ST20 Jehovahs Witnesses

8/2/2019 ST20 Jehovahs Witnesses

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Straight Talk #20 OnJehovah's Witnesses

by William J. Schnoebelen, 2011

TheWatchtower Society, commonlyknownas Jehovah'sWitnesses, isoneof thelarger and more successful cults flourishing today. Like two of its cousins, the

SeventhDayAdventistsandChristadelphians,itcameoutofthechaosthatfollowedthe"GreatDisappointment"(1844).

ForthosenotacquaintedwithUShistory,this"GreatDisappointment"occurredatthe failure of prophecies by a Bible teacher named Miller. His movement, the

"Millerites," had been promoting an interpretationof the book ofDaniel and the

imminentcomingoftheLordYahshua(theHebrewnameofJesus)theChrist.

Miller had predicted that Yahshua would return to catch away His church on

October22,1844.ThousandsofseriousChristiansbelievedhim.Manysoldpropertyormade"ascensionrobes"forthemselvesandstoodontheirroofsontheBIGDAY,

earnestlywaitingtobetakentoheaven.Obviously,itdidn'thappenandmanywere

verydisillusioned.

ThiswasinspiteofthefactthattheBiblemakesitveryclearthatnooneknowsthedayorthehourofMessiahsreturn.Millerandhisfollowers,howeversincerethey

were, ignored the plain counsel of YHWH, and so got into trouble. Miller'smovementwitheredonthevine,butitdidservetore-awakeninterestintheSecond

ComingofMessiah.

OutofthestrugglingfollowersofMiller,twoprominentchurcheswereborn-oneheterodoxandtheotherheretical.TheheterodoxchurchisEllenG.White'sSeventhDayAdventist church (SDA).While not a cult, the SDA church has a fewbizarre

doctrinesthatpushitoutsidethepaleofhistoricChristianity.However,mostSDA

membersaresincereandbornagain.

The heretical group is the Watchtower Society, started by a Freemason named

CharlesTazeRussell (1852-1916).ThoughRussellhadnotbeenalivein 1844,he

pickedupontheexcitementofthescatteredfollowersoftheMilleritegroup.

Interestinglyenough,boththeSDAchurchandtheWatchtowerSocietypickedup

some of Miller's ideas and carried them with them into their own ecclesiastical

organizations.Thesebeliefswere:

1)Datesettingthe(unbiblical)attempttofirmlyfixYahshuasreturn.

2)Soulsleep.Thisis thedoctrinethatwhenpeople die theybasically lose

consciousness.TheyliecomatoseintheirgravesuntiltheJudgmentDay,at


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which time they will be resurrected, the just to glory and the unjust to

perdition.

3)Annihilationof thewicked this teaches that there isnoeternal hell.

Rather,theteachingisthatthewickedwillnotbetormentedforeverinfiery

hell. Rather, they will just be judged and then somehow vaporized. Theirpunishmentwillnotbepain,butsimplyobliteration.

Now,whileallofthesebeliefsare odd,theyarenotreallyhereticalbecausetheydo

notassaultthefundamentalbeliefsoftheChristianfaith.Themostbothersomeofthethreeisprobablythedatesetting,becausethisissoclearlyregardedasfruitless

intheBible.Justforaquickrefresher,thefundamental,nonnegotiabledoctrinesof

BiblicalChristianityare:

1)Beliefinone,eternalandlivingCreatorWhoisthreePersonsinoneDeity.

2) Belief that Yahshua Christ is Almighty YHWH and that He died on thecrossforoursinsandrosefromthedeadtobringuseternallife.

3) Belief that all people are sinners and need to be saved by faith in the

sacrificeYahshuamadeonthecross2000yearsago.

4)SalvationisbasedonrepentanceandfaithinYahshuawithoutworks.

5)BeliefthattheBibleistheinerrantandmiraculouslypreservedWordof

YHWHandthattheBibleisthefinalauthorityforalldoctrinalmatters.

Thosearetheessentialdoctrinesofthefaith,andhavebeenfor2000years.IfthosethreebeliefsaboveweretheonlyproblemswiththeWatchtowerSociety(WS),we

wouldnotbewritingthisbooklet.However,theyareonlythemilderbeliefsofthe

WS.Someoftheirotherkeydoctrinesaredamnableheresies,andtobelievethemistocostyourselfyourverysoul!

HistoryofaHeresy

However,beforeweget into the doctrinalproblems, letus haveabriefhistorical

overview. Asmentioned before, "the organization" (See note 1)was founded byCharles Taze Russell. It began humbly enough, as a Bible study he started in

Pittsburg.Beforelong,itgrewtoapointwhereithadbecomeachurchandhewas

electedpastorin1870.


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From18761878heeditedamonthlytheologicalmagazine,buthewasforcedto

resignbecausehewasteachinghereticaldoctrinesabouttheatonementofMessiah.

However,itdidn'tstophimforlong.In1879,hestartedhisownorganization,THE

HERALDOFTHEMORNING.Heproducedhisownperiodical,THEWATCHTOWER

ANNOUNCING JEHOVAH'S KINGDOM, the distant ancestor of today's ubiquitous

Jehovah'sWitnessmagazineswhichshowuponeveryone'sdoorstep.Itsfirstissuewasprintedin6,000copies.

Today,theWatchtowerSocietyproduces18millioncopiesofitsmagazinesamonth

in106languages. (Seenote2)He finally incorporatedhisgroupas "Zion'sWatchTowerTractSociety"inPittsburgin1884.

Startingin1886,hebeganpublishingaseriesofsixbookscalledTHEMILLENNIAL

DAWN.In1906,theorganizationpurchasedlandinBrooklyn,NYandestablishedits

headquartersthere,wheretheyremaintothisday.

