Post on 26-Mar-2015
ApologeticsCary Christian SchoolCary Christian School
Jehovah’s Witnesses
The Overview
The Schedule
JW’s – the Overview
JW’s the details
Debates – 1-3
Bibliography for JW’s
Kenneth Boa, Cults, World Religions and the Occult
Walter Martin, The Kingdom of the Cults
Ron Rhodes, Reasoning from the Scriptures with Jehovah’s Witnesses
Ron Rhodes, 10 Most Important Things you can Say to a Jehovah’s Witness
J.W.’s and other doctrinesHistorically founded by Charles Russell in late
1800’s, which most JW’s will deny“Jehovah’s Witnesses” taken in 1931 to differentiate between the new group that followed Russell’s successor Judge Rutherford and those still committed to Russell
The New World Translation is extremely problematic
No textual Criticism
Terrible handling of original languages
All hermeneutics go through Watchtower
The Watchtower Society
Sometimes as The Watch Tower Society (two words)
Publish: The New World Translation (“Bible”)
Reasoning from the Scriptures
You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth
Awake!
One God - Jehovah
No Trinity . . . No Trinity . . .
Jesus
Not God, but the Incarnate person of Michael the Archangel
Jehovah made the universe through Him, although He was the first “creation”
After living a perfect life, he died on a stake (not a cross)
He was resurrected as a spirit
He is not returning – he did that invisibly in 1914
Spirit
Impersonal force
Not God, but the active force of Jehovah
Speaks to people only through true personalities like angels or humans
The Gospel
“Grace” in Christ is just to take away sin inheritance from Adam
Baptism required – that is baptized as a Jehovah’s witness
Work by “witnessing for Jehovah”
Heavenly salvation limited to 144,000 (already full)
The rest of the “righteous” will live on earth in a future millennial kingdom and if not lived perfectly, they will be annihilated
Jehovah’s Witnesses and 11:4
Jesus is first creation of Jehovah, known as Michael before – He is a god
The Spirit is just an “it”, an impersonal force
The Gospel is one where the atonement of Christ only puts us back to pre-Adam status and enables one to work for salvation.
For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which
you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear
this beautifully.-2 Corinthians 11:4
NAU
Jehovah’s Witnesses
The Details
The Schedule
JW’s – the Overview
JW’s the details
Debates – 1-3
The Focus
Jesus
Spirit
Gospel
For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which
you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear
this beautifully.-2 Corinthians 11:4
NAU
PublicationsA Clarification
Publications
Several Books, all doctrinal – not exegetical
New World TranslationNew Testament until 1950
We do textual criticism – they won’t
Trial on translation veracity with Fred Franz
In short, “No, we cannot read it”
Other issues
Jesus as MichaelDaniel 10:13
Blood transfusion– Do not “eat” the blood
• Christ crucified on “stake”– Cross is pagan symbol– stauros
THE ISSUE IS HERMENEUTICSSTICK TO THE BIBLE: STICK TO THE THREE – JESUS, SPIRIT, GOSPEL
For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which
you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear
this beautifully.-2 Corinthians 11:4
NAU
Jehovah’s Witnesses
The Details