Jehovah s Witnesses: Witnessing to the Witnesses Understanding and Responding to False Doctrine

Transcription

1 Jehovah s Witnesses: Witnessing to the Witnesses Understanding and Responding to False Doctrine Dr. Zukeran provides us with a concise summary of the key doctrinal issues in the beliefs taught by Jehovah s Witnesses. Understanding these problems held by their followers in areas such as the resurrection of Christ, the Holy Spirit, and false prophecies, prepares us to be more effective witnesses for Christ to members of their faith. History of the Watch Tower One of the most aggressive and fastest growing cults is the Jehovah s Witnesses. Today they have a worldwide organization that numbers about 3.5 million members operating in 205 countries. Several factors account for this rapid growth. The first is their zealous door-to-door evangelism. Second, we Christians have failed to make a solid defense of our faith against their attacks when they have come to our door. The result is the Witnesses continue unchallenged in the propagation of their organization and deceive many. Third, the rise of the cults are a fulfillment of the prophetic warnings given by Jesus and the Apostles. In this essay I want to look at the beliefs of the Witnesses and then give the reader practical witnessing strategies. The history of the Jehovah s Witnesses begins with the founder of the organization Charles Taze Russell. He was a member of the Congregational Church who came to reject the doctrine of hell and eternal punishment. In 1870, with no formal education, he began a Bible society which eventually named him pastor. In 1884, he founded Zion s Watchtower and Tract Society in

2 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which is now the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. Since then they have mushroomed into an organization which produces more literature in one year than the Christian and Catholic churches combined. And, of all the cults, their missionary forces are the most well trained in evangelism. Witnesses deviate from biblical Christianity in several areas. I will discuss some of their major doctrinal errors. First, like all the cults, they deny the Trinity. They believe there is one God, Jehovah. Jesus, is actually Michael the Archangel, the first of God s creation, who became flesh at the incarnation. After the resurrection, He returned to heaven as Michael the Archangel.(1) The Holy Spirit is not God but an active force much like electricity or fire.(2) Second, Witnesses deny the bodily resurrection of Christ, but instead believe He was raised as a spirit and manifested Himself several times in different materialized bodies.(3) Third, they deny the existence of hell and eternal punishment, but believe in total annihilation after death. Only the elite ruling class, the 144,000, are allowed to go to heaven. The faithful Jehovah s Witnesses remain unconscious after death till they are resurrected in the Millennium. Those who are not in the organization are annihilated after death.(4) Fourth, Witnesses have a works-oriented salvation. Salvation is not based upon a relationship with Christ, but found in the organization. One must serve the society, and depending on one s faithfulness and absolute obedience, one may be saved.(5) Fifth, they believe that Jesus returned invisibly in 1914 and established His throne in heaven. At Armageddon, God will destroy all evil, and abolish all the world s governments, and establish a new Paradise on earth. Then the living and resurrected Jehovah s Witnesses will inherit Paradise earth.

3 The 144,000 mentioned earlier will rule with Jesus. At this time all unbelievers who have died will be raised (with some exceptions) and will study under the Witnesses during the Millennium, a period of a thousand years. Studying with them will be the unbelievers who have survived Armageddon. After the thousand years, their faith will be tested because God will release Satan from the abyss. At that point all unbelievers will have to choose between Satan or Jehovah. Those who reject Jehovah will be annihilated.(6) Clearly the doctrines of the Jehovah s Witnesses deviate in critical ways from sound biblical principles. Next, I want to discuss approaches to evangelizing Jehovah s Witnesses. False Prophecies of the Watch Tower One of the most effective ways to evangelize Jehovah s Witnesses is to destroy their faith in the Society. Remember, salvation is found only in this organization. The Watch Tower Society is seen as the spokesman for God. If you can show Witnesses the serious errors of the organization, they will begin to have doubts and questions. This can sometimes lead them to leave the Society. Attacking the Society s record of false prophecy can cause JWs to to question the organization. This approach is effective because they claim to have the true understanding of the end times. If we can show them that the organization has been constantly wrong in the area of prophecy, this will certainly make an impact. When the Jehovah s Witnesses show up at your door again, begin first by asking them, Are you prophets of God? Some will say, Yes. Others may say, We are prophets in a sense. You must make it clear there is no such thing as a prophet in a sense. There are only true prophets and false prophets. Some may deny being prophets. If so, show them a copy of the April 1, 1972, Watch Tower article on page 197, which states clearly that they are prophets.