TheseventhvolumeofRussell'sworkwaspublishedafterhisdeath(1917)andwascalledTHEFINISHEDMYSTERY.Thisbookwassocontroversialthatitcausedasplit

inthegroup.Thesmallerpartofthesplit,wanderedoffintoobscurity,butthelarger

branchwasorganizedby"Judge"(Seenote3)J.F.Rutherford.

RutherfordistheonewhoreallyturnedtheWatchtowerSocietyintoalarge,world-

classorganization.Healso gave it the informal titleof "Jehovah'sWitnesses."He

began disseminating literature at an unprecedented rate: over 100 books and

pamphlets.

Rutherford,likemanycultleaders,alsocultivatedanopulentlife-style.Inthemidst

ofthedepression,hedrovearoundinhuge,expensivecarswhilehisfollowerslivedsacrificiallysotheycould"publish"(Seenote4)thegospelofJehovah'sWitnesses.

He also built a huge mansion called "Beth Sarim" (Hebrew for "House of the

Princes") where Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were supposed to live when theyreturnedwithYahshuain1925.However,thisfailedtocometopass,soRutherford

graciouslyconsentedtoliveinthemansionuntilhisdeathin1942.

NathanKnorrsucceededRutherford in1942.Hewas tobe the firstin a series of

unremarkableleadersoftheorganizationallfromtheKnorrfamily.ItwasNathanKnorr in 1945 who began teaching the controversial doctrine that the Bible

supposedlyforbidsbloodtransfusions.Thiswascontrarytopreviousteachingsof

theWatchtower Society.However, from that time onward, JWs are forbidden toreceivebloodtransfusions.

In 1950-61, the most ambitious publishing project of the organization began.

Finally,afteryearsofwork, theypublishedTHENEWWORLDTRANSLATIONOF

THE HOLY SCRIPTURES (the official "bible" of the JWS (See note 5)). Among

orthodox Christian apologists, it is known as "the Green Phantom" because it

originallywaspublishedwithabright,Kelly-greencoverandbecausenoonewould


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ever admit to translating it. This bible version draws heavily upon the spiritist

writingsofade-frockedCatholicpriestnamedJohannesGruber(amajorearly20th

centuryspiritist(Seenote6)movement).Italsoleansveryheavilyuponthecorrupt

Alexandrianmanuscripts,CodexVaticanusandCodexSinaiticus.(Seenote7)

SomeoftheotherpeculiarteachingsoftheWatchtowerSocietyare:

1)TheyaretheonlytrueorganizationofJehovahGodonearthtoday.

2)Theyrefusetoswearallegiancetoanynation(thustheywillnotsalutetheflaginAmerica)norwilltheyserveinanyneitherarmedforcesnorvote.

3)Theybelieve only144,000 (called the "anointedclass") will beactually

Born Again and go to heaven, and most of this number are already dead.

Thus, only a handful of faithful Jehovah's Witnesses are ever allowed toreceivecommunion.Therestofthecongregationmustdecline.

4) Of the remaining Jehovah's Witnesses (called the "slave class") they

believethatiftheyarefaithfulinallthat"God'sorganization"asksofthem,

they will never go to heaven, never see Yahshua, but will reign on earth

foreverinaparadisiacalstate.

5) As mentioned earlier, they believe in soul-sleep and the ultimate

annihilationofallthewicked.

6)They also practice "shunning."This isa practice shared bya few other

separatistsects(likeOldOrderAmish)whereintheywilltotallyhavenothing

todowithyouifyouapostasizeorleavetheorganization.

Howeverodd thesedoctrinesmight seem,only a coupleof themreally effect the

fundamental beliefs of Christianity. Let us examine how the Watchtower SocietystacksupagainsttheBibleinsixmajorareas:theologyofGod,Yahshua,TheHoly

Spirit,Resurrection,Salvation,andtheHolyBible.

THENATUREOFTHECREATORThe Jehovah'sWitnessesaremonotheistic,but theydeny theTrinity(Seenote8)

(thismeanstheyalsodenythedeityoftheHolySpiritandYahshua).Inthissense,

theyareverymucharevivalofthe3-4thcenturyheresycalledArianism.Ariansbelieved that Yahshua was a lesser god-like being than the Father. It was in

responsetotheArianheresythattheCouncilofNiceawasconvenedandthefamous

NiceneCreedformulated, completewith the statement thatYahshuawas "one in

substance"withtheFather.Ithasbeentruthfullysaidthat"youcan'tteachandold

snakenewtricks."SatanhasjustrecycledtheerrorofAriusfrom1600yearsagoas


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akeydoctrineoftheWatchtowerSociety.TheWitnessesclaimthattheTrinityisnot

foundintheBibleandthatitisapaganconceptstolenfromGreeksandHindus.

YAHSHUAtheCHRIST

Yahshua is NOT God Almighty come in the flesh. He is NOT Jehovah to theJehovah'sWitnesses.Heisjust"agod"andalessergodthantheFather.Thefactthat

thisviolatestheirmonotheismdoesnotseemtobotherthem.Jehovah'sWitnesses

alsoidentifyYahshuawiththearchangelMichael.(Seenote9)Theyaretaughtthat

beforeYahshuacametoearth,hewasthearchangelMichael,andthatoncehewent

backtoheavenafterhisdeath(wewilltalkabouttheresurrectionlater),heisnow

Michael again. They offer no convincing scriptural support for this Yahshua =

Michaelconcept.ThebottomlineisthatfortheWatchtowerSociety,Yahshuaisa

createdbeing.Heisnoteternal.However,theBiblehassomethingtosayaboutthis:

1)John20:28"AndThomasansweredandsaiduntohim,MyLordandmy

God." Here, in Thomas' famous confession of faith (NOT disputed byYahshua, but rather blessed) the apostle uses the word "God" (THEOS in

Greek)whichisonlyusedintheNewTestamentofYHWHAlmighty.

