J W Doctrines
Uncopyrighted August 25, 2008 Saar Shalom Center
The following paper was presented to a nurse of the ‘Jehovah’s Witnesses’ persuasion who had loaned me a ‘Jehovah’s Witnesses’ doctrinal book. This is my response.
I have tried to make the answers complete enough that the reader will more or less know what the doctrinal book states without mentioning the specific book. (They occasionally change their titles.) This response is intended for the members of the ‘Jehovah’s Witnesses,’ which is why I have not gone further in explaining their beliefs, but it is also designed for readers unfamiliar with them.
Every group having a claim to truth will usually have some truth that has been overlooked by others. I thoroughly disagree with most of the doctrines and theology of this group, and state my reasons in this paper.
I will start with their doctrines that agree with true Christianity.
Their Doctrines
In the section on the trinity, the following doctrines (from subtitles) are true:
(1) The Bible’s identification of God is clear, understandable
(2) The Father is Jesus’ God
(3) Jesus did call his Father the “only true God”
(4) Jesus is the Son of God
(5) Jesus is the mediator between God and men
(6) Jesus is subject to God
(7) Only Jehovah is from everlasting to everlasting
(8) The Trinitarian statement in 1 John 5:7, found in some Bibles is indeed spurious.
Under these subtitles, however, other claims are made. I will use Scriptures and let you decide if they are true. Followers of the doctrines of the International Bible Students Association (another name for ‘Jehovah’s Witnesses’) use the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures to ‘prove’ many points. I will quote the Hebrew and Greek Bible, giving literal renderings where the New World Translation is used. I will also use the Darby Translation that is similar to the King James, but employing the name ‘Jehovah’.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are antagonistic to the Athanasian Creed. I will not deal with it because I do not agree with this creed in every point.
1. Bible’s Identification of God
The first section states, “The Bible’s Identification of God is clear, understandable.” I agree. John 4:24, 1 Corinthians 8:6, Deuteronomy 6:4 and Psalm 83:18 are cited. Under 1 Corinthians 8:6, it states, “To us there is but one God, the Father.”
1 Corinthians 8:4 Concerning then the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other god save one. For and if indeed there are those called gods, whether in heaven or on earth, (as there are gods many, and lords many,) yet to us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
The text shows that God is One, Jehovah is God, and Jehovah is the father. Compare this with Matthew 23:9,
Matthew 23:9 And call not any one your father upon the earth; for one is your Father, he who is in the heavens.
then Isaiah 9:6:
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 is called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace.
The following translation is found on page 282 of the particular J.W. doctrinal book I was using (I will refer to this book as the JWDBook): “There has been a child born to us, there has been a son given to us; and the princely rule will come to be upon his shoulder. And his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God.” Some parts of this rendering are missing, as shown from the Hebrew:
For a child has been born to us; a son has given to us; and the government has been upon his shoulder; and his name has been called Pele (Wonderful, but it is a noun), counselor, (also a noun), Mighty God (a name, remember, not a title), Father of eternity, Prince of peace.
Whether past or future, the name is the same: Father of eternity and Mighty God. The child’s name is not ‘a mighty God’, just as your name is not ‘A Marcia’.) Why did the writers of the JWDBook leave Father of eternity out of their translation?
The Hebrew word Elohim, translated God, is plural and literally means gods (Eloha being the singular form). Deuteronomy 6:4 literally reads: Hear Israel! Yehovah our Gods: Yehovah is one! While you may not know Hebrew, why is this statement in the Scriptures if it isn’t important?
Psalm 83:18: That men may know that thou, whose name alone is Yehovah, art the most high over all the earth.
2. Is Jesus Not One God with the Father?
The next section says, “Jesus Christ Not One God with the Father.” 1 Corinthians 8:6 is quoted,
For us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
Verse 4 states that there is no other God save one:
We know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.
Turn to Acts 17:24:
The God who has made the world and all things which are in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands, nor is served by men’s hands as needing something, himself giving to all life and breath and all things; and has made of one blood every nation of men to dwell upon the whole face of the earth, having determined ordained times and the boundaries of their dwelling, that they may seek God; if indeed they might feel after him and find him, although he is not far from each one of us: for in him we live and move and exist.
Which god made the world and all things which are in it, and through which, in which and for which god do we exist?
3. The Father Is Jesus’ God
The next section says, “The Father is Jesus’ God.” This is true. Keep it in mind while reading the following lengthy quotation:
Isaiah 48:9 For my name’s sake I will defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain as to thee, that I cut thee not off. Behold, I have refined thee, but not as silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. For mine own sake, for mine own sake, will I do it; for how should my name be profaned? and I will not give my glory unto another. Hearken unto me, Jacob, and thou Israel, my called. I am HE; I, the first, and I the last. Yea, my hand hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spread abroad the heavens: I call unto them, they stand up together. All ye, gather yourselves together, and hear: which among them hath declared these things? He whom Jehovah hath loved shall execute his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans. I, I have spoken! Yea, I have called him; I have brought him, and his way shall be prosperous. Come near unto me, hear ye this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I; and now the Lord Jehovah hath sent me, and his Spirit.