4 Second, define clearly what makes a true prophet and a false prophet using Deuteronomy 18: A true prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and predicts future things which come to pass. A false prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and predicts future things which do not come to pass. Make sure they understand this, for this is the most critical step. Third, ask them, Is there an organization that fits the character of a false prophet? That s when you say, Let s take a look at the Watch Tower Organization. Have handy copies of the articles mentioned here. The 1889 issue, The Time is at Hand, page 101 states, The battle of the great day of God Almighty (Rev. 16:14), which will end in A.D. 1914, with the complete overthrow of earth s present rulership, is already commenced. This 1914 prediction of Christ s return never came true. Then the Watch Tower predicted that Christ would return in The 1918 issue of, Millions Now Living Will Never Die, p. 89 states, Therefore we may confidently expect that 1925 will mark the return of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the faithful prophets of old, particularly those named by the apostle in Hebrews 11 to the condition of human perfection. This proved to be another false prophecy. The Watch Tower made a third prophecy of the return of Christ; this one was to occur in The August 15, 1968, issue of, Why Are You Looking Forward to 1975?, p. 494, predicted the return of Christ in Once again the Witnesses were shown to be false prophets. If the Witnesses don t believe these articles are real, tell them to look them up in their church s library. Another interesting prophecy is found on page 154 of their book You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth. Here they state, Some of the generation living in 1914 will see the end of the system of things and survive it. Most of the 1914 generation are dead, and the few remaining are very old. In

5 just a few years, the Watch Tower will again have another false prophecy. When presented clearly, the record of the Watch Tower s false prophecies is a very effective tool in witnessing to JWs. (A free PDF file of copies of these false prophecies, as well as helpful information on the invention of the word Jehovah, is available here: JW-False_Prophecies) The Name of God Another effective avenue of witnessing to the Witnesses is in the name of God. Jehovah s Witnesses state that God s true name is Jehovah. They say the term God, is merely a title, and that the real name for God is Jehovah. In fact they go so far as to say that unless one calls on the true name of God, Jehovah, one cannot be saved.(7) Let s take a real close look at the name Jehovah and see if it is in fact the true name of God. The term Jehovah is actually a false reading of the Hebrew pronunciation of God, or YAHWEH. Allow me to explain where the word Jehovah comes from. The words in the Hebrew Old Testament contained no vowels. The words were constructed of consonant letters only. The Scribes knew what vowels to use in the pronunciation of the words by the construction of the consonants, the context, and memory. It was written this way until the fifth century when the Masoretes added the vowels under the consonants in their version of the Old Testament known as the Masoretic Text. The name of God in the Old Testament spelled YHWH, was considered holy, and was not to be read aloud. Instead, when the Hebrews came upon YHWH, they would say ADONAY, which means Lord. In order to indicate this substitution, the Massoretes placed the vowels of ADONAY or the English equivalent of e, o, and a underneath the consonants of YHWH. Later some Christian translators mistakenly combined the vowels of ADONAY with the

6 consonants of YHWH producing the word Jehovah. Now the term is recognized to be a late hybrid form never used by the Jews. That s the origin of the word Jehovah. Let s now look at what other scholars say about the name Jehovah. Webster s Collegiate Dictionary: Jehovah False reading of the Hebrew YAHWEH.(8) Encyclopedia Americana: Jehovah erroneous form of the name of the God of Israel.(9) Encyclopedia Britannica: The Masoretes who from the 6th to the 10th century worked to reproduce the original text of the Hebrew Bible replaced the vowels of the name YHWH with the vowel signs of Adonai or Elohim. Thus the artificial name Jehovah came into being.(10) The Jewish Encyclopedia: Jehovah a mispronunciation of the Hebrew YHWH the name of God. This pronunciation is grammatically impossible.(11) The New Jewish Encyclopedia: It is clear that the word Jehovah is an artificial composite.(12) According to the Encyclopedia Judaica, p. 680, vol. 7, the true pronunciation of the tetragrammaton YHWH was never lost. The name was pronounced Yahweh. It was regularly pronounced this way at least until 586 B.C., as is clear from the Lachish Letters written shortly before this date. Therefore, for Jehovah s Witnesses to insist Jehovah is the true name of God and that one is saved only if he calls on that name, is an error. When Witnesses appear at your door explain to them the name Jehovah and read what the scholars say about Jehovah. Also remember, God uses many names for Himself such as, King of Kings, the Lion of Judah, the Alpha and the Omega, and others. When JWs realize what the authoritative sources have to say, especially the encyclopedia references, they will begin to realize the need to take a