2)Jude9"TotheonlywiseGodourSaviour,begloryandmajesty,dominion

and power, both now and ever. Amen." Note here that Yahshua is the

undisputedSaviour.(Seenote10)NotealsothatHeiscalledGod!

3) Revelations 1:11-18; 22:13-16 - We will discuss more about the

Revelationspassagesinourthirdsegment,whichwilldiscusshowtowitness

tothe"Witnesses."

THEHOLYSPIRITTotheWatchtowerSociety, it is impossible for the Spirit tobeYHWH,since that

wouldnecessitateacceptingthe"pagan"doctrineoftheTrinity.Thus,theydenythatthe Spirit is a Person or Deity, but rather that He is an "impersonal force." This

makestheSpiritratherlikethe"force"ofSTARWARSorelseelectricityornuclear

power.However,theBiblemakesitclearthattheHolySpirithasallthequalitiesofaPerson:

1) John 14:26 "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom theFatherwillsendinmyname,heshallteachyouallthings,andbringallthings

toyourremembrance,whatsoeverIhavesaiduntoyou."HereweseetheSpirit

as a teacher. Can electricity be your teacher and bring things to your

memory? Only in themost limited sense. It certainly cannot teach us "all

things."


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2)Acts10:19"WhilePeterthoughtonthevision,theSpiritsaiduntohim,

Behold, three men seek thee." Here we have the Spirit speaking to Peter,

obviouslyapersonalquality.

3)Acts13:2AstheyministeredtotheLord,andfasted,theHolyGhostsaid,

SeparatemeBarnabasandSaulfortheworkwhereuntoIhavecalledthem." HerewehavetheHolySpiritCALLINGsomeoneintoaministrysomething

onlyapersoncoulddo.Also,theSpiritisspeakingtothemaswell,another

personalquality.

4)Romans8.26-27"LikewisetheSpiritalsohelpethourinfirmities:forwe

knownotwhatwe should pray for asweought: but the Spirit itselfmaketh

intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that

searcheththeheartsknowethwhatisthemindoftheSpirit,becausehemaketh

intercessionforthesaintsaccordingtothewillofGod"HereweseetheHolySpirithelping,makingintercession,searchingourheartsandknowingwhat

isinourminds.Surely,allofthesearequalitiesONLYofaPersonalBeing.

5)Ephesians4:30AndgrievenottheholySpiritofGod,wherebyyeare

sealeduntothedayofredemption.Howcanyougrieveelectricityornuclear

energy??Onlyapersoncanbegrieved.

THERESURRECTIONOFTHELORD

ProbablytherenodoctrinesodistinctivetotheChristianfaithastheliteral,bodily

resurrectionoftheLordYahshuatheMessiah(seeespecially 1Corinthians15!).

There havebeenothergreat teachers,other "prophets," other"anointedkings,"

even other great "wonder-workers." However, Yahshua is unique among all the

great religious leaders of the world in that His tomb is manifestly empty.Eyewitnessaccountsofmanystatethathehadbeenslainhorriblyonacross(See

note11)andthenthathearosefromthedeadandappearedtohundredsovera

periodoffortydays.It isa keypointoftheChristiankerygmathatYahshuaroseBODILY.Hewasn't justa spookoraphantom.However, the Jehovah'sWitnesses

teach that Yahshua only rose from the dead spiritually, and then drifted up to

heaventobecomethearchangelMichael.Wewilllaterillustratehowtodealwith

thisteachinginthewitnessingsection.

SALVATION(whatmustIdotobesaved?)Certainly, this is themost important question facing any believer other than the

nature of the Creator.TheWatchtower Society teaches that only 144,000 people

(theanointedclass)aresavedorBornAgainasmostChristianswouldthinkofthe

term.ThatnumberincludesallthepatriarchsandsaintsofoldlikeDavid,Abraham,

Moses, Paul, James, etc. It also includes a lot of the early hierarchy of the

WatchtowerSociety.Thereareafewthousandanointedclassmembersalivenow


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andalltheotherspotsarefilledbydepartedWitnesses.Thus, nooneelsecanbe

savedintheWatchtowerSociety.

However,asakindof"consolationprize,"faithfulWatchtowerslaves(thatiswhat

theycallthemselves)whokeepallthecommandmentsoftheorganizationandare

faithfulintheirdoor-to-doorpublishingworkwillbesparedwhenJehovahcomestoearthtoblowittobits.Whentheearthisrestoredasthe"newearth,"theywillget

tobe immortalandliveontheearthasaparadise, rather likeAdamandEve,and

theywillliveforever.TheywillneverseeYahshuaandtheywillneverseeJehovah

Godorheaven.Soundsratherdismal,doesitnot?

This means that only anointed class people can take communion Of course, this

means that in most "Kingdom Halls" (the term for Jehovah's Witness meeting

houses) on Maundy Thursday (See note 12) the communion cup is passed from

persontopersonwithnoone,noteventheelders,takingasip.Aneeriesilencefillsthehallasnoonepartakes.Howstrangeareligiontobeapartof!Ofcourse,the

deeper issue here is that this is all salvation by works not grace, contrary toscripturestoonumeroustomention,includingmostnotably:

1)Ephesians2:8-9"Forbygraceareyesavedthroughfaith;andthatnotofyourselves:itisthegiftofGod:Notofworks,lestanymanshouldboast."The

WatchtowerSocietyisoneofthemostworks-orientedofreligions.Thereis

littleornoevidenceofgraceanywhereinit.