Who is doing the speaking? Who is the sender? Who is being sent? There is no change of speaker.
Without adding words, Isaiah 49:7 reads,
Thus saith Jehovah, the Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth…
The word his refers to whom? Who is doing the speaking?
Isaiah 49:26 And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with new wine. And all flesh shall know that I, Jehovah, am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the Might One of Jacob.
Who is Saviour, Jehovah or Jesus? Who is Redeemer, Jehovah, or Jesus? Who is whose God? Who sent whom?
Isaiah 63:7 I will record the lovingkindnesses of Jehovah, the praises of Jehovah, according to all that Jehovah hath bestowed upon us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel which he hath bestowed upon them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. And he said, (who said?) They are indeed my people, children that will not lie; and he (who?) became their Saviour. In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the Angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them (who did?); and he bore them and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled and grieved his (whose?) holy Spirit: and he turned to be their enemy; himself, he fought against them. But he remembered the days of old, Moses and his people…
4. Does the Spirit Talk?
The JWDBook quoted Revelation 1:1 and 3:12. Look at 3:12 and 13:
He that overcomes, him will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more at all out; and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven, from my God, and my new name. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.
Who is doing the speaking? Isn’t the Spirit addressing the assemblies? Can an ‘active force’ [Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that the Spirit is actually just an ‘active force’] send and speak? Is an ‘active force’ higher than the me in Isaiah 48?
5. On Swearing
The JWDBook claims that Jesus called his Father the “only true God” (which is true), but excluding himself. Who is greater, the one who swears, or the one by whom one swears? Would Jehovah swear by a lesser?
Hebrews 6:13, For God, having promised to Abraham, since he had no greater to swear by, swore by himself, saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee; and thus, having had long patience, he got the promise. For men indeed swear by a greater, and with them the oath is a term to all dispute, as making matters sure…
Isaiah 62:8 Jehovah hath sworn by his right hand and by the arm of his strength…
He swears by His right hand. Who is this right hand?
Psalm 80:17 Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou has made strong for thyself.
Psalm 98:1 Sing ye unto Jehovah a new song: for he hath done wondrous things; his right hand and his holy arm that wrought Salvation for him.
Isaiah 59:16 And he (who?) saw that there was no man, and he wondered that there was no intercessor; and his arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness, it sustained him.
Verse 15 answers Who?
Isaiah 53:1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of Jehovah been revealed?
Is or isn’t the arm of Jehovah part of Jehovah in the truest sense?
On page 286 of the JWDBook, it says, “Forgiveness of sins and salvation to eternal life [is] possible only through Christ.” Acts 4:12 is quoted: “there is no salvation in anyone else, for there is not another name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must get saved.” Consider the following text with this in mind:
Isaiah 45:21 Declare and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath caused this to be heard from ancient time? who hath declared it long ago? Is it not I, Jehovah? And there IS NO GOD ELSE BESIDE ME; a just God and a Saviour, THERE IS NONE BESIDES ME. Look UNTO ME, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I AM GOD, AND THERE IS NONE ELSE. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. Only in Jehovah shall one say, have I righteousness and strength. To him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. In Jehovah shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.
and
Philippians 2:9 Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and granted him a name, that which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of heavenly and earthly and infernal beings, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to God the Father’s glory.
Unto whom shall every knee bow, and tongue swear? If there is no god besides God, where does Jesus fit in? If there is no Saviour besides Jehovah, where does Jesus fit in? It is true that Jesus did not say he was Jehovah in those very words. Who is He?
Zechariah 2:8 For thus saith Jehovah of hosts: After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations (who?) that made you a spoil; for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. (Who is speaking, and who is the his?) For behold, I (who?) will shake my hand upon them, and they shall become a spoil to those that served them: and ye shall know that Jehovah of hosts hath sent me. Sing aloud and rejoice, daughter of Zion; for behold, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith Jehovah. And many nations shall join themselves to Jehovah in that day, and shall be unto me for a people; and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that Jehovah of hosts hath sent me unto thee…
Who sends Jehovah?
Hosea 1:4 And Yehovah said unto him, “Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5And it shall come to pass, at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.” 6And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, “Call her name Loruhamah. For I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel, but I will utterly take them away. 7But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by Yehovah their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.”
By whom will Jehovah save? (The Hebrew is correct, and the translation corresponds.)
