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The Truth About Jehovah's Witnesses

Doc

Doc

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Read Doc Burkhart's blog at http://docburkhartisthinking.blogspot.com

The sect known today as the Jehovah's Witnesses started out in Pennsylvania in 1870 as a Bible class led by Charles Taze Russell. Russell named his group the “Millennial Dawn Bible Study.” Charles T. Russell began writing a series of books he called “The Millennial Dawn,” which stretched to six volumes before his death and contained much of the theology Jehovah’s Witnesses now hold. After Russell's death in 1916, Judge J. F. Rutherford, Russell's friend and successor, wrote the seventh and final volume of the “Millennial Dawn” series, “The Finished Mystery,” in 1917. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society was founded in 1886 and quickly became the vehicle through which the “Millennial Dawn” movement began distributing their views to others. The group was known as the “Russellites” until 1931 when, due to a split in the organization, it was renamed the “Jehovah’s Witnesses.” The group from which it split became known as the “Bible students.”

What do Jehovah’s Witnesses believe? Close scrutiny of their doctrinal position on such subjects as the deity of Christ, salvation, the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, and the atonement shows beyond a doubt that they do not hold to orthodox Christian positions on these subjects. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe Jesus is Michael the archangel, the highest created being. This contradicts many Scriptures which clearly declare Jesus to be God (John 1:1,14, 8:58, 10:30). Jehovah’s Witnesses believe salvation is obtained by a combination of faith, good works, and obedience. This contradicts countless scriptures which declare salvation to be received by grace through faith (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). Jehovah’s Witnesses reject the Trinity, believing Jesus to be a created being and the Holy Spirit to essentially be the inanimate power of God. Jehovah’s Witnesses reject the concept of Christ’s substitutionary atonement and instead hold to a ransom theory, that Jesus’ death was a ransom payment for Adam’s sin.

How do the Jehovah’s Witnesses justify these unbiblical doctrines? First, they claim that the church has corrupted the Bible over the centuries; thus, they have re-translated the Bible into what they call the New World Translation. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society altered the text of the Bible to make it fit their false doctrine, rather than basing their doctrine on what the Bible actually teaches. The New World Translation has gone through numerous editions, as the Jehovah’s Witnesses discover more and more Scriptures that contradict their doctrines.

The Watchtower bases its beliefs and doctrines on the original and expanded teachings of Charles Taze Russell, Judge Joseph Franklin Rutherford, and their successors. The governing body of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society is the only body in the cult that claims authority to interpret Scripture. In other words, what the governing body says concerning any scriptural passage is viewed as the last word, and independent thinking is strongly discouraged. This is in direct opposition to Paul's admonition to Timothy (and to us as well) to study to be approved by God, so that we need not be ashamed as we correctly handle the Word of God. This admonition, found in 2 Timothy 2:15, is a clear instruction from God to each of His children to be like the Berean Christians, who searched the Scriptures daily to see if the things they were being taught lined up with the Word.

There is probably no religious group that is more faithful than the Jehovah’s Witnesses at getting their message out. Unfortunately, the message is full of distortions, deceptions, and false doctrine. May God open the eyes of the Jehovah’s Witnesses to the truth of the gospel and the true teaching of God’s Word.

Read Doc Burkhart's blog at http://docburkhartisthinking.blogspot.com
 
What do Jehovah’s Witnesses believe? Close scrutiny of their doctrinal position on such subjects as the deity of Christ, salvation, the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, and the atonement shows beyond a doubt that they do not hold to orthodox Christian positions on these subjects. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe Jesus is Michael the archangel, the highest created being. This contradicts many Scriptures which clearly declare Jesus to be God (John 1:1,14, 8:58, 10:30). Jehovah’s Witnesses believe salvation is obtained by a combination of faith, good works, and obedience. This contradicts countless scriptures which declare salvation to be received by grace through faith (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). Jehovah’s Witnesses reject the Trinity, believing Jesus to be a created being and the Holy Spirit to essentially be the inanimate power of God. Jehovah’s Witnesses reject the concept of Christ’s substitutionary atonement and instead hold to a ransom theory, that Jesus’ death was a ransom payment for Adam’s sin.
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Amen amen amen Doc!