2)Romans10:9-13 "Thatif thou shaltconfesswith thymouththe LordJesus,and shaltbelieve inthineheart thatGodhathraisedhimfromthedead,

thoushaltbesaved.Forwiththeheartmanbelievethuntorighteousness;and

with themouthconfession ismadeunto salvation... Forwhosoever shallcalluponthenameoftheLordshallbesaved"See,thisishowsimplethegospel

messageis.Itsaysnothingaboutbelongingtosomespecialgroup,orbeing

baptizedinwater,ordoingdoortodoorwork.Itcertainlysaysnothingaboutonly 144,000 being let in the door! It says "whosoever shall call!" That is

prettyinclusive,andtotallycontrarytotheWitness"gospel",whichisafalsegospel(Gal.1:8-9)

3)Galatians2:16"Knowingthatamanisnotjustifiedbytheworksofthelaw,butbythefaithofJesusChrist,evenwehavebelievedinJesusChrist,that

wemightbejustifiedbythefaithofChrist,andnotbytheworksofthelaw:for

bytheworksofthelawshallnofleshbejustified"Whatmorecouldbesaid?

THEBIBLE

Incommonwithvirtuallyallcults,theWatchtowerSocietydistruststheBible.They

denythatithasbeentranslatedcorrectlyormiraculouslypreserveddownthrough

thecenturiesforus.TheywillgrudginglyusetheKingJamesBible,becauseitwas


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theBibleusedbyRussellformostoftheirwritingsandtheyarestuckwithit.But

theyPREFERtousetheirNEWWORLDTRANSLATION(NWT),whichisflawed,both

doctrinallyandlinguistically.Asmentionedearlier,nooneknowswhotranslatedit.

Contrarytothis,theBiblesaysofitselfthatitisperfect,thatitwillendureuntilthe

endoftime,andthatGodhaspromisedtopreserveeverywordofit:

1)2Timothy3:15-17 - "And that fromachild thouhastknowntheholy

scriptures,whichareabletomaketheewiseuntosalvationthroughfaithwhich

isinChristJesus.AllscriptureisgivenbyinspirationofGod,andisprofitable

for doctrine, for reproof for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That

themanofGodmaybeperfect,thoroughlyfurnisheduntoallgoodworks."This

tellsusthatallscriptureisinspired(HolySpiritbreathed)andourmajortool

inachievingrighteousnessandgoodworks.

2)Matthew5:18"ForverilyIsayuntoyou,Tillheavenandearthpass,one

jot or one tittle shall in nowise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." HereJesusmakesitclearthatnotthetinieststroke(jotorYud)(Seenote13)of

theWord of God ("the law")will be removedor changeduntil the endof

time.

3)1Peter1:24-25"Forallfleshisasgrass,andallthegloryofmanasthe

flowerofgrass.Thegrasswithereth,and the flowerthereof fallethaway:But

thewordoftheLordendurethforever.Andthisisthewordwhichbythegospel

ispreacheduntoyou."ThisagainillustratesthattheWordofGodisgoingto

lastforever.

4)Psalm12:6-7"ThewordsoftheLORDarepurewords:assilvertriedinafurnaceofearth,purifiedseventimes.Thoushaltkeepthem,OLORD,thoushalt

preserve them from this generation for ever" This proves that God'swords

havenot been tamperedwith and thatHehas promised topreserve themforever.

However,there isalsoa corollary tothisdoctrineabouttheBiblebeing flawed. If

theBibleisnotthefinalsourceoftruthbecauseithaserrorsinit,thenwhatorwho

is the final authority. For the Jehovah's Witnesses, the only answer can be the"governing body" of the Watchtower Society, which functions collectively as a

"livingprophet."

LikethepopeortheMormonprophet,the"governingbody"oftheWSistheonly

trueinterpreterofthescripture.Withouttheirguidance,theindividualWitnessis

taught that the Bible (even the NWT) is dangerous to read alone. That is why

whenever Witnesses do a "Bible study," they always use official commentaries

providedbytheWS.Thatiswhytheyalwaysgetalittlenervousifyoutryandlead

them off the path of the commentary into uncharted (for them) waters. In this

fashion,theWSfurtherdeniestheall-sufficiencyofscriptureandinterposesakind


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of "priesthood" between the individualWitness andGod (even though the word

"priest"wouldneverbeused).NoJWcaneversimplygotoGodorHisWordfor

answers.Thiswouldbeagraveerror.

A final, but important point to make about this situation is this issue of the

GoverningBodyfunctioningas aprophet.Thereare twoways tojudge aprophetaccordingtotheWordofYHWH.

1) Their prophetic teachings must conform to the already revealed Word

(Deuteronomy13:1-5).

2)Theirpropheciesmustbe100%correct.(Deuteronomy18:20-22)

Now, obviously we have already shown that most of the teachings of the

WatchtowerSocietyarecontrarytothealreadyexistingWordofGod.Theyflunkonthatscoremiserably.Butwhataboutthesecondcriterion?

Well,actuallytheGoverningBodyhasmadequiteafewpropheciesinitstime,and

theirtrackrecordisutterlyabysmal!Whileathoroughstudyoftheirhistoryoffalse

prophecies,completewithfulldocumentationisbeyondthescopeofthisbooklet,

(Seenote14)letusjustlookatabriefsurvey:

1)RussellpredictedthereturnofChristtotheearthtojudgeitin1875.Obviously

nothinghappened.

2)ThiswaspredictedbytheWatchtowerSociety in1914.WhileWorldWar Idid

happen, there was no evidence of the coming of Yahshua or of the kind of

apocalypticwholesaledestructionpredicted.(Seenote15)

3) In 1925, it was again predicted that He would return, this time with the

patriarchsAbraham,IsaacandJacob.Thisalsofailed.

4)Neveronetolearnalesson,onceagain35yearsagoin1975,theymadeabigsplashabouttheworldendinganditfailed.

Thislastevent,beingsorecent,deservesacloserlook.TheGoverningBodyreallyplayedthisupBIG.Theyusedittorecruitthousandsofmembers.Theyencouraged

zealousWitnessedtoquittheirjobs,selltheirhomes,cashintheirretirementand

usethemoneytogointofull-timepioneeringnewKingdomHallstoprepareforTHEEND. Many devout members did just that. Many more stopped their college

education,trashinghard-wonscholarships,etc.