Titus 2:6 The younger men in like manner exhort to be discreet: in all things affording thyself as a pattern of good works; in teaching uncorruptedness, gravity, a sound word, not to be condemned; that he who is opposed may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say about us: bondmen to be subject to their own masters, to make themselves acceptable in everything; not gainsaying; not robbing their masters, but shewing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the teaching which is of our Saviour God in all things. For the grace of God which carries with it salvation for all men has appeared, teaching us that, having denied impiety and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, and justly, and piously in the present course of things, awaiting the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ; who have given himself (and not themselves) for us, that he might redeem us from all lawlessness, and purify to himself a peculiar people, zealous for good works.
On page 438 under the heading “Jehovah Is Provider of Salvation” are the following quotes: “Luke 1:46, 47 ‘Mary said: “My soul magnifies Jehovah, and my spirit cannot keep from being overjoyed at God my Saviour.”’ I Tim. 1:1 ‘Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus under command of God our Saviour.’ Titus 1:3 ‘Our Saviour, God.’” These texts are supposed to prove that Jehovah is Provider of Salvation. But each shows that Jehovah God is our Saviour. Is Jehovah the Saviour, or merely the provider (as these quotes and those above disprove)?
6. Were Jesus’s Claims Worth Getting Stoned?
The next section says, “Jesus did not claim to be God, but God’s representative.” This is true: Jesus did not claim to be God directly. His claims were enough to provoke some folks to stone Him (unsuccessfully). What did they understand Him to say, and why didn’t He deny it?
The last proof under this section reads: “John 14:1, 6, 9, AV ‘Ye believe in God, believe also in me… I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me… Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?’ (Compare John 1:14, 18.)” I was particularly interested in the last citation:
John 1:14,18 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we have contemplated his glory, a glory as of an only-begotten with a father), full of grace and truth… No one has seen God at any time; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath Declared him.
Compare the following:
Genesis 32:30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel (Hebrew for the faces of God): for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
Was Jacob wrong?
7. Who Is the Angel of the Lord?
The following is a literal rendering. Follow the King James, noting added words:
Judges 13:15 And Manoah said unto the angel of Jehovah, “We will detain thee, please, and we will prepare before thee a kids of goats.” And the angel of Jehovah said unto Manoah, “If thou shalt detain me, I will not eat of thy bread. And if thou wilt make an ascending sacrifice, to Jehovah wilt thou offer it!” For Manoah did not know that the angel of Jehovah is he. And Manoah said unto the angel of Jehovah, “What is thy name, that thy words will come?—and we will glorify thee!” And the angel of Jehovah said to him, “Why is this, thou wilt ask for my name? And it is Pele! (Pele = Wonderful, and is used in Isaiah 9:6.) And Manoah took the kid of the goats and the meal-offering, and he offered it upon the rock to Jehovah; and he miracled to do (bad English, but the verb form of Pele), and Manoah and his wife are seeing. And it was: when the flame rose from off the altar skyward; and the angel of Jehovah went up in the flame of the altar, and Manoah and his wife are seeing (it); and they fell on their faces groundward. And the angel of Jehovah did not again appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that the angel of Jehovah is he! And Manoah said unto his wife, Dying we shall die! For we have seen Elohim (God)! And his wife said unto him, If Jehovah desired to kill us, He would not have taken from our hands a sacrifice and a meal-offering; and He would not have shown us all these things, and at this time, He would not have told us such as this!”
Scriptures do not conflict with each other. Is the angel of Jehovah Jehovah Himself, or not? And did or did not men see Jehovah?
Judges 6:11 (literally) And the angel of Jehovah came, and sat under the oak which was in Ophrah, which is to Joash the father of the Ezrite. And Gideon his son threshed wheat in the vat to escape from the face of Midian. And the angel of Jehovah appeared unto him, and said unto him, “Jehovah is with thee, thou mighty man of valour!” And Gideon said unto him, “With me, my lord? And there is Jehovah with us; and why is all this befallen us? And where are all his miracles which our fathers declared to us saying, ‘Did not Jehovah bring us up from Egypt?’ And has not Jehovah shattered us, and given us into the hand of Midian?” And Jehovah turned unto him and said, “Go in this thy strength! And thou shalt save Israel from the hand of Midian. Have not I sent thee?”
Angel of Jehovah and Jehovah are used interchangeably throughout this chapter. What must this mean?
Malachi 3:1 (literally) Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, and the messenger of the Covenant whom ye delight (in): behold he comes, says Jehovah of hosts!
