Jehovah’s Witnesses Part # 2

When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things
we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior (Titus3:4-6)

Jesus was and should be worshiped. A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas
was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with
you!” Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, see my hands. Reach out your hands and put it into my side . Stop doubting and believe.’ Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!” (John 20:26-27)

When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his
mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. (Matthew 2:10-12). Those who were in the boat
worshiped him, saying, Truly you are the Son of God” (Matthew14:33).

Witnessing to Witness

We need to remember that anyone who denies the deity of Jesus Christ and carries the heavy burden
of a false religious spirit will go through a lot of highs and lows. True believers, empowered by the companionship of God the Holy Spirit, have a constant presence of the Lord about them that seems to act like a magnet at times. When a Watchtower member comes to your front door and you open it, what
is he thinking about? What does he think when you talk about Christianity?

First, it is impossible to offer him any hope of heaven, since Jehovah’s Witnesses teach and
believe that only 144,000 people are going to make it to heaven, and the odds are that the visitor at your door isn’t one of them.

This idea came from Joseph Franklin Rutherford, the second president. After he became president in
1917, he was prophesying that Armageddon was right around the corner. So that he could increase the membership, he began to tell his followers that only 144,000 people were going to make it to heaven.
The door-to door crews began to tell their prospects that they had better join the Watchtower before it was too late, because Armageddon was right around the corner and the ranks of the 144,000 were filling fast. For many years the Witnesses preached this. However, in 1935 they ran into a terrible problem. In this year the Organization grew larger than 144,000 people, heaven was filled, and Armageddon had yet to occur. The Watchtower was in a quandary about what to do with all these extra people. Rutherford saved the day when another revelation from God came forth which said that everyone who became a Jehovah’s Witness before 1935 would go to heaven.

Everyone who Became a Jehovah’s Witness after 1935 would stay here on earth and live in a new paradise. That is why when you talk to most Jehovah’s Witnesses today they have absolutely on hope of ever going to heaven. They believe it because Rutherford told them so.

Twisting the Trinity

Perhaps the most cultic doctrine of the Jehovah’s Witnesses is their doctrine concerning Jesus
Christ and the Trinity. Let us quote their own books on this subject. (The justice of God would not permit that Jesus as a ransom be more than a perfect man. And certainly not the supreme God Almighty in the flesh –Let God be true, page 87.)

Some insist that Jesus, when on earth, was both God and man in completeness. This theory is
wrong (The Harp of God, page 101).

The Holy Spirit is not a person and is therefore not one of the Gods of the Trinity ( Let God be true, page 81).

The Witnesses make a common mistake by defining the trinity as three separate Gods. However,
Christianity is not polytheism. Going further, they say: The Trinity doctrine was not conceived by Jesus or the early Christians… The plain truth is that this is another of Satan’s attempts to keep the God fearing person from learning the truth of Jehovah and his son Christ Jesus (Let God be true, page 111).

The obvious conclusion therefore is that Satan is the originator of the Trinity doctrine (Let God be true, page 101).

Concerning Jesus
Christ death and resurrection they say: He was put to death a man, but was raised from the dead a spirit being. The man Jesus is dead, forever dead (Studies in Scripture, volume 5, page 45).

So the King Christ Jesus was put to death in the flesh and was resurrected an invisible spirit creature (Let God be true, page 138).

How do you deal with
someone who comes to your front door and bring this theology? How do you share your faith with such a person?

Answering Some Questions

Recently a pare of Jehovah’s Witnesses knocked on my door. After the usual greetings, I invited them in on the condition that they would answer a few of my questions regarding the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

They said they would be glad to answer any questions regarding the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

They said they would be glad to answer any questions I might have. As they were sitting across the
kitchen table, I said ‘ I guess I really have only one question. Throughout your literature you continually say that the trinity is not taught in Scripture.

That’s right, the older of the two responded with a warm smile. Nowhere in the Bible will you find the word Trinity.

I countered, “The trinity is taught throughout God’s Word.” “Sorry, but nowhere in the Bible will you find the word trinity”. I answered, You won’t find the word trinity, since that’s a Latin term. It means three in the unity of one. It’s simply A term used to describe what God has revealed to us. You use the term theocratic kingdom’ more than any other term in your literature. Can you show me one place in the Bible where “theocratic kingdom” is found? I continued, ‘If you stop using the term ‘theocratic kingdom,” I’ll stop using the term ‘trinity.”

The elder Witness paused before he answered. ‘But the trinity is not rational, you can’t understand it.’