Ina tragic replay of the GreatDisappointment131 yearsearlier,1975 came and

wentwithnosignoftheendoftheworld.TherewereaLOTofdisappointed,angry,

Witnesses and themembership took a sharp nosedive. They lost almost 25% of

theirmembershipinlessthanayear.Theorganizationsmartedfromthatbonerfor


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agood15years.However,people'smemoriesareshortandnowtheWSisdenying

iteverevenmadethatprediction.

The problem remains that, from a Biblical perspective, this cavalcade of false

propheciesshootsdownanypossibleclaimfor legitimacythattheGoverningBody

might wish to claim. The Governing Body thus fails both tests of being a truepropheticvoice.Ofcourse,theWatchtowerSocietydoesitsbesttokeepWitnesses

fromhearingaboutanyofthesefailedprophecies.

WITNESSINGTOTHEWITNESSES

Thiscanbeachallenge,butthesepeopleneedtohearthegospel.Theyarecertainly

zealoustospreadtheirownmaterialaround,andneedtofindtherealYahshuaasa

sourceoftheirsalvation,notsometheocraticorganization.Aswithanyothergroup,

itisimportanttorememberthatthesepeoplearenottheenemy!Forthemostpart,

Jehovah'sWitnessesareexemplarypeoplewhotrytobegoodandfollowaChristianmorality.Theyareoftensincere,buthavebeendeceivedbySatan.

Forthisreason,anywitnessingencounterisprimarilyaspiritualbattle.Itisnotan

intellectualstruggleordebate,andifviewedassuch,itwillprobablyendinangerandthelossofasoul.Thus,youneedtoreallyprayforthesoulsofthesepeople.

OftenJWs showupatourdoorswithoutwarningandat inopportune times.That

precludesalotofintenseadvanceprayer.However,asyouanswerthedoor,youcan

stillprayquicklyfortheHolySpirittobindanyfalsespiritsandtoloosetheSpiritof

Truthintotheencounteryouareabouttohave.

You should also quickly pray for the love of Yahshua to be able to be fullymanifestedinyouandthroughyou.RealizethatJehovah'sWitnesseshavecometo

expecttobetreatedlikedirtbythepeopletheyvisit.Infact,manycarryasabadge

ofhonorthefactthatpeoplehavesetdogson themorturnedthegardenhoseon

themandgiventhemagoodsoak.Thus,whenyoutreatthemwithloveandrespectyoudotwoimportantthings:

1)Youshowthemwhattrueagapeloveisandshowthemthenatureofthereal

Yahshua;

2)Youthrowthemoffbalance.

Mydearfriendandbrother,JimSpencer,hassaidthatwitnessingtocultistsislike

trying to nail Jell-o to the wall. This is because the typical Witness will (only

naturally)wanttotalkaboutthingsthatheorshefeelscomfortablewith.Thus,the

Witnesswill often slide from one subject to another as soon as you get close to

pressinghomeapoint.Itisalmostlikereelinginamarlin!Remember,YahshuaDID

callustobefishermen.


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The other thing you must be prepared for that seems unique to the Jehovah's

Witnessesisthattheydonotseemtomind"cuttingandrunning."Ihavehadmany

encounterswiththemwherewewillbereallygettingintosomeimportantstuffand

youcanseetheweakerofthetwobeginningtoseethelight.Allofasudden,the

seniorWitnesswillstandupandsaysomethinglike,"Well,wemustgo.Wehave

anotherappointment."Thentheywillliterallydragthejuniormemberoutthedoor.Thisissomethingyoureallyjusthavetolivewith.Justbeniceaboutitandtellthem

youwillbeprayingforthem,andthenDOprayforthem.Youhaveplantedsome

importantseeds.

Togetbacktotheissueofmovingfromsubjecttosubject,youreallyneedtotryand

prayerfully control the encounter and isolate some key issues. Theywillwant to

promotetheir"gloomanddoom"scenario(theworldisgoingtohell)andthenoffer

Jehovah-God as the onlyhope.You canagreewith that and quicklymoveonto

threeareaswheretheymaynotbesosureofthemselves.

Remember,theJehovah'sWitnessesareastuteproponentsofthescripture,buttheirknowledgeislimitedinscope.Theyknow100%of10%oftheBibleand10%ofthe

other90%!Theyknowenoughtopromoteanddefendtheirkeydoctrinesandcan

even trash a well-informed Christian if the believer is not aware of the pitfalls.

WitnessingtoaWitnessisnotforthenovicebeliever.Wehaveseenthemeventie

pastors in knots. But if you know the Book as you should and you pray for the

leadingandanointingoftheHolySpirit,youshoulddofine.Butremember,donot

expecttohavethemkneelingandprayingthesinner'sprayerthefirstevening.JWs

areprobablyamongthehardestcultiststowintoYahshua.Itmaytakeyoureffort

andthenextperson'seffortandthenextperson'seffort.YoucanjustsaywithPaul:

1Corinthians3.6"Ihaveplanted,Apolloswatered;butGodgavetheincrease."

SoherearethethreeareasIwouldrecommendtryingtopursue:

1)ThebodilyresurrectionofYahshua

2)TheTrinity

3)Whatex-Jehovah'sWitnessLoriMacgregorcallsthe"FirstandtheLast"

discussion.