7 serious look at this error in the organization. The Bodily Resurrection of Christ A third subject area for effective witnessing to Witnesses is the bodily resurrection of Christ. Witnesses believe that Christ s crucified body was disintegrated by Jehovah never to exist again. Accordingly, Jesus was raised as a spirit who then materialized and appeared in several different fleshly bodies as the angels had done. Indeed, it was in this form that He appeared to His disciples; i.e., He wasn t in a human body; He just appeared to be human. He ascended into heaven as a spirit and once again became Michael the Archangel.(13) This doctrine can be easily disproved. First, in Luke 24:36-43, Jesus clearly states in verse 39 that He is not a spirit but a man of flesh and bone. He even ate food to prove that He was not a spirit but had a physical body. In John 20:24-27, Jesus shows Thomas His wounds. Jesus is clearly demonstrating to His disciples that the body previously on the cross had been resurrected. If Jesus had a different body than the one on the cross, He would have been deliberately deceiving the disciples. Ask the Witness, Would Jesus deliberately deceive His disciples into believing something that was not true? Next, turn to some passages where Jesus predicts the resurrection of His body. In John 2:19-21 Jesus says, Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up. See Acts 2:26-27, another prophecy of the Messiah s bodily resurrection. Clearly the prophecies and Jesus appearances prove a bodily resurrection. Witnesses cite 1 Peter 3:18 and 1 Cor. 15:44-50 to back up their belief. In 1 Peter 3:18 we read, Christ died once and for all he being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the spirit. This verse does not prove Jesus is a spirit. This verse says that Jesus was raised in the Spirit and by the

8 Spirit of God who gives life. Romans 8:11 states that the Holy Spirit was involved in raising Jesus from the dead. Jesus was not raised as a spirit but by the power of the Holy Spirit. According to 1 Cor. 15:50, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Since Jesus is in heaven, Witnesses say He must be a spirit.(14) They are correct in saying that the earthly body cannot enter heaven. However, when Jesus rose, He had a glorified body (Luke 24:39). Therefore, He can dwell in heaven because of His glorified state. According to 1 Cor 15:39, All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another. There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies. Christ s glorified body allows Him to travel in the earthly and heavenly dimensions. Some verses indicate that Christ exists in heaven in bodily form. For in him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form Colossians 2:9. The verb dwells in the Greek is katoikei, and is in the present tense. In other words, Jesus has a glorified body in heaven, the one that was resurrected. Note also 1 Timothy 2:5, There is one God and one mediator, the man Christ Jesus. The verb is, is a present tense verb also. How can Jesus be a man if He is Michael the Archangel? Seeing these errors may prompt them to seek the truth. The Holy Spirit A fourth avenue of effective evangelism with Jehovah s Witnesses is the subject of the deity of the Holy Spirit. As I mentioned earlier, the Jehovah s Witnesses believe that the Holy Spirit is not a person because they see the Holy Spirit as a force much like electricity or fire. Here is what Jehovah s Witnesses say about the Holy Spirit. In their book You Can Live Forever In Paradise on Earth, they state, As for the `Holy Spirit, the so-called third person of the Trinity, we have already seen that this is not a person but God s active force. (15)

