah's Witnesses are saved. Thirdly, the Bible teaches that we shall live and reign ON the EARTH and NOT up in heaven. Now, it does appear that only Christians will be given eternal life at the coming of Jesus to live and reign with Jesus in the AIR. The New Jerusalem will remain in the AIR or in the orbit above the earth during the 1000 year reign of Jesus. And the New Jerusalem will come down to the surface of the New Earth after the Millennial reign of Jesus.
#21. Only the 144,000 Jehovah's Witnesses are born again. Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, p. 76.; Watchtower 11/15/54, p. 681.
Same as #20 above. Now, according to this statement of faith, all OTHER Jehovah’s Witnesses are NOT true Christians seeing that there are far more than just 144,000 Jehovah's Witnesses. Think this through for yourself. IF only 144,000 Jehovah's Witnesses are BORN-AGAIN then that means that ONLY 144,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses will be SAVED and ALL other Jehovah’s Witnesses can only HOPE that they are one of the 144,000. But in truth, the Bible ITSELF clearly teaches us that the SAVED cannot be NUMBERED, according to Revelation 7:7-17. Come out of the Jehovah’s Witnesses!
#22. Only the 144,000 may take communion.
Again, any time a group EXALTS certain ones OVER others, then I would be cautious of what that group teaches. Clearly, the Lord Jesus instructs us ALL to take communion whenever we gather together for in doing so we do remember our Lord's death and the price he paid for us. Paul was teaching that because many do NOT rightly DISCERN the Lord's body and blood that many are SICK and die prematurely. There is NO sickness nor death for the believer who reigns with Jesus. Communion is for us NOW to partake of and be HEALED of all our sickness and diseases. For a deeper understanding of healing in the atonement please read H-1. It is ALWAYS GOD'S WILL to HEAL YOU!
#23. Blood transfusions are a sin Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, pp. 72-73.
And now, blood transfusions are permissible and NOT considered a sin. The Jehovah’s Witnesses have CHANGED what they used to believe and now they allow blood transfusions.
#24. The Cross is a pagan symbol and should not be used, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, p. 90-92.
This is true, the cross is, in fact, a pagan symbol and has been used by pagans to crucify criminals for many years before Almighty God HIMSELF worked in the affairs of men to have His own Son CRUCIFIED on a CROSS. The pagans ALSO sacrificed to their false gods on a STAKE as well. So then, since Almighty God HIMSELF both prophesied and performed His word of prophecy to have this CRUCIFIXION come to pass, then who are WE to argue over whether or not the CROSS is a pagan symbol or not. The church uses the symbol of the CROSS as a reminder of the WHAT kind of DEATH our Lord ENDURED for us. The EMPTY cross reminds us that Jesus did NOT remain dead, But rather, Jesus rose VICTORIOUS over death on the third day which assures us that we who are faithful will ALSO be raised from the dead if we should die before Jesus returns. I really do NOT see WHY Jehovah's Witnesses are so offended by the CROSS. They avoid the preaching of the CROSS which is the very POWER of the gospel of our salvation. This is just another of the many reasons why you should come out of the Jehovah's Witnesses and get into the word of TRUTH for YOURSELF to know whether or not you are being taught the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God.
#25. Salvation is by faith and what you do, Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 1, p. 150,152.
I absolutely agree! FIRST, we are saved by GRACE THROUGH FAITH and NOT of our WORKS lest any man should boast. And then, we show or prove our faith that we truly believe by our WORKS of righteousness to no longer live to break the moral commandments of God to live in sin. Jesus WARNED us many times in the book of Revelation that he SEES our WORKS and warns us as Christians to REPENT of our sins after we believe or else have our names BLOTTED OUT of the book of life. The mainstream church has gone way too far to one side on what it takes to be saved AND to obtain ETERNAL LIFE in the world to come. One side that has gone to the extreme is the Grace Alone Christians, particularly, the Calvinistic and Reformed Theology Christians who wrongly teach that Christians can never lose their salvation no matter what they DO or do NOT DO. So please, I implore you to read the studies that I have listed under E-4. HOW CAN I BE SAVED? Your very ETERNAL LIFE is hanging in the balance of what you believe and DO in order to be saved. And then the other side that has gone to the other extreme is all the seventh day of the week Sabbath-keeping Christians that are wrongly teaching that we MUST keep ALL of the Law of Moses in order to be more pleasing to God. So again, I implore you to read all the studies under the heading >>>Dd-0. What is the TRUE Sabbath?<<<
#26. It is possible to lose your salvation, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, p. 358-359.
Most assuredly it is possible for any of us to be deceived by the deceitfulness of sin and fall back into sin. And if we were to die in that state of sin or Jesus was to return, will the ones living in a lifestyle of sin be saved? Or will they most assuredly LOSE their reward of eternal life? Again, I implore you to read the studies that I have written on this subject of salvation. Here is one study to get you started called F-1. CAN A CHRISTIAN LOSE THEIR SALVATION?
#27. The universe is billions of years old, Your will Be Done on Earth, p. 43.
I would have to agree that the earth itself is far older than mankind. Certainly, there is much evidence for different ages of the earth both in the Bible and in archeology. And the evidence points to the earth being far older than just 6000 years. And I myself teach that the earth is older than just 6000 years. I have those studies listed under the heading >>>D-0. The BIBLICAL Unitarian VIEW of Jesus<<< For you see, the true Jesus is clearly seen with ease when Christians know and understand that the earth was RESTORED in Genesis chapter 1 so that God could create MAN upon the earth.