HOWTOTALKABOUTTHERESURRECTION

ThepointwewishtopressisthatyoucanshowclearlyfromtheBiblethatYahshua

wentoutofHiswaytoillustrateHisbodily,literalresurrectionfromthedeadtohis

apostles on several occasions. Now, unless Yahshua was a fraud and a liar

(somethingnoWitnesswouldwishtoconsider),thenthefollowingpassagespretty

wellillustratethatherosefromthetombasareal,solidman(albeitaglorifiedone):


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1)John20:27"ThensaithhetoThomas,Reachhitherthyfinger,andbeholdmy

hands;andreachhitherthyhand,andthrustitintomyside:andbenotfaithless,but

believing."PleasenoteherethatYahshuaisinvitingThomastostickhishandinto

physicalwoundsinhandsandside. IfYahshuawasa ghost,hewouldnotdothis,

because itwouldbedeceitful.Also,thecommonlyheldbelief aboutghosts isthat

they do not bear the wounds they received in mortal life and they cannot betouched. Yahshua obviously makes a big issue of this, because he wanted to

emphasizethathewasnotjustaspirit.

2)Luke24:39,43"Beholdmyhandsandmyfeet,thatitisImyself:handleme,andsee; foraspirithathnotfleshandbones,asyeseemehave...Andhetookit[fishand

honeycomb],anddideatbeforethem."Again,wehaveYahshuagoingoutofhisway

todemonstratehowrealandphysicalHisnewbodyis,rightdowntobeingableto

betouchedandeat food.Thisis nophantom!He evenmadeadistinctionin very

cleartermsbetweenwhatHewasanda"spirit"orghost.Again,thechoicethattheWitnessisconfrontedwithis thateithertheirorganizationiswrongorYahshuais

deliberatelydeceivingtheapostles.

3)John21:9-14Assoonthenastheywerecometoland,theysawafireofcoals

there,andfishlaidthereon,andbreadJesussaithuntothem,Bringofthefishwhichyehavenowcaught.SimonPeterwentup,anddrewthenettolandfullofgreatfishes,an

hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net

broken.Jesussaithuntothem,Comeanddine.Andnoneofthedisciplesdurstaskhim,

Whoartthou?knowingthatitwastheLord.Jesusthencometh,andtakethbread,and

giveththem,andfishlikewise.Thisisnowthethird timethat Jesusshewedhimself to

hisdisciples,afterthathewasrisenfromthedead."Hereagainisasimilaraccountto

theoneinLuke,withtheaddedadditionofamiracleconcerningthecatchoffish.

Wouldaghostbuildafireandroastfishandbreadonit?Wouldaghosteatwiththedisciples?

The second component of working on this issue is to point out that other NewTestament writers are affirming that Jesus' bodily resurrection is central to the

gospel.

1)John2:19-21"Jesusansweredandsaiduntothem,Destroythistemple,andin

threedaysIwillraiseitup.ThensaidtheJews,Fortyandsixyearswasthistempleinbuilding,andwiltthourearitupinthreedays?Buthespakeofthetempleofhisbody."

Notethatkeypointwhichtheevangelistmakes.Jesuswastalkingofhisbody!The

word in theGreek there is very clearderived from theword SOMA,which inthosedaysmeantthephysicalbodyasawhole,thecompleteinstrumentoflife,the

completehumanbeing.(Seenote16)ItisalsousedasadistinctivefromPNEUMA,

meaningspirit.Thus,JohnismakingclearthatJesus'entirebodilysubstancerose.

2)Acts17:3"Openingandalleging,thatChristmustneedshavesuffered,andrisenagainfromthedead;andthatthisJesus,whomIpreachuntoyou,isChrist."Hereis

Paulpreachingtheresurrection.WouldPaulpreachalie?Again,pleaserecallthat


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ghostswerenothingnewtothepaganworldinwhichPaulministered.Hewouldnot

haveencounteredall the scoffingandoppositionhedid ifhewas justsaying that

Jesuswasa phantom.Itwasbecauseoftheliteralraisingof Jesus'bodythatPaul

preachedthathewasmockedbytheGreeksandJews.

3)1Corinthians15:1921"IfinthislifeonlywehavehopeinChrist,weareofall men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the

firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the

resurrection of the dead" Here Paul makes Christ's bodily resurrection the very

lynchpinoftheChristianfaith.Itisinterestingtoreadthefirstversehere,becauseitis almost prophetic. The unfortunate Jehovah's Witnesses who deny Jesus'

resurrectiondoindeedseemtobeamongthemostmiserablepeopleonearthwho

claimtobeChristians.Itissosad.

DISCUSSINGTHETRINITY

Whileitistruethattheword"trinity"doesnotappearinanyBibletext,theconceptdoesonnumerousoccasions.Youshouldnotletthatfactthrowyou.Youcould

pointoutthattheterm"theocraticorganization"isnotintheBibleeither,andyet

theWSusesitallthetime.LetuslookattheversesfromtheOldTestament:

1)Isaiah48:12-16"Hearkenuntome,OJacobandIsrael,mycalled;Iamhe;Iamthefirst,Ialsoamthelast.Minehandalsohathlaidthefoundationoftheearth,and

my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up

together...Comeyenearuntome,hearyethis;Ihavenotspokeninsecretfromthe

beginning;fromthetimethatitwas,thereamI:andnowtheLordGOD,andhisSpirit,

hathsentme."Noteinthisremarkablepassagethatthisispropheticutterancewith

Jehovahspeaking:"Iamthefirst,Ialsoamthelast..."Notethatinverse16,there

arethreespeakers:"thereamI:[firstspeakerYahshua]andnowtheLordGOD

[the Father], and his Spirit [the Holy Spirit], hath sent me." This is the clearest

explicationoftheTrinityintheOldTestament!

2) Isaiah 9:6 "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the

government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful,

Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." This is

probably one of the best-known "Christmas passages" in the entire Tenakh. This

MAY be the reasonthe Jehovah'sWitnesseswill not celebrate Christmas.WeseeheretheverseisplainlyaMessianicprophecy.Itistalkingaboutachildbeingborn.

Thatchildisgiventhetitle,"themightyGod."Whocouldthatbe,butJehovah?Now,

believe it or not, the Witnesses will try and tell you that there is a difference

betweenthe "mighty"Godand"almighty"Godandthatthisproves thatYahshua

wasalesserdeity.Allyouneedtodotoshootthattheorydownistopointoutthat

youendupwith twogods,themightyoneand thealmightyone.Thisdestroys

theWS'smuchvauntedinsistenceonabsolutemonotheism.


