BACKGROUND FOR THE BIBLE PASSAGES

Transcription

1 BACKGROUND FOR THE BIBLE PASSAGES Session 93: Jehovah s Witnesses Armageddon s Army Rolling his lawnmower out of the garage, John noticed a well-dressed couple walking up the drive. The man, in a two-piece suit, carried a bag. The woman, in a fashionable midlength dress, held a magazine in her hand. Good morning. We re in the neighborhood today sharing good news about Jehovah s kingdom. Oh? John asked. Yes, would you be interested in reading one of our publications, The Watchtower? We ask for only a small donation. The Watchtower? Isn t that published by Jehovah s Witnesses? Yes. We are Jehovah s Witnesses proclaiming His coming on earth. Who are the people called Jehovah s Witnesses? Many people dismiss them as fanatics. They are ridiculed on television. Often, evangelical Christians slam doors in their faces, with no concern for their souls. Still, Jehovah s Witnesses are a growing presence, numbering almost 6 million publishers, those who faithfully go door to door with their message. The number of people who embrace their beliefs is much larger; 14 million attend their annual, gigantic Memorial gathering. They report more than one billion hours in door-to-door witnessing each year, subverting the faith of hundreds of thousands of unsuspecting Christians. The movement known today as the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (Jehovah s Witnesses) had its birth in the mind of a Pennsylvania haberdasher named Charles Taze Russell. Born in Old Allegheny (present-day Pittsburgh) in 1852, Russell joined both the Congregational Church and the YMCA as a teenager. With more zeal than understanding, young Russell attempted to dispute with an infidel acquaintance about Christianity and the existence of hell but lost the argument. The experience so disturbed him that he became obsessed with disproving the existence of hell, arguing that it was inconceivable that a loving God would make people in His own image and then create a hell in which to punish them forever. Joining the Adventist movement, Russell devoted himself to Bible study, particularly seeking to disprove the existence of hell and to prove his opinions about Christ s second coming. He also set about to establish a chronology of biblical events from creation on. Armed with a substantial inheritance, Russell began to publish his opinions and to gather a group of followers. Significant among his early publications were The Object and Manner of the Lord s Return, which presented his view of the second coming, and Zion s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ s Presence. The latter attempted to prove that Christ had invisibly returned to the earth in 1874, contrary to the Bible s statement that at His return every eye will see Him (Rev. 1:7). Russell also became fascinated with the Great Pyramid of Egypt. Defying historical evidence and simple logic, he concluded that the architect for the pyramid was Melchizedek, the priest of Salem, and that its structure was a clue to God s chronology of human history from Adam to the millennium. Assigning one inch in the pyramid passages to represent one calendar year, Russell presumed to discover the exact date of Adam s creation and the year 1874 as the beginning of the period of trouble. Concluding that this year marked Christ s invisible return, Russell set dates for the battle of Armageddon and the millennial reign. Since that time the Watchtower Society has repeatedly prophesied and reset dates for these events, none of which were fulfilled. Recently, the Watchtower Society, after repeated failed prophecies about the battle of Armageddon, announced that the date is unknown. However, Jehovah s Witnesses still believe it to be very near.