‘Well,” I replied, ‘who told you that because you could not understand something it’s not a reality? Let me ask you a question: Do you fully understand Einstein’s formulation, the basis of his theory of relativity? Do you fully understand that?” The Witnesses looked warily and silently at me. I continued, ‘If you
tell a physics professor at the university you understand it he will probably flunk you because he doesn’t understand it himself. But I can guarantee you that if an atomic bomb went off outside this building right now that you would have immediate, scientific verification of this theory whether you understand it or not.” They remained silent, so I continued, ‘The question is not what our three-pound brain can understand. The question is: What has God from his infinite eternal perspective chosen to reveal to us concerning His own nature? I paused and looked at both men. ‘You do believe the Bible, don’t you? “Oh, yes, we
believe the Bible,’ they responded.

Going to the Word

I was warming to the task. I replied, ‘That’s good! Why don’t we go to God’s Word and see what God
has to say about the trinity? Why don’t you put away all your magazines and books, and I will put away all my lexicons, concordances, and dictionaries. Why don’t we just go to God’s Word and see what God has to say?” Jehovah’s Witnesses’ main denial and stumbling block is the doctrine of the deity of Jesus Christ. For that reason we need to deal with that specifically. There are many passages that show the clear teaching of the deity of Jesus Christ. Jehovah Witnesses love the book of Revelation more that any other book in the Bible. And since I knew they love it so much, I thought I might as well use it with them.

I brought out my Bible and smiled. ‘Let’s begin and you will see something very interesting develop here. I turned to Revelation 1:8 –‘ I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘ who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” I asked, Who is speaking here? I am the Alpha and Omega, says who? Jehovah God!- you are absolutely right, I replied. We believe that the Alpha and Omega is
Jehovah God, just as it says. I continued, Now turn to Revelation 21:5-7.

He who was seated on the throne said, I am making everything new! Then he said, Write this down, for
these words are trustworthy and true . He said to me: it is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

Here again we see the identification the Alpha and Omega is Jehovah God. The Watchtower visitors
smiled broadly and immediately agreed with me. You are absolutely right, said the elder of the two. We believe that the Alpha and Omega is Jehovah God. That’s what is says. – Then I said , Now turn
to Revelation 22, I continued , beginning with verse 13. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Again the visitors responded that these titles referred to Jehovah God, as in Revelation 1:8.

I Continued, ‘There’s just one more passage, do you think you could help me with it?

Oh, they said, we’d be glad to. They openly smiled now as I appeared to grasp their understanding
of Jehovah God.

I said, The passage is Revelation 1:17.18. Will you read it for me? They turned to the verse in
their Watchtower Bible and the elder one began to read.

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said:
Do not be afraid. I an the First and the Last (Revelation 1:17).

I said, Stop. I’ve been trying to figure out who the First and the Last is. Tell me who he is.” They replied, we just saw who the First and the Last is. The First and the Last is Alpha and Omega, Jehovah God.

I answered, Well, keep reading.

I am the Living One, I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of
death and Hades ( Revelation 1:17)

The Silence of Defeat

There was a hush that followed. I then asked, When did Jehovah Die? When did God die? There was no
answer as the men stared silently into their Scriptures. Finally the man who did most of the talking said, I’ve never seen that before.

Well I answered, is this your own Bible you are using, published by the Watchtower? He said, Well yes but I’ve never seen that before.

I asked, So tell me-when did Jehovah die? They just kept looking at the verse.

At last they quietly answered, But Jesus died.

I said, Oh, you mean Jesus is Jehovah God?

They Replied, Well, no. He can’t be.

Why not? I asked.

Well, if Jesus is Jehovah God, that would change everything else in the Bible- everything else we
believe about Him.

You know, that’s what I thought too. I answered.

The older man stood. We have to leave now.

I said, Sir, could you find out for me when Jehovah died?

Would you go back to your Kingdom Hall and ask your overseer when Jehovah died? When you get the
answer, could you bring your Watchtower leaders back to my house so they could tell me? I would really appreciate that. Needless to say they never returned.

Thank you servant for explaining Jehovah's Witness faith and questions in detail. I am loaded now with lots of information to counter them whenever I meet them.

God bless you

I am so glad you liked my teaching on Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Glad to be of service.

All your articles I have read are praise-worthy. I read them because I learn from your articles and these two artilces on Jehovah's Witnesses have made me learn many things. One thing I confess here is their question on the way Jesus was crucified. I have few friends who are from Jehovah Witness and they always keep up putting this question to me, of which I have no knowledge.