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3)Proverbs30:4 "Whohathascendedupintoheaven,or descended?whohath

gathered thewind in his fists?whohathbound thewaters in a garment?whohath

establishedalltheendsoftheearth?whatishisname,andwhatishisson'sname,if

thoucansttell?"Now,obviouslythefirstpartoftheversereferstoJehovahGod.This

verseclearlymentionsa"son"WhocouldonlybeYahshua!Thisbringsusto...

TheNewTestamentpassageswhichteachtheTrinity:

1)Matthew28:19"Goyetherefore,andteachallnations,baptizingtheminthe

nameoftheFather,andoftheSon,andoftheHolyGhost:"Whilewellknown,thispassagebearsacloserlook.Youwillnotethatwhiletherearethreetitlesgiven,the

text clearly says "name" (singular).While not a direct teaching of the Trinity, it

certainly lendsitself toa question:Howcan threePersonshaveonename,unless

ALLthreePersonsareYHWH?

2)Ac5:3-4"ButPetersaid,Ananias,whyhathSatanfilledthinehearttolietothe

HolyGhost,andtokeepbackpartofthepriceoftheland?Whilesitremained,wasitnot thineown?andafter itwassold,was itnotinthineownpower?Whyhastthou

conceivedthis thinginthineheart?thouhastnot lieduntomen,butuntoGod."The

importantpointhereisthatwithinasentenceofeachother,Ananiasissaidtohave

lieduntotheHolyGhostandthentoGod.ThisisaclearidentificationoftheSpirit

withGodHimself.

3)Colossians2:9"ForinhimdwellethallthefulnessoftheGodheadbodily." This

is a short verse, but it packs quite a wallop! The context is clearly referring to

YahshuaChrist.(seeprecedingverse).ThisstatesthatinYahshuadwellsALLthe

fullness of the Godhead.Now thinkabout this IfALLthe fullness of the Godhead

dwells in Yahshua, howmuch of it is somewhere else? Clear arithmetic tells usNONE.Thus,YahshuaISGODnoifsandsorbutsaboutit.

4)1Timothy3:16- "Andwithoutcontroversygreatisthemysteryofgodliness:Godwasmanifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the

Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." This is another clearidentificationofYahshuaasGod.(Seenote17)Itplainlysays"GODwasmanifestin

the flesh."AsktheWitness,whendid Jehovah-Godevermanifest inthe flesh?He

wouldhavetoadmitthataccordingtotheirdoctrine,heneverdid.SowehavetheNewTestamentstatingthattheSpiritisGod,andthatYahshuaisGod.Thisbuildsa

strongfoundationforthefinalverse:

5)1John5:7(Seenote18)"Fortherearethreethatbearrecordinheaven,the

Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." What could be

clearer? The Trinity of Father,Word and Spirit is One! However, The Jehovah's

WitnesseswillactuallytryandusehigherBiblicalcriticism(Seenote19)toexplain

away1John5:7asbeingnotarealpartofthatepistle,butalateraddition.Actually,

thisverse,whichCLEARLYteachestheTrinity,isfoundinalltheoldmanuscripts

exceptfortwoRomanCatholicones,SinaiticusandVaticanus.Pointthatfactoutto


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theJehovah'sWitnessesyouaredealingwith,astheyhavenorespectatallforthe

Roman Catholic Church. It will definitely rattle them. Thus, there is no good

historicalreasontobelievethattheverseisnotagenuinepartoftheoriginalepistle.

(See note 20) Thus, thereare at least five verses that speakpretty clearly of the

Trinity.

In all of this, you must continue to insist on the sound, Biblical hermeneutic

principlethatyouneedatleasttwoorthreeBibleverses("witnesses")toprovea

point (Matthew 18:16). A single, isolated verse is a dangerous thing to build a

doctrineupon.Thegreatthingtorememberisthat"aversewithoutacontextisapretext."

THEFIRSTANDTHELASTDISCUSSIONThoughthisisactuallypartoftheTrinity/YahshuaisGoddiscussion,wearegiving

ita separateheadingherebecause it issuchapowerfulcoupdegraceindealing

withtheWitnesswhoisnotwillingtoacknowledgethatYahshuaISJehovah-God.Here ishow itworks.(See note21) The concept iseasy torememberbecause it

leansontheOldTestamenttitleofYHWHasthe"firstandthelast"andyoumainly

usethefirstandlastchaptersofthelastbookintheBible,Revelation.Hereishowit

works,stepbystep.

1)Justto reinforce intheWitnesses'mind that Jehovah-Godis the firstand the

last, take them to Isaiah 44:6: "Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and hisredeemertheLORDofhosts;Iamthefirst,andIamthelast;andbesidemethereisno

God"Ifnecessary,letthemreaditoutoftheirNWTBible.Itwillbethesameexcept

that "Jehovah" will be used instead of "LORD." Get them to acknowledge that

Jehovah-GodISindeedthefirstandthelast.Thatshouldbenoproblem.