2 Jehovah s Witnesses Beliefs A fundamental tool Jehovah s Witnesses use to subvert the faith of those they approach is the book Reasoning from the Scriptures, which teaches Watchtower doctrines on a wide range of subjects Witnesses are likely to encounter as they visit from house to house. On some subjects the book agrees with historic evangelical understanding. On many the Scriptures are twisted to conform to the dogmas of the Watchtower. Reasoning from the Scriptures and the Watchtower s distorted and mistranslated version of the Bible, The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, give Jehovah s Witnesses dangerous and often formidable weapons, especially when confronting a naive and illequipped prospect. 1. Watchtower literature is placed above the Bible. The Watchtower s declarations about the inspiration and authority of the Bible read much like those of Southern Baptists or other evangelical Christians. A grave and deadly difference lies in the Watchtower s assertion that it (more specifically, its Governing Body) functions as God s prophet. Therefore, only interpretations of Scripture produced by this body in its official publications are allowed. Any Bible study undertaken by Jehovah s Witnesses quickly becomes a study of Jehovah s Witness literature about the Bible rather than a legitimate search of the Scriptures. Sound principles of biblical interpretation are dismissed. Only official Watchtower publications are approved for reading and study. When Witnesses undertake a Bible study with prospective converts, it soon becomes apparent that they are not interested in studying the Bible as such but the Watchtower literature about the Bible. Further, the Watchtower maintains that only its own New World Translation is acceptable for proper study. This so-called translation was undertaken by a committee appointed by the Governing Body, none of whom, according to former Jehovah s Witnesses who were knowledgeable of the process, were academically qualified in the biblical languages. Arbitrary changes were made in numerous places to force a reading that conforms to the Watchtower s doctrinal bias. For example, the New American Standard Bible s translation of Romans 14:7-9 reads: Not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. Four times in this passage the word Lord (Greek, kurios) is used. The New World Translation arbitrarily renders the first three instances Jehovah, a term not allowed by the Greek. Yet it correctly translates kurios in the last instance as Lord. Why the inconsistency? Obviously, if it had used Jehovah in verse 9, it would have read, that He [Jesus] might be Jehovah. That would damage Jehovah s Witnesses denial that Jesus is God. Changing the translation of kurios in verse 9 defies logic, departing from the sense of the passage. Similar methods have been used repeatedly in The New World Translation. According to Reasoning from the Scriptures, the name Jehovah is used in both the Hebrew and the Christian Greek Scriptures in this [New World Translation], appearing 7,210 times. This is done with no linguistic justification, only the determination to produce a Bible that agrees with Jehovah s Witnesses beliefs. This passion to deny that Jesus is God the Son causes Jehovah s Witnesses to ignore clear Bible passages affirming Jesus deity or to flee to the Watchtower for explanations that keep them bound to their false belief in the lesser nature of Christ. Revelation 1:7-8 says that someone is coming, that the one who is coming is the Alpha and Omega, a term applied to God, the one who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. Clearly this speaks of the Lord God. Yet the one speaking, employing all of these terms describing God to identify Himself, also says He is the one whom they pierced. Who was pierced? Jesus. Who is coming? Jesus. Who is Jesus? Jesus is God. Jehovah s Witnesses and Baptists appear to agree on the inspiration and infallibility of the Bible. However, there is wide disparity in their approach to understanding the Bible.

3 Jehovah s Witnesses depend on the official interpretations handed down by the Governing Body, believing that the Watchtower literature would be sufficient without the Bible but that the Bible could never be understood without the Watchtower literature. Their approach is to isolate passages from the body of Scripture, string verses together to force a viewpoint, apply false reasoning, and change the Bible s wording to make its message conform to their opinions. Baptists and other Christians believe that the Bible is fully sufficient in all matters of faith and practice (2 Tim. 3:16-17), that passages must be understood in full context, and that human opinions must always give way to the clear teachings of the Bible (2 Pet. 1:20-21). 2. The view of God is limited. Jehovah s Witnesses insist that the only acceptable name for God is Jehovah, and they deny the Trinity. The New World Translation inserts the term Jehovah 6,974 times in the Old Testament, 237 times in the New. In contrast, in the King James Version, the name Jehovah appears only four times in the Old Testament and not at all in the New Testament. Christians counter that in addition to Jehovah, several names are used in the Bible to address God Lord, Elohim, and Adonai, for example. Although the Bible does not use the word Trinity, it clearly depicts God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 3. Jesus deity is denied. Jehovah s Witnesses assert that Jesus Christ is not God, instead contending that He is Michael the archangel, the first being created by Jehovah. He is called Son because as Jehovah s first creation He was like a son. However, He was not equal to His Father. This Michael, they claim, lent his life force to be placed in Mary and born as Jesus. Jesus then lived a sinless life and at His baptism became Christ. When He died, Michael returned to heaven, retaining the title of Christ. From there He will destroy the unbelieving world, including all who profess to believe in Jesus but have not joined the Watchtower as publishers, leaving a paradise earth for Jehovah s faithful Witnesses. Jehovah s Witnesses sometimes use 1 Corinthians 8:6 to prove that there is one God, the Father (Jehovah): For us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him. But the verse also says there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ. If Jehovah s Witnesses suggest that Jesus is not God, consistency dictates that this verse also teaches that the Father is not the Lord. Jehovah s Witnesses usually insert the name Jehovah wherever the word Lord is used, unless to do so contradicts their denial that Jesus is God. The differentiation they want to make in this verse between Jesus and God does not exist. Hebrews 1 presents evidence to counter the Jehovah s Witnesses claim that Jesus is not God s Son but the archangel Michael. This chapter distinguishes between Jesus and angels, clearly describing that Jesus is superior to the angels. In verse 6, for example, the angels are commanded to worship Him. Angels are not to be worshiped, only God. And here the angels worship Jesus! The New World Translation substitutes the word obeisance for worship. It is interesting to note, however, that prior to 1971 the translation used the word worship here. Jehovah s Witnesses fail to grasp the distinction between the preincarnate Christ, God the Son, and the self-imposed limitations He accepted when the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). Jesus voluntarily subordinated Himself to the Father in earthly life (John 14:28). In His complete humanity Jesus could pray to the Father and otherwise distinguish between Himself and the Father. But in His complete deity as God the Son, He could accept worship and truly affirm that I and the Father are One (John 10:30). Jesus would not and could not misrepresent Himself. The Bible states that Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation (Col. 1:15). Jehovah s Witnesses interpret firstborn to mean first created instead of superior in station. They fail to distinguish between the Greek terms protoktistos and prototokos. The former term would have been used if creation were meant. Instead, the latter is used, referring to station or rank.