Many do not realize this but the teaching originated from a man named Arius (died around 336 AD). His writings and teachings spawned what became known as Arianism, which is a corrupt view of who Christ is.

Dr. Samuel J. Mikolaski has properly noted, "At the Council of Nicea, Christians adopted the teaching that the one Lord Jesus Christ from eternity is one substance with the Father (see John 1:18). . . . . Athanasius insisted there is no room in Christian thought for any believer of intermediate status [as with Christ being an angel] between Creator and creature, and because redemption is divine prerogative, only God in Christ, not some intermediate being, could redeem" (International Dictionary of the Christian Church, p. 67).

Every false religion and cult always errs in one of those three areas: (1) Christ as a member of the Triune Godhead, (2) something more inspired or equally inspired as the Bible (including the idea of personal revelation that is equal to the authority of Scripture), and (3) salvation by man being able to earn grace by his efforts.

The Jehovah Witnesses distort all three of those cardinal and foundational doctrines.
 
Well, Dr K, my question simply is, Who did JESUS claim to be?

First, let's look at Jesus’ words in John 10:30, “I and the Father are one.” At first glance, this might not seem to be a claim to be God. However, look at the Jews’ reaction to His statement, “‘We are not stoning you for any of these,’ replied the Jews, ‘but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God’” (John 10:33). The Jews understood Jesus’ statement as a claim to be God. In the following verses, Jesus never corrects the Jews by saying, “I did not claim to be God.” That indicates Jesus was truly saying He was God by declaring, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). John 8:58 is another example: “‘I tell you the truth,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!’” Again, in response, the Jews took up stones in an attempt to stone Jesus (John 8:59). Jesus’ announcing His identity as “I am” is a direct application of the Old Testament name for God (Exodus 3:14). Why would the Jews again want to stone Jesus if He had not said something they believed to be blasphemous, namely, a claim to be God?

John 1:1 says “the Word was God.” John 1:14 says “the Word became flesh.” This clearly indicates that Jesus is God in the flesh. Thomas the disciple declared to Jesus, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). Jesus does not correct him. The apostle Paul describes Him as, “…our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). The apostle Peter says the same, “…our God and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:1). God the Father is witness of Jesus’ full identity as well, “But about the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.’” Old Testament prophecies of Christ announce His deity, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

Why is the question over Jesus’ true identity so important? Why does it matter whether or not Jesus is God? The most important reason that Jesus has to be God is that if He is not God, His death would not have been sufficient to pay the penalty for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). Only God could pay such an infinite penalty (Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus had to be God so that He could pay our debt. Jesus had to be man so He could die. Salvation is available only through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus’ deity is why He is the only way of salvation. Jesus’ deity is why He proclaimed, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through ME” (John 14:6).
 
Why is the question over Jesus’ true identity so important? Why does it matter whether or not Jesus is God? The most important reason that Jesus has to be God is that if He is not God, His death would not have been sufficient to pay the penalty for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). Only God could pay such an infinite penalty (Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus had to be God so that He could pay our debt. Jesus had to be man so He could die.
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And the crowd goes wild as Doc scores a touchdown for the Lord's team!!!! :)

Oh, wait a minute, I probably need to be more reverent....ummmm...ok a churchy term will do then.......Amen! 8-)

In a logical syllogism it looks like this:

1. God is a Spirit and as a Spirit he can not die.
2. God created man but man sinned against God and thus there had to be something to pay and suffer God's eternal wrath to pay for the sin as it violated God's holiness.
3. Humanity once in sin cannot produce any righteous person as sin is passed on to each person through birth.
4. Therefore, if man was ever to be saved, another member of the Godhead had to become flesh, and thus Christ the Son of God, who was both God and man, came to stand between us and God's wrath. In this way he as the perfect man could stand in mankind's place and at the same time suffer the eternal wrath of God and pay the debt we owed for violating our Creator.

The incarnation of the God-Man, through a virgin birth superintended by the Holy Spirit, the sinless life and substitutionary death (atonement; vicarious penal instead of the moral example theory) actually then paid a debt and gave God justification to declare those who come to Christ as justified.

The logical foundations of 1-3 demand that number 4 is the only option if we have a gospel of redemption by grace. There was no other way. God as a Spirit can not experience death. Man's death is not pure and cannot atone for sin because he is the sinner. Angels cannot die or atone for sin. Man can not do any deed to obtain God's love because every deed he does it tainted with sin. Thus, man was hopelessly lost, destitute, doomed to hell and damnation without this marvelous plan that only the most wise, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnibenevolent God could ever have planned.