#28. 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.
This is just man's INTERPRETATION and given the record of all the ERRORS made by the men who govern the Jehovah's Witnesses, I would be very cautious to believe anything that they teach. Please consider the SEVENTH day being 1000 years so WHY would the other six days be 7000 years? For you see, the reign of Jesus is only 1000 years and NOT 7000 years. Again, please read the study J-1. Does God Have a 7000 Year PLAN of Salvation?
#29. 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.
These are all man-made rules that really and truly have no sound foundation in Scripture. And thus, these and other man-made rules have caused many to stumble under the heavy burden of man-made WORKS. Works such as mandatory church attendance, mandatory witnessing, and mandatory record-keeping to keep very accurate records on how many hours you witness each month are all man-made rules that are oppressive and needless for TRUE godliness. And mandatory rules for not celebrating holidays and birthdays have NOTHING whatsoever to do with holiness. The KEEPING of holy days and the sabbath days that we have been set free from observing does NOT commend us to God, according to Romans chapter 14. History has shown that children who grow up being alienated from the normal everyday living of other children including Christian children cause rebellion in that child when they get older. Those needless “man-made” rules only drive people away from God and never toward God. So unless it is specifically stated in the New Testament under the New Covenant that does not make it MANDATORY. Yes, we are called to not partake of worldly things when those worldly things are CLEARLY taught to be sin in the Bible itself under the new Covenant. It was a sin to pick up sticks to kindle a fire on the Sabbath day under the Old Covenant but the law of commandments contained in ORDINANCES was ABOLISHED on the cross, according to Ephesians 2:8-15 and Colossians 2:8-17.
#30. Satan was entrusted with the obligation and charged with the duty of overseeing the creation of the earth, Children, p. 55
I myself hold to the THEORY or SPECULATION that Lucifer was given charge over the earth BEFORE his fall to rebel and make war with God. I believe that Lucifer ruled over the earth and a DIFFERENT creation other than mankind. This is why archeology finds these bones that resemble humans, but are yet different so science calls them “humanoid” There is NO missing link because the previous creation that Lucifer reigned over was DESTROYED when Lucifer rebelled against God and tried to take over God's throne. And I believe that God would have destroyed Satan right then and there but Lucifer FALSELY ACCUSED God of CREATING him evil. This is WHY God created mankind a little LOWER than the ANGELS in order to PROVE to all His creation that He created them PERFECT on the day that He created them. For a deep understanding of this subject please read the studies under the heading >>>Q-0. WHY are we HERE?-Is God at WAR?<<< So in conclusion, after weighing all the evidence of the faith of the Jehovah's Witnesses I have found that MANY of the teachings of the Jehovah’s Witnesses are definitely NOT SOUND BIBLICAL teachings. So to me, the Jehovah’s Witnesses are not BIBLICAL Christianity. Again, I am not saying that the individual person who follows the teachings of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society are not saved. I am not here to judge any man, but rather, the purpose of the studies that I write are to guide those who are seeking the TRUTH to search the word of Almighty God daily for THEMSELVES to see if what you are being taught is the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of God. I have weighed the evidence for MYSELF and I am just presenting to you what I have found. Ultimately, YOU, the reader and seeker of the TRUTH, must decide for YOURSELF by closely considering the WHOLE word of God. Thanks for reading. Please be sure to view the VIDEO TEACHINGS of the WITNESSES versus BIBLICAL CHRISTIANITY! Thanks for reading, and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. And to me, the truth concerning who Jesus TRULY is, according to the Bible ITSELF, is the Biblical Unitarian view of Jesus. So, for ALL of the studies on the Biblical Unitarian view of Jesus, please click on the subject heading >>>D-0. THE BIBLICAL UNITARIAN VIEW of JESUS!<<< And for the SUBJECT on the true foundation of the church, please click on the subject heading >>>C-0. THE TRUE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH!<<< This way you can just send ONE link to those who you want to share the TRUE sound Biblical FOUNDATIONAL teachings of the church that Jesus and his Apostles taught in the first century church.
Your brother in our Lord Jesus Christ, Brother Mark.
My heartfelt prayer is that all Christians RETURN to the TRUE FOUNDATION of the church that is taught by the very Apostles of Jesus in the first century. So let us all come into the UNITY of the faith and return to what Jesus and his Apostles taught us in SIMPLICITY in the New Testament.
To learn more TRUTH, then please return to
VERSES USED TO TEACH THAT JESUS PREEXISTED!
To me, the best way to know the ONE true God in ONE person is to know who Jesus TRULY is according to the WHOLE word of Almighty God. So please read ALL of the studies under the heading >>>N-0. WHO is JESUS ACCORDING to the BIBLE?<<< and you will see that the Bible itself teaches us that Jesus was CREATED by his God and Father. And if you have any questions related to the correct meaning of certain verses of Scripture on this subject of who Jesus is please read all the studies under the two headings >>>U-0. VERSES used for THE TRINITY!<<< and >>>V-0. VERSES used to TEACH that Jesus PRE-EXISTED!<<< These two headings have ALL of the studies that I have on who Jesus truly is according to what the Bible itself teaches us in simplicity. I compiled these three headings to make it easy for my readers to send just one, two, or three links to those you desire to help understand what the Bible itself teaches concerning who Jesus is in the LIGHT of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. If you have any questions, please feel free to write to me. My contact email is MarkatAMatterOfTruth@Gmail .com. Thanks again for reading and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the truth of the whole word of Almighty God.
Your Brother in our Lord Jesus Christ, Brother Mark.
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