Exodus 33:18 (Literally) And he said, “Shew me, please, thy glory.” And He said, “I will make-pass all my goodness beside thy faces, and I will call with the name Yehovah to thy faces; and I will be gracious with whom I will be gracious, and I will be merciful with whom I will be merciful.” And He said, “Thou art not able to see my faces; for the Adam will not see me and live.” And Yehovah said, “Behold a place with me; and thou wilt station (thyself) upon the rock; and it will be: When my glory passes, and I will place thee in the pierced-place of the rock; and I will cover my hand upon thee until my passing; and I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my other one, and my faces shall not be seen. (There is no singular for face in Hebrew. Also, Yehovah has no back parts, and the Hebrew word wrongly rendered back parts means after me.)
Did Moses see Yehovah? Did he live? Can you see the story of redemption in this text? What does No one has seen God at any time mean? What does he that hath seen me hath seen the Father mean? Who is Yehovah of Hosts?
8. Who Is the Likeness of Jehovah?
The next section says, “Jesus is not equal to the Father in power and Glory, but subject to Him.” Jesus is subject to Jehovah. Consider two passages:
Isaiah 46:5 To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like?
Philippians 2:6 (From the Hebrew translation of the New Testament) He who, in his outgoings (origins) was found in the likeness of Elohim; and in all this, he did not consider his being equal to Elohim as profit for him; but rather stripped-off his glory, and clothed-himself in the likeness of a servant.
Is he, or isn’t he equal?
9. Who Sends Whom?
The JWDBook next states, “Even in heaven he is subject to the Father.” This is true; but then, we already saw that the Father sent the Father, according to several quotes from Isaiah.
10. Who Is from Everlasting?
The next section says, “Only Jehovah is from everlasting to Everlasting.” This is true. And we read of Jesus,
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, Counselor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Micah 5:2 (from the Hebrew) And thou, Beth-Lehem Ephratah, small to be with the thousands of Judah, from thee to me, he will come forth to be ruler in Israel; and his goings-forth are from ancient-times: from the days of eternity!
If you have a copy of a JWDBook, see the Micah 5:2 translation under “Prophecies fulfilled in Jesus testify that he was Messiah,” and consider why they deleted the last part of the Hebrew.
11. Slight Inconsistency?
The next section says, the “Son of God had a beginning, was created.” Before I answer, compare two quotes from the JWDBook which are supposed to be quoting the same passage. The first is on page 487, under the present subheading:
Rev. 1:1; 3:14, RS “The revelation of Jesus Christ… To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation (“the beginning of the creation of God,” DV, AV, Confraternity, Westminster, AS).’”
On page 282, under the first heading, it states:
Rev. 1:1; 3:14 “A revelation by Jesus Christ.” “…These are the things that the Amen says, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation by God.”
Why make two different renderings? Is it A revelation by Jesus Christ, or is it The revelation of Jesus Christ? Why stand firm on five translations which agree, then use another which disagrees with the five in another place? The Hebrew version agrees with the quote on page 487.
The next citation is Colossians 1:15,16, “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: for by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.” Focus on “Who is the image of the invisible God.” Was God without an image before Jesus was ‘created?’ Did or didn’t Jesus create all things? If he created all things, should he or shouldn’t he be worshiped? Will two gods to be worshiped?
12. Who Is Creator of All Things?
“…all things were created by him, and for him.” On page 264, the fourth section is “Creator of All Things.” The following are its quotes: “Rev. 4:11 ‘Jehovah,…you created all things, and because of your will they existed and were created.’ Jer. 32:17 ‘O Lord Jehovah! Here you yourself have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm. The whole matter is not too wonderful for you yourself.’” (The rest of the quotes are designed to show that Jehovah himself was creator.) Page 282, under the subheading, “Through him all other things were created,” refers to Jesus Christ, and sites Col. 1:16,17. Look at John 1:1-3,10 in the New World Translation: ”In the beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god. This one was in the beginning with God. All things came into existence through him, and apart from him not even one thing came into existence… the world came into existence through him.” Look at the same texts from the Hebrew translation (closely reflecting the Greek):
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with the Elohim (God), and He the Word was Elohim; All the things were caused-to-be by His hand, and there is nothing which is made without Him… He was in the world, and the world was caused-to-exist by his hand, and the world, Him, did not know.
On JWDBook’s page 132, under “Heavens and Earth and All Elements,” compare the quotes from the New World Translation. Look especially at these: “Psalm 33:6,9 ‘By the word of Jehovah the heavens themselves were made, and by the spirit of his mouth all their army. For he himself said, and it came to be; he himself commanded, and it proceeded to stand so.’ Nehemiah 9:6 ‘You are Jehovah alone; you yourself have made the heavens, even the heaven of the heavens, and all their army, the earth and all that is upon it, the seas and all that is in them.’” Now consider the following quote. “Rev. 10:6 ‘The One who lives forever and ever, who created the heaven and the things in it and the earth and the things in it and the sea and the things in it.’” Then look to the left, where Col. 1:16,17 is again quoted, but differently compared to the quotation of Col. 1:16,17 above: “By means of him all other things were created in the heavens and upon the earth, the things visible and the things invisible, no matter whether they are thrones or lordships or governments or authorities. All other things have been created through him and for him. Also, he is before all other things and by means of him all other things were made to exist.” I translated the text from the Hebrew to see if other is present.