PRAISE BE UNTO GOD! AMAZING GRACE HOW SWEET THE SOUND! GLORY TO GOD FOR HIS GRAND AND WONDERFUL PLAN. A perfect plan indeed. Without this plan there is no salvation and man would forever have been lost with no hope.
 
If only there were enough hours in the day. I'll get to it sooner or later though.
 
DocInMO said:
hus, they have re-translated the Bible into what they call the New World Translation. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society altered the text of the Bible to make it fit their false doctrine, rather than basing their doctrine on what the Bible actually teaches. The New World Translation has gone through numerous editions
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Since half my family happen to be JW's, I am very familiar with their doctrine. One important item regarding the JW New World Translation Bible is that other than it being a Watchtower publication, we do not know the names of the men who translated it or their background. The excuse being that the individual men were not seeking earthly glory or attention for their work. I believe this is wrong. When I pick up a Bible, I appreciate knowing who the General editor is, as well as any contributors. I want to know their names and their theological background.
Blessings,
Fairlight
 
Hey Fairlight,

I recall in my Greek classes (which one I don't recall) we studied about some of those translators.

If I recall correctly it was discovered that some or many of them had little to no real training in the languages.

I do know for sure that every well trained Hebrew and Greek scholar says that the NWT is not truly a scholarly translation. In reading numerous places the way they translated certain phrase I can clearly see where they had to purposefully distort, leave out words, add words, or alter words to make the translation fit their own agenda.
 
Jesus did not rebuke Thomas when he worshiped Him:

John 20:26-28 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although 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, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!"

Revelation 19:10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God." For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

..........

If memory serves JWs also teach that Jesus is now "spirit" and does not have a resurrected body, but if that is the case how could he eat fish with the disciples, and how could Thomas put his finger in the holes of His hands or his hand in the side of Jesus?
 
WOW!

Sacrecrow, I just walked over and picked up my Cult monographs and scanned back through the sections on JW's. You are 100% right.

I had not looked at this since undergrad school.

Here is what their official writings say:
"Christ Jesus returns, not as a human, but as a glorious spirit person" (Let God Be True, 196).

"Since no earthly men have ever seen or can see the Father, they will not be able to see the glorified Son" (LGBT, 197).

"It is a settled truth, therefore, that human eyes will not see him at his second coming, neither will he come in a fleshly body" (The Truth, 295).

Those devilish writings there from the JW's again point us to the fact that all of those led by the spirit of the anti-christ will seek to deny that God has come in the flesh in the man we call Christ Jesus, Yeshuah, the Messiah. As apostle John said: "Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God, this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already" (1 John 4:2-4). The term Christ was the term for his Divinity. Thus for the Bible writers to say Christ has come in the flesh they meant that God has come in the flesh.

I recall back in those undergrad days too that I had originally planned on doing a Master's degree in Apologetics in Cults and False World Religions as I had a passion for evangelism of those caught in cults. By the time I got through with the required classes I was burned out because there was nothing new to any of them. After reading and researching hundreds of cults, false non-Christian religions all of us in the class began to see how there was one single, continual, dominant core set of ideas that every cult and non-Christian religion undermined or rejected. All of them in some way shape or form rejected Christ as God in the flesh or that the human Jesus was actually truly God. They always hammered about how there could be no such thing as a Tri-une Godhead, and that something other than the Bible was inspired or that the Bible was not the ultimate authority.

To us in the class it confirmed for us that the "natural" man who does not have the Holy Spirit will naturally reason incorrectly when trying to understand divine truth with only a natural unregenerate mind.

Just as the Bible says, "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually blinded/discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14).

When a person, like the JW leaders, try and apply their unregenerate mind to the Divine Text of the Bible they cannot understand and make it make sense in their minds how Christ can be God and yet human and how he can also pray to God when he is claiming to be God. Their mind in its natural condition does not have the mind of Christ in them and thus they reject the Lord Jesus Christ for a substitute and they thus die in their sins.

Hey Fairlight, while it is on my mind my heart is moved to pray for your family as you said there are many JW's in it.