4 Throughout the New Testament when references are made to the Son, He is presented with the attributes of the Father. Jesus was not merely a perfect creation; He was God incarnate: In Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form (Col. 2:9). 4. The Holy Spirit is considered an impersonal force. Jehovah s Witnesses deny the person of the Holy Spirit, or that the Holy Spirit is God. They consider the Holy Spirit an impersonal influence, Jehovah s invisible, active force, rendering the expression holy spirit in The New World Translation and in their literature. In contrast, the Bible depicts the Holy Spirit with the attributes of personhood and the qualities of the Father and the Son (Luke 12:12; John 15:26; Acts 5:3-10; 13:2-4; 1 Cor. 12:11; Eph. 4:30; Heb. 3:7). 5. Salvation is achieved by works. According to Jehovah s Witnesses, Adam s disobedience brought physical death for the human race. When people die, they literally cease to exist. There is no hell. Jesus death merely restored what Adam lost, since the transgression of the first perfect man, Adam, could be canceled only by the sacrifice of another perfect man, namely Jesus. The Bible teaches that when people die, that is not the end of existence. A Christian enjoys a conscious fellowship with Christ prior to resurrection (Matt. 22:32; Luke 16:22-23; 23:43; John 11:26; 2 Cor. 5:8; 12:2-4; 1 Thess. 4:14 5:10; 2 Pet. 2:9). For a Jehovah s Witness, the instant of salvation is by grace ( undeserved kindness in The New World Translation), but from that instant, salvation depends entirely on perfect obedience to Jehovah and maintaining favor in Jehovah s earthly organization, Jehovah s Witnesses. Appending works to grace plainly cancels the concept of grace, which is properly defined as the undeserved, undeservable gift of God. This is entirely the work of Christ through faith, with good works purely the response to that saving grace (Rom. 4:4-5; Eph. 2:8-10; Titus 3:5). 6. Heaven is reserved for the faithful remnant. Jehovah s Witnesses believe that people cease to exist at death. Faithful Witnesses, however, will be raised, reconstituted with a re-created body, to live a probationary life in the millennium. Even in this Edenic life, it will be possible to fail God s demands and lose hope for immortality on a restored paradise earth. At the end of the millennium, those who rejected the gospel of the Watchtower Society, even Jehovah s Witnesses who have failed at perfect obedience, will cease to exist here or hereafter. There is no hell. No one becoming a Jehovah s Witness after 1935 will be in heaven; no children will be there, nor will any of God s faithful who lived before Jesus, including Abraham, Moses, and John the Baptist. Only the faithful remnant will comprise the 144,000 who preside in heaven with Michael (Jesus), administering the affairs of paradise earth. All other Jehovah s Witnesses deemed worthy by their complete obedience will form the great crowd mentioned in Revelation 7:9 who will live forever on paradise earth. Jehovah s Witnesses have been characterized by their preoccupation with the end times. They suggest that Jesus is not returning for His own but invisibly introduced His presence since 1914, a date determined by Russell s measurements of the Great Pyramid. Although Witnesses long ago rejected Russell s reasoning about the Pyramid, they nonetheless accept his conclusion about Linked to these beliefs is a long history of setting and resetting dates for Armageddon, when all non-jehovah s Witnesses will be annihilated and the millennial rule of resurrected Jehovah s Witnesses will begin. At the end of the millennium, the faithful composing the great crowd of witnesses will occupy a restored paradise earth, while the 144,000 witnesses born prior to 1935 will rule from heaven with Michael (Jesus). The Bible clearly teaches that no one except God knows the day or the hour of Christ s return (Matt. 24:36) and that His return will be visible to everyone (Rev. 1:7). Setting dates is not only futile but also forbidden, and those who do so can be seen only as false prophets. Christians