2)ThentakethemtoRev.1:10-11a-"IwasintheSpiritontheLord'sday,andheard

behindmeagreatvoice,asofatrumpet,Saying,IamAlphaandOmega,thefirstand

the last: and,What thou seest, write in a book... " Ask them, "is that Jehovah-Godspeaking?"Theywillalmostcertainlysayitis.TheyHAVEto,theirownNWTsaysit

thisway:"vs.8:IamtheAlphaandOmega"saysJehovah-God,"theonewhoisand

whowasandwhoiscoming,theAlmighty.(Seenote22)

3)Thenmovethemaheadsixversestoverse17-18:-AndwhenIsawhim,Ifellathisfeetasdead.Andhelaidhisrighthanduponme,sayinguntome,Fearnot;Iamthe

first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for

evermore,Amen;andhavethekeysofhellandofdeath.Pointouttothemgentlythat

herethe"firstandthelast"isspeakingandidentifyingHimselfasonewholivedand

wasdeadandisnowaliveforevermore.Again,theirownNWTconfirmsthis:"(17b)

Donotbefearful.Iamthefirstandthelast,(18)andthelivingone;andIbecame

dead,butlook!Iamlivingforeverandever.(Seenote23)


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4)Finally,takethemtoRev.22:12-16:"And,behold,Icomequickly;andmyreward

iswithme,togiveeverymanaccordingashisworkshallbe.IamAlphaandOmega,

the beginningand the end, the first and the last." Let's skip down to vs. 16 (same

speakerobviously):"IYahshuahavesentmineangeltotestifyuntoyouthesethings

inthechurches.IamtherootandtheoffspringofDavid,andthebrightandmorning

star" Note this final nail in the coffin of Watchtower doctrine! Yahshua plainlyidentifiesHimselfasthefirstandthelast!

Endnotes:1) TheWatchtower Society members NEVER call their group a church. It is usually called "the

organization."

2)Theseare1995figures.

3)ThereisactuallynoevidencethatRutherfordeverwasanykindofjudge.

4) It used to be that the door to door tracting that so many Jehovah'sWitnesses do was called"publishing."

5)TheNWTisremarkablysimilarinmanywaystotheNewAmericanStandardversionoftheBible.

BothpromoteArianheresy.

6)Spiritism(alsocalled"spiritualism")isthehereticalreligionwhichteachesthathumanbeingscan

andshouldcommunicatewithdepartedlovedonesthroughsancesandmediumship.Italsoteaches

reincarnation.

7)Formoreon theissueofBiblemanuscripts,seeourSTRAIGHTTALKONBIBLEMANUSCRIPTS

#60fromWithOneAccordministriesavailableforfreedownloadonourwebsite.

8)Fora fullerdiscussionof theTrinity, seeourSTRAIGHTTALKONTHETRINITYfromWithOneAccordministriesavailableforfreedownloadonourwebsite.

9)AlthoughtheSeventhDayAdventistsdoaffirmtheTrinity,theyalsoteachthatYahshua,inhis

pre-incarnatestateastheLOGOSwas(infact)thearchangelMichael.

10)SeeLuke2:11,John4:42,Acts5:31,Philippians3:20,etc.

11)Interestinglyenough,theJehovah'sWitnessesteachthathewasnotcrucifiedonacross-shaped

crossorevenonaTau(T)shapedcross.Rathertheyclaimhewasnailedtoastake(??)eventhough

thereisnohistoricalevidencethatRomanauthoritiesexecutedpeopleinthisway.Likeothercults,

theWatchtowerSocietydoes/notliketodealwiththerealityofthecross.

12)Alsoknownas"HolyThursday,"thisisthedaybefore"GoodFriday,"commonly(butincorrectly)believedtobetheeveningoftheLastSupper.ThisistheonedayoutoftheyearthattheJehovah's

Witnesses celebratethe Lord'sSupper.Actually,sinceChrist diedona Wednesday, itwouldhave

beenaTuesday.

13)"Yud"isthetiniestletterintheHebrewalphabet,andcouldeasilybemistakenforaninksmudge.

14) See Robert Morey's book, WITNESS AT YOUR DOOR or Dr. Walter Martin's JEHOVAH'S

WITNESSES.


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15)Becauseofthisparticularfailedprophecy,theWatchtowerSocietyclaimedthatYahshuacame

"invisibly"(sortofsnuckintotown)andcleansedthetemplein1918andthatwewillneverseehim

againunlesswearepartoftheanointedclass.

16) VINE'S EXPOSITORY DICTIONARY OF NEW TESTAMENT WORDS, MacDonald Publishing,

McLean,VA.Pp.138-139.

17)Awarningisneededhere.InmanymodembibletranslationsliketheNIVortheNAS,thisverse

hasbeenwatereddowntothepointthatitisuselessinwitnessingtoWitnesses.Insteadofsaying

"Godwasmanifest inthe flesh..."manyof thesesay "hewasmanifestin the flesh..."whichproves

utterlynothingtoaWitness.TheyallagreethatYahshuawasmanifestintheflesh,buttheydeny

thathewasorisGod.SticktotheKingJamesBibleifyouaregoingtocrossswordswithANYcultist.

18) Beware! This verse is actually beendeleted frommany modern bible versions, for nogood

reason.SticktotheKingJamesBible!

19)HigherBiblicalcriticismis aschoolof thoughta little over ahundredyearsold that basically

treatstheBiblelikeanyothertextandassumesitcanbecritiqued.Itiswidelyusedbyliberaland

apostateChristiansandisthemainstaybehindmostallmodemtheologyandBibleversions.

20)See"WhyWeRetain1John5:7intheAuthorizedVersion"byDr.PeterRuckman,BibleBelievers

Press,POBox7135,Pensacola,FL32534

21) Again, we wish to give credit for this excellent teaching to former Jehovah's Witness Lori

Macgregor,whoisnowamightyservantofGodhelpingtoequiptheBodyofChristtoworkwith

Watchtowerpeople.Ifyouwanttoseeit(andher)inaction,getyourhandsontheexcellentvideo,

"Witness at Your Door," from Jeremiah films. It may even be available at your local Christian

bookstore.

22)NEWWORLDTRANSLATIONOFTHEHOLYSCRIPTURES,WatchtowerBibleandTractSocietyof

Pennsylvania,1981,p.1323.

23)Ibid.

Ifyouhaveanyquestions,pleasefeelfreetocontacttheauthorthrough:

WithOneAccordMinistries

3500DodgeStreetSuite7-290

Dubuque,IA52003

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