For via him was created all which is in the heavens and which is in the land, the exposed (visible) and the hidden (invisible) with thrones, and rulerships, or all principalities, and sultanships (authorities): all of them via him, and for (the sake of) him, were created. And he is former (in other words, before: having to do with existence and time) to every thing, and by his mouth they stand—all of them.
Why was other inserted into the translation when it is not in the Greek? When words are added that alter doctrines, doesn’t this not reflect dishonesty on the part of the translator?
The next quote in the JWDBook is Proverbs 8:22,27,30, but verse 12 that introduces the speaker is not included:
I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions…
Why was this left out?
13. What Does Jesus Claim?
The next section says, “Oneness of Father and Son No More Mysterious than Unity of True Christians,” quoting John 10:30 and 17:20-22. The following has more of the first text:
John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand. My Father, who gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. (Whose hand are then in?) I and Father are one. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God (Elohim is plural). Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the Scripture cannot be broken; say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works; that ye may know, and believe that the Father is in me, and I in him. Therefore they sought again to take him…
They understood his claim.
John 17:20-22 was also quoted. I will continue where they stopped:
John 17:20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou has sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast give me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare; that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
Matthew 11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
Review the previous quotes from Isaiah in this paper, and add Psalm 45:6 literally translated:
Thy throne, Elohim, is hidden-time and onward. Sceptre of uprightness: Sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou has loved righteousness, and thou hast hated culpability. Therefore, thine Elohim anointed thee Elohim. The oil of rejoicing is from thy fellows.
The Hebrew is more potent, and the explanation is in Hebrews 1:8:
But as to the Son, Thy throne, O God, is to the age of the age, and a sceptre of uprightness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou has loved righteousness and hast hated lawlessness; therefore God, thy God, has anointed thee with oil of gladness above thy companions.
In this text, Jehovah is speaking to Jesus.
Hebrews 1:10 And Thou in the beginning, Lord, hast founded the earth, and works of thy hands are the heavens. They shall perish, but thou continuest still; and they all shall grow old as a garment, and as a covering shalt thou root them up, and they shall be changed; but thou art the Same, and thy years shall not fail. (See Psalm 102:25,27) But as to which of the angels said he ever, sit at my right hand until I put thine enemies as footstool of thy feet? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out for service on account of those who shall inherit salvation?
John 8:28,29 is also cited:
Then said Jesus unto them, when you have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.
Deuteronomy 32:39 See now that I, I am HE, and there is no god (the plural Elohim, literally meaning there are no gods) with me…
In Deuteronomy 32:43, Jehovah maketh atonement for his land, for his people; in verse 30, Were it not that their Rock had sold them, and Jehovah had delivered them up. Who is the Rock, according to 1 Corinthians 10:4? But the Scriptures teach that Yehovah sold them.
Isaiah 41:4: Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I, Jehovah, the first; and with the last, I am HE.
Isaiah 43:10: Ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, and my servant whom I have chosen; that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am He: before me there was no God formed (el, meaning god, is generic), neither shall there be after me. I, I am Jehovah; and besides me, there is no saviour. It is I that have declared (remember what Jesus said), and have saved (remember what Jesus did), and have shewed (remember what Jesus did), when there was no strange (god) among you; and ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, that I am God (el). Yea, since the day was, I am HE, and there is none that delivereth out of my hand: I will work, and who shall hinder it? Thus saith Jehovah, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 46:4 And to old age I am he; and to hoar hairs will I carry. I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver.
Isaiah 48:12: Hearken unto me, Jacob, and Israel, my called. I am HE: I the first, and I, the last. Yea, my hand hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spread abroad the heavens: I call unto them, they stand up together.
John 8:24 I said therefore to you, that ye shall die in your sins; for unless ye shall believe that I am, ye shall die in your sins. (The Hebrew is exactly the same as in the Old Testament: I am and I am He is Anee hoo.)
John 8:28 Jesus therefore said to them, When ye shall have lifted up the Son of man, then ye shall know that I am, and that I do nothing of myself, but as the Father has taught me I speak these things.
John 13:19 I tell you it now before it happens, that when it happens, ye may believe that I am.
14. Can the Spirit Talk And Witness?
The next section says, the “Holy Spirit Is God’s Active force, Not a Person.” I already quoted the following:
Isaiah 48:16 Come near unto me, hear ye this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I; and now the Lord Jehovah hath sent me, and his Spirit.