"Lord of heaven and earth, I ask that those that Fairlight speaks about will be confronted in their ideas and at some time you will deliver them from their sins. I beg you to place before them people who will connect to their hearts and will be used by you to point them to you for salvation. I plead Lord that in some way or another you will show them through books, through something from inside of the JW leadership, or through something supernatural that they are lost, in need of your grace, and that they will be moved to repent and place faith in you for salvation. In Christ's name I pray, Amen."
 
Interesting...

""Since no earthly men have ever seen or can see the Father, they will not be able to see the glorified Son" (LGBT, 197). "

John 14:7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."

John 14:9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?

John 15:24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.

Acts 1:9-11 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."

Mark 13:24-27 "But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

Revelation 1:1-8 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
 
The Duke Of Marshall said:
If only there were enough hours in the day. I'll get to it sooner or later though.
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i don't know, i think beating my head against........................uh oh, i think i feel my wife strangling me long distance. (the fairer sex does have a civilizing affect) :D
 
Hubby and I have tried several times to go to the blog DocBurkhardtisthinking. Blogspot informs us that the blog doesn't exist. Can you update me so I can go read your blogs?

SweetLissa
 
Actually, I am having the same issue with the link to Doc's blog too... I thought that maybe it was just me! :D
 
Jehovah God existed from the beginning. His first creations were two angels, Michael (who later becomes Jesus) and Lucifer. Jehovah God created all else through his firstborn, Jesus (Michael).

Jehovah appointed Lucifer to watch over earth, but the angel became jealous of Jehovah. He seduced Adam and Eve, and became Satan. He dared challenge Jehovah's right to rule! Jehovah gave Satan 6,000 years to try to win over all humanity. When he fails, Jehovah God will re-establish his kingdom and destroy Satan and all his rebellious followers, thus vindicating Jehovah's name (an obsession with Witnesses).

After thousands of years of this struggle, Jehovah God arranged for Michael to cease to exist and be recreated as Jesus, a human. He was killed as a ransom on a torture stake (not a cross) for all mankind. This released men from Adam's sinful legacy, and gave them a chance to be worthy of eternal life, if they were faithful Witnesses.

When the human Jesus died, he stayed dead. He was recreated as a spirit (no bodily resurrection) and lives in heaven.

Jesus Christ (now Michael) returned to earth invisibly in 1914 (the date has been changed repeatedly) and is working through his "Organization" to re-establish Jehovah's kingdom over the earth.

The final battle between Jehovah and Satan, the Battle of Armageddon, is to start shortly, settling the question, "Who will rule earth?" A very special 144,000 Witnesses, the only ones considered "born again," will rule with Jesus in heaven at the end of this battle. All other Witnesses (numbering millions) will survive Armageddon, and live forever on earth, in the kingdom of the "New World."

After 1,000 years of this utopian Kingdom comes the final test. Satan will be loosed for a while and deceive many. He and those who rebel with him will be destroyed by fire from heaven (no eternal hell, just quick annihilation). Jehovah's sovereignty over all creation will have been vindicated once and for all.

While many Christians disagree on the order of final events, there can be no disagreement on the work of Christ, or one is not really Christian. J.W.'s bear the indelible mark of a cult: they claim Christ's death on the cross is not sufficient for full salvation. One must believe that Jesus is God, and also in His bodily resurrection. Both are denied by the Witnesses.

In fact, Jehovah's Witnesses deny most of the basic doctrines of Christianity. Former Witnesses point out several basic denials:

They claim:

Jesus Christ is not God. Rather, he is Michael the archangel.
The Holy Spirit is not a person, but an "active force." They are unitarians, denying the Trinity.
When you're dead, you're dead. Man has no eternal soul, any more than animals.
Jesus Christ was not raised bodily from the grave, but was recreated as a new "spirit body."
Jesus returned invisibly in 1914. There is no "visible coming" planned in the future.
There is no hell. Just like animals, when we die, it is over.
Only 144,000 people achieve heaven. The rest, faithful Witnesses who have died, will be recreated on earth during the kingdom of the "New World."

Focusing on the Old Testament, their system is a legalistic one. They forbid blood transfusions (they say that is eating blood). They also consider any salute to a flag as worship of that flag, and therefore prohibited. They don't vote, hold public office or serve in the military.
 
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