5 are to be ready for that moment whenever it comes (Matt. 16:24-27; 24:14 25:30; Mark 13; Luke 21:5-16; John 5:28-29; 14:2-3; Acts 1:11; 1 Thess. 5:1-11). Jehovah s Witnesses may deny the existence of hell, but the Bible clearly teaches that those who have trusted in Jesus for salvation will spend eternity in heaven with Christ and that those who have rejected Him will endure eternal suffering in hell (Matt. 18:8-9; 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; 2 Thess. 1:9). The insistence that those who reject Him merely cease to exist and do not experience suffering has no basis in truth. In the Bible, spiritual death is not the separation of the soul from the body; it is the separation of the soul from God. Someone living today who has not accepted Jesus is spiritually dead, being separated by his sin from God. That same person, in resurrection and judgment, will experience eternal separation. The Bible compares the consciousness of that separation to the pain of fire and the agony of dying without ever being dead to urge people to avoid that fate while they still have time. Adapted from Faith Reaching Out to Cults Facilitator Guide (LifeWay Press, 2001). Used by permission. The Bible Speaks John 1:1-14 Jesus is completely God and has always existed. John began his gospel with a clear and unmistakable presentation of who Jesus is. The prologue to his Gospel (1:1-14) completely refutes the false teachings of Jehovah s Witnesses concerning the identity of Jesus. In the beginning, Jesus not only was with God, He was God, and all creation came through Him. A key word in John s gospel that relates to Jesus is life. As Creator, He provided physical life; as our Redeemer, He is the author of spiritual life; as Savior, He gives us eternal life. Ephesians 2:8-9 All people find salvation through faith in Christ alone. That salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ alone is a major stumbling block for people who are determined to tack on additional acts and ceremonies and rituals. Paul gave his fellow believers in Ephesus a profoundly simple explanation of salvation that has been a beacon light leading people to God through Christ. Three words light the way to God: grace God s undeserved favor toward sinful people ; faith an unqualified belief that Jesus is God s Son ; gift the nature of this faith to believe that we cannot exercise ourselves. Accepting this path to God bypasses all good works about which we might boast. Romans 8:12-16 The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity and indwells all believers. The words Spirit and Ghost (KJV) confuse many people. Jehovah s Witnesses deny that the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity through whom God performs distinct ministries. He convicts us of sin; through His transforming power we are born again; He provides assurance that we are indeed God s children. He also is our Comforter, Encourager, and Teacher, who reveals the meaning of God s Word to us. As a part of the Trinity, He, the Father, and the Son are all equal manifestations of the one God whom we worship.

6 SCRIPTURE PASSAGES Session 93: Jehovah s Witnesses John 1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created. 4 Life was in Him, and that life was the light of men. 5 That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it. 6 There was a man named John who was sent from God. 7 He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. 9 The true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was created through Him, yet the world did not recognize Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. 12 But to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God. 14 The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. Ephesians 2:8-9 8 For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God s gift 9 not from works, so that no one can boast. Romans 8: So then, brothers, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, 13 for if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 All those led by God s Spirit are God s sons. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, Abba, Father! 16 The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God s children. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible, Holman CSB, and HCSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

7 EXPLORING THE BIBLE DAILY 93 Write John 1:14 in the space below and memorize this week: Read these Scripture passages each day this week. Respond to each passage by jotting down questions and insights you may have. Day 1 - John 1:1-3 Day 2 - John 1:4-5 Day 3 - John 1:6-8 Day 4 - John 1:9-11 Day 5 - John 1:12-14 Day 6 - Ephesians 2:8-9 Day 7 - Romans 8:12-16

8 IN THE BEGINnING WAS THE WORD SEARCH Session 93 Can you find these words and phrases describing Jesus from John 1:1-14 going up, down, or diagonally in the puzzle? For a greater challenge, find every instance of each word as indicated by the number in parentheses. WORD (2) GOD (4) CREATOR (1) LIFE (2) LIGHT (2) FLESH (2) ONE AND ONLY (2) JESUS (2) E F I L U Q T R F Y W K U I T H G I L L O J B G Z G R N E N R E H H O O O E S O D S S T N D T A H D O U U W N O A L S N G S S A K G E P E A M Y E F I L R S L E B N J L B Z C H F N O Q D R O W L B W O 2008 LifeWay Press. Fuel2: Owning Your Faith, Volume 8. Permission granted to reproduce this item for church use only. Published in the United States of America.

9 SALVATION COMPARISON CHART Session 93 Write what each group might say about each of these descriptive phrases about salvation from Ephesians 2:8-9. By Grace Alone Through Faith Alone Not from You (don t deserve it) God s Gift (can t earn it) Not from Works (can t boast) Christianity Jehovah s Witnesses 2008 LifeWay Press. Fuel2: Owning Your Faith, Volume 8. Permission granted to reproduce this item for church use only. Published in the United States of America.