How can an active force send anyone?
Hebrews 10:15 And the Holy Spirit also bears us witness.
Acts 8:29 And the Spirit said to Philip, Approach and join this chariot.
Acts 10:19 But as Peter continued pondering over the vision, the Spirit said to him, Behold, three men seek thee; but rise up, go down, and go with them, nothing doubting, because I have sent them.
Acts 11:12 And having passed through Phrygia and the Galatian country, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia, having come down to Mysia, they attempted to go to Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them…
(hmmmmm)
Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities. For we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit [Do active forces have minds?], because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, but where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty…
1 Timothy 4:1 But the Spirit speaks expressly, that in latter times some shall apostatize from the faith, giving their mind to deceiving spirits and teachings of demons speaking lies in hypocrisy…
Hebrews 9:14 …how much rather shall the blood of the Christ, who by the eternal Spirit offered himself spotless to God, purify your conscience from dead works to worship the living God?
Revelation 1:10, 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22 …hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches…
Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come.
Luke 12:12 …for the Holy Spirit shall teach you in the hour itself what should be said.
(If you have a copy of the JWDBook, see the pages on the Spirit, and look us its Genesis 1:2 references. It is not giving a translation, but a commentary.)
Acts 15:28 For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things…
Acts 21:11 Thus saith the Holy Spirit…
Acts 28:25 And being disagreed among themselves, they left; Paul having spoken one word, “Well spoke the Holy Spirit through Esaias the prophet to our fathers, saying, Go to this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear and not understand, and seeing ye shall see and not perceive…”
1 Corinthians 2:13 …which also we speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, communicating spiritual things by spiritual means.
Hebrews 3:7 Wherefore, even as says the Holy Spirit, “To-day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness; where your fathers tempted me, by proving me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was wroth with this generation, and said, They always err in heart…”
Hebrews 10:14 For by one offering he has perfected in perpetuity the sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also bears us witness; for after what was said: This is the covenant which I will establish towards them after those days, saith Jehovah…
On Page 488 of the JWDBook, note the commentary on the words “SPIRIT. PNEUMA.” Since when can an ‘active force’ comfort, intercede, speak, do the many things above, and be Jehovah?
John 16:13: But when he is come, the Spirit of truth, he shall guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak from himself (it shall not speak from itself?), but whatsoever he shall hear (it shall hear? Do ‘its’ hear?), he shall speak; and he will announce to you what is coming. (Do ‘its’ announce?) He shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine and shall announce to you. All things that the Father has are mine; on account of this I have said that he receives of mine and shall announce to you.
2 Samuel 23:2 The Spirit of Jehovah spoke by me, and his word was on my tongue. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me (Who is the Rock?), “The ruler among men shall be just, Ruling in the fear of God…”
Acts 5:9 And Peter said to her, Why is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord?
The JWDBook next states, “Heavenly visions of God and his Son reveal no personal holy spirit.” What they quote doesn’t show a personal holy spirit, but can an active force can be grieved?
Ephesians 4:30: And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which ye have been sealed for the day of redemption.
Only living things have emotions. Jehovah ‘seemed’ to believe that His Spirit had emotions:
Genesis 6:3: And Jehovah said, My Spirit shall not always plead with Man; for he indeed is flesh; but his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
On page 266 under the heading “Incorruptible, Spirit Person, with Senses of Sight, Hearing, and so Forth”, I found, “2 Cor. 3:17 ‘Jehovah is the Spirit.’” I rest my case.
15. Seeing God
On page 265 under the heading, “Has made manifestations of his existence by means of visions and angels,” the Jehovah’s Witnesses theologians wrote, “Ex. 24:10,11 ‘They got to see the God of Israel. And under his feet there was what seemed like a work of sapphire flagstones and like the very heavens for purity…the distinguished men of the sons of Israel…got a vision of the true God.’”
On page 467 under the heading, “Used in creation, inspiration of Bible,” it says: “Gen. 1:2 ‘Now the earth proved to be formless and waste and there was darkness upon the surface of the watery deep; and God’s active force (Hebrew: ru’akh) was moving to and fro over the surface of the waters.’” The root of the word and its meaning have nothing to do with ‘active force’. It comes from to breath, to blow, breath, wind. ‘It’ shows the Way and the Truth, and gives Life, which is also what Messiah Jesus does. What is ‘it’?
In one place, the JWDBook states, “Prov. 8:22, 27, 30 ‘Jehovah himself produced me as the beginning of his way, the earliest of his achievements of long ago. When he prepared the heavens I was there…then I came to be beside him as a master worker.’ (Compare I Corinthians 1:24,30.)” The Hebrew does not allow for the verb produced, but indicates either purchasing or owning. The ‘translators’ either did not know Hebrew or were dishonest.