Question

Bible says that Jesus died on a Tree and not on the Cross. They quote the following verses from the Bible.

and the God of our fathers did raise up Jesus, whom ye slew, having hanged upon a tree. (ACTS 5:30)

and we--we are witnesses of all things that he did, both in the country of the Jews, and in Jerusalem--whom they did slay, having hanged upon a tree. (ACTS 10:39)

and when they did complete all the things written about him, having taken him down frm the tree, they laid him in a tomb. (ACTS 13:29)

Christ did redeem us from the curse of law, having become for us a curse, for it hath been written, 'Cursed is every one who is hanging on a tree' (Galatians 3:13)

who our sins himself did bear in his body, upon the tree, that to the sins having died, to the righteousness we may live; by whose stripes ye were healed. (1 Peter 2:24)

I have no answer to their question because, we say Jesus was crucified and so does the Gospels say to. However, letters and ACTS talk of Jesus being hung on a tree. This really confuses me. Please if you an explanantion, please explain so that I can answer them.

In Christ

This question also troubles me as once I met a Jehovah Witness near a shopping mall with a flyer in her hand and their Watch Tower magazine. I took the flyer and the magazine and all these verses were mentioned over there. I struggled with this question and came up with my own answer.

My Answer
It does not matter how Jesus died, what matters is that Jesus died for all of us and was risen up again by God on the third day.

I know this is not a logical answer but I answer them with my faith.

God bless you all and all the time

Throughout Scripture the Bible is full of symbolism. The Bible uses these two different terms to mean the same thing. The word tree is symbolic of the Cross.

Cross Scriptures

Matthew 27:40-42

( "You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.''

Likewise the chief priests, also mocking with the scribes and elders, said, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.)

Philippians 2:8

(And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.)

Colossians 1:20

(and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.)

Tree Scriptures

Acts 5:30 ("The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree.)

Acts 10:39 ("And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree.)

Acts:13:29 ("Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down
from the tree and laid Him in a tomb.)

Galatians 3:13 (Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree''),

1 Peter 2:24 (who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness by whose stripes you were healed.)

The Jehovah Witnesses will take any verse that they can out of context to make it sound the way they
Interpret it to be. But the Biblical text above declares that they are in grave error.

Servant

Jehovah Witness do put up these verses from ACTS, Letter to Galatians and Peter's First Letter and when we read these verses they do say that Jesus Christ was impaled (hung on a tree) and not crucified. However, God has provided us with every answer to every question as God has promised.

For I will give you words that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. (Luke 21:15-16)

The question is that Gospels and History records Jesus being crucified, even Josephus Flavious (Jewish Historian) records that Jesus was crucified but why do Apostles (eye witnesses) say that Jesus was hung on a tree?

The answer is simple. First of all, Peter addressed Jews only and not gentiles. Apostles wanted to put blame of crucifixion on Jews and not on the Romans. The Apostles wanted the Jews to be held responsible for Jesus' death that is why Peter and other Apostles blamed Jews by using the same language. Moreover on Jesus death Pilate washed his hands and said:

"I am innocent of this man's blood," he said. "It is your responsibilty!" All the people answered, Let his blood be on us and on our children!" (Mathew 27:24-25)

We see this type of atitude of the Apostles when they were preaching in Jerusalem. They were presented before Sanhedrin and the High Priest, the High Priest said the following to the Apostles:

"We gave you strict orders not to teach in His name," he said, "Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood." (ACTS 5:28)

Now if the Apostles would have said that Jesus was crucified, then the Jews would be free of the blood of Jesus. That is why Peter put the charge on Sanhedrin and the High Priest by quoting the Jewish method of capital punishment.

and the God of our fathers did raise up Jesus, whom ye slew, having hanged upon a tree. (ACTS 5:30)

Even Stephen when he spoke to Sanhedrin charged the Jews before he stoned to death

"You stiff-necked, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute?... (ACTS 7:51-53)"

Paul clearly states

And I became as a Jew to the Jews, that I might gain Jews; to those under Law as under Law, that I might gain those under Law; to those without Law as without Law (not being without Law of God, but under law of Christ), that I might gain those without Law. I became to the weak as weak, that I might gain the weak. To all I have become all things, that in any and every way I might save some. And I do this for the gospel, that I might become a fellow partaker of it. (1 Corinthians 9:20-23)

Therefore, the Apostles used the term Tree when they addressed the Sanhedrin, High Priest and Jews. They simply wanted to put blame on Jews of killing Jesus.

God bless you

Daniel your explanation sounds good and logical. God bless