Proverbs 8:22, 27, 30 (literally) Jehovah possessed me, (the) beginning of His way, earlier than his works, from then. In His preparing the heavens, there I (am)…and I was next to Him architect, and I was delights, day, day (every day), the rejoicer before Him at every time.
Consider also verse 23: From eternity I was consecrated, from the beginning, primordia of land (far before land).
16. Who is Wisdom?
Proverbs 1:20 (KJV) Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets; she crieth in the chief place of concourse; in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof: behold, I (Who?) will pour out my (whose?) spirit unto you, I will make known my (whose?) words unto you. Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of Jehovah.
17. How Many Names Do God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit Have?
The next section says, “Scriptures Mentioning Father, Son and Holy Spirit Together Do Not Say They Are Equal, Co-eternal or One God”, followed by this quote: “Matt. 28:19, RS ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’” Name is singular. Why doesn’t it say, “baptizing them in the nameS of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”?
18. Is Jesus a Human Or an Angel—What Is a Spirit?
We know that Jehovah is a Spirit (page 266 in the JWDBook under the heading “Incorruptible Spirit Person…”), and that spirits and spirit persons are invisible (page 466 in the JWDBook under the heading “Spirit Persons Are Invisible and Powerful”). We know that all angels are spirits (same heading in the quotations of Heb. 1:13, 14), and that a spirit does not have flesh and bones (Page 9 in the JWDBook under the heading “Spirit Creatures,” “Luke 29:39 A spirit does not have flesh and bones.”). We know they appeared visibly to humans (Page 10, under the heading of the same wording). The JWDBook claims that Michael is Jesus Christ (page 288). Yet on page 466, the JWDBook: says, “Heb. 1:13, 14 ‘With reference to which one of the angels has he ever said: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I place your enemies as a stool for your feet?’ Are they not all spirits for public service, sent forth to minister for those who are going to inherit salvation?’” Consider the following:
Hebrews 1:7 And as to the angels he says, Who makes his angels spirits and his ministers a flame of fire; but as to the Son, Thy throne, O God, is to the age of the age, and a sceptre of uprightness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou has loved righteousness and has hated lawlessness; therefore God, thy God, has anointed thee with oil of gladness above thy companions.
If Jesus is the angel Michael, why is there a distinction between Jesus and the angels? If Jehovah is a ‘spirit creature’, an ‘active force’, how can an active force send an active force? If an angel is a spirit, and spirits are invisible, how can they be seen?
19. No Trinitarian Statement
The next section says, “Trinitarian statement in 1 John 5:7, found in some Bibles, is spurious.” I agree. My Bible does not have that. I will quote my Bible from verse 6:
1 John 5:6 This is he that came by water and blood, Jesus the Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that bears witness, for the Spirit is the truth. For they that bear witness are three: the Spirit, and the water, and the blood; and the three agree in one. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater.
20. Is There Maybe One God Besides Jehovah?
The next section says, “John 1:1, 2 Mentions Only Two Persons, Not Three.” The next statement is: “Modern translations and Greek grammar make meaning clear.” ‘Modern translations’ only include two here: An American Translation and the New World Translation (and one commentary-translation: The New Testament—A New Translation and Explanation, which is supposed to be based on the oldest manuscripts). I already quoted this text in Hebrew: and Elohim is the Word, where it could not mean any other but Jehovah. Why accept two ‘gods’—one ‘True God’ and another ‘a God’ (as on page 216 in the JWDBook)—when Jehovah says,
Deuteronomy 32:39 See now that I, I am HE, and there is no god with me; I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal, and there is none that delivereth out of my hand, For I lift up my hand to the heavens, and say, I live for ever!
A belief in two (or more) gods is idolatry. Greek grammar does not imply this, but rather absolute equality.
21. Spiritualization, the Popular Form of Unbelief
The Rock that followed Israel throughout the desert was Christ (1 Corinthians 10:1-5). David says concerning Elohim,
Psalm 62:2,6 He only is my rock and my salvation; my high fortress: I shall not be greatly moved.
Also,
Deuteronomy 32:4 The Rock, his work is perfect…
2 Samuel 22:2 Jehovah is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer to me; the Elohim of my Rock: I will trust in Him…
2 Samuel 22:32 For who is god (el, the term for any god), except Jehovah? And who is a rock, except our Elohim? (verse 43) Live, Jehovah! And blessed (be) my Rock! And exalt Elohim of (the) Rock of my salvation (Yeshi: my Jesus)!
I was asked one more question by a Jehovah’s Witness nurse who pointed out that the hail in Isaiah 28:2,16,17 is not physical, but spiritual, and that we can therefore understand the hail in Revelation as spiritual hail:
Isaiah 28:2,16,17 Behold, a strong and mighty (one) is to my Lords. As a (violent) hail storm of a tempest of destruction, as a (violent) water-storm of an overflowing flood (like a tidal wave), he shall cast down earthward via hand…Therefore, so says Adonai (Lord) Yehovah, Behold I am laying in Zion (am ‘foundationing’) a stone, a precious-foundational-cornerstone of proof; the foundation of the believer will not make haste (collapse or flee suddenly). And I will place judgment for the line, and righteousness for the plumb-line. And hail shall sweep-away (the) shelter of a lie, and a secret shall water overflow (wash away, like in a tidal wave).
This sounds spiritual if we stop here. Include the next verse:
And he shall cover-over your covenant with death, and your league with Sheol will not stand. The scourge overflows, for he will pass-over; and ye shall be for it for trampling.
Isaiah 32:9-20 refers to hail that comes down upon the forests. Revelation 8 mentions hail, and hail in Revelation 16:21 has the weight of a talent. There is no reason to assume that the hail in Isaiah is figurative when the lie and the secret are literal. If the Scriptures give proof that a certain passage must be taken figuratively, to do otherwise is unbelief.
Literal fire came down out of heaven at the command of Elijah, consuming literal people at the foot of a literal hill. Accept it for what it says, or at least be honest and say that you don’t believe it. Unbelief is more often hidden in the form of ‘belief with interpretations’ than in pronounced unbelief. If Salvation is literal, so is the fire and hail.
22. Adding and Taking Away
Some very wise advice is found on Pages 50 and 51 of the JWDBook: “Right explanation is always harmonious with rest of God’s Word.” The JWDBook’s writers did not follow through using this. The book also teaches, “Adding to or taking away from God’s Word forbidden.” These very writers have done that! The ‘Jehovah’s Witnesses’ translators took liberties with texts. The New World Translation has many unjustifiable changes, deletions and editorial comments, and the JWDBook adds to these errors.
23. Does God Delight in Human Sacrifice?
The passages which supposedly back up this cult’s being called ‘Jehovah’s witnesses’ refer to Israel in the blood-line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. If Messiah is not Jehovah, even if he is perfect, his blood cannot cover for more than one person. Would Jehovah love us so much that He would send an innocent human being, the former angel, who is not even related to Him, to be slaughtered, while He, Jehovah, is untouched? He commanded him to go to his death, then claims to love us? But if Jehovah Himself chooses to be born a child in order to die physically and be the sacrifice for all, that isn’t murder or even accessory to murder, that is Justice. No angel can die for sins; angels don’t die. Will Michael rule the world for a thousand years? No human can die for the world. Jehovah in the flesh alone can be a perfect sacrifice.
Colossians 2:8 See that there be no one who shall lead you away as a prey through philosophy and vain deceit, according to the teaching of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him dwells ALL the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and ye are complete in him, who is the head of all principality and authority, in whom also ye have been circumcised with circumcision not made by hand.
Psalm 62:2: He only is my rock and my salvation.
If Jesus (whose very name is Salvation) is not Jehovah, there is no Salvation and you have none. But since Jesus Christ (Hebrew: The Anointed Salvation) is God manifested in the flesh, He is worthy, and His blood is shed for all.
Anyone who lays down his life for others is a hero. Anyone who sends another to die in his place so that he doesn’t have to die is a coward.
‘Jehovah’s Witnesses’ convince many that Jehovah could never do this or that, describing a god who is limited by man’s comprehension of justice. The Scriptures ask, who can know the mind of God? ‘Witnesses’ say, “God could never cause Himself to be born as a person, a child. The Messiah could never be Messiah and a child at the same time. Eternal damnation could never be in a literal lake of fire for ever; Jehovah would never be so cruel. The Holy Spirit could never be Jehovah Himself,” at the same time saying “Jehovah is Spirit” and also “Jehovah is a Spirit.” Theirs is a faith of unbelief.
I will serve only the God who died for me. Any other god has no justice nor love. There is only one God, and I will not serve two.
‘Jehovah’s Witnesses’ serve a big God and a little god always making sure that even though they will bow to Jesus, and confess he is Lord, they will only bow to Jehovah, since bowing to another god would be idolatry.
The doctrines of the International Bible Students Association (the other name for ‘Jehovah’s Witnesses’) are truth mixed with error. Salvation is uncertain. A second chance at salvation after death is guaranteed. It is a humanist faith with an investment in the earth.
The JWDBook fails to mention Israel’s central role in the plans of Jehovah. Why? Much more than two thirds of the Bible deals with His chosen people. Yet Israel is mentioned only in passing as a ‘has been’. This is anti-Semitism, and the basis of all replacement theologies.