9 In their magazine Why Should You Believe in the Trinity? they state, To a certain extent it (Holy Spirit) can be likened to electricity, a force that can be adapted to perform a great variety of operations. (16) Here are some verses that are effective in proving the deity of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 5 Ananaias and Sapphira lied to the church about the amount they sold their land for and the amount they gave to the church. Peter confronts them on this issue and states in 5:3, Ananaias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit? Peter later states in the next verse, You have not lied to men but to God. Here the Holy Spirit is called God with a capital G both in our Bibles and in the Witnesses Bible. Another interesting question to ask Witnesses is, Can you lie to a force like fire or electricity? The answer is No. You can only lie to an intelligence, a person. In Acts 13:2 the Holy Spirit speaks, While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, `Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.' Ask the Witness, When was the last time electricity or fire spoke to you? It is obvious only an intelligent person can communicate in language. Ephesians 4:30 states, And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God. Any logical person should realize you can only grieve a living being. Ask a Jehovah s Witness, How can you grieve or bring sorrow to an impersonal force like electricity? When you put all these facts together, the fact that the Holy Spirit is called God, He can be lied to, He speaks, and He can be grieved, the evidence shows that the Holy Spirit is a person, not an inanimate force. When presented clearly, I have not met any Jehovah s Witness who have been able to refute these verses. God bless and good Witnessing!

10 Notes 1. You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth (Brooklyn: Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1982), p Ibid., p Reasoning From the Scriptures (Brooklyn: Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1985), pp Ibid., pp Live Forever, pp Ibid., pp Ibid., pp Jehovah, Webster s New Collegiate Dictionary, 1973 ed. 9. Encyclopedia Americana, vol. 16., 1972 ed. 10. Yahweh, The New Encyclopedia Britannica, vol. 12, 1993 ed. 11. Jehovah, The Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. 7, 1904 ed. 12. Jehovah, The New Jewish Encyclopedia, 1962 ed. 13. Live Forever, pp Ibid., pp Ibid., p Should You Believe in the Trinity? (Brooklyn: Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1989), p Probe Ministries. Scriptures That Prove Trinitarians Wrong I dare you to put this on your website! As I see it, I could write thousands of words to try and prove a Trinitarian wrong. The reason I say this is because the

11 Trinity belief changes depending on which Trinitarian you talk to. There exist hundreds of Trinity-teaching churches, all of which have different interpretations of what the Trinity is or is not. I have heard that Jesus was a Man-God, despite the scriptural reference that no man has ever seen God. I have heard that they (God the Father and Jesus) are the same, but NOT the same..???? In actuality, there is no clear-cut description of the Trinity Doctrine. It itself is written in such a way that you could come up with literally hundreds of combinations to make it work. And believe me, that has been done. Catholics, Mormons, Prodestants, Lutherans and countless other religions have their own interpretations of the Trinity teaching. How can that teaching be right if all these differing opinions exist on its meaning? Is not at least ONE of them absolutely right? Here are a few points of view that should inspire any honesthearted, truth-seeking person to carefully examine in an effort to shed light upon this teaching. Please keep in mind that the earliest DOCUMENTED proof of the Trinity teaching dates back to the Nicene Creed, a government-sanctioned document the purpose of which was to unify a splitting house of worship notedly, the Roman Catholic Church. All other reports are speculation as to the meaning of certain author s beliefs. All pre-nicene opinions that I am aware of (not saying that I am familiar with them all) are from fathers of the Roman Catholic Church. It was the Nicene Creed that for the first time put it into an official, chuch stand. All scripture quoted is from the New Internation Version of the Holy Scriptures. I invite you to read your own version of the Bible to compare to these quotes. JESUS IS AN EQUAL PART OF THE GODHEAD 2 Peter 1:17 : For he received honor and glory from the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory

12 saying, This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. This scripture not only tells where Jesus glory came from, but also when and it is critical. Jesus did not possess any glory on his own, it was given by the Father to him when he was 30 years old in front of witnesses at Jesus baptism. If he was deity in his own right, he would not have needed the Father to give glory to him, nor would he have had to wait until his baptism to receive it. Here, it is stressed in the scriptures that Jesus is God s SON, not God himself. This points to Jesus subordinate place along the side of his Father. It is therefore reasonable to deduce that they are NOT equal. John 14:28: You heard me say I am going away and I am coming back to you. If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. Jesus here points out in no uncertain terms that he and the Father are not equal. In contrast to other scriptures that only insinuate a point, this scripture is direct in nature and states very clearly that the Father is greater than Jesus. They are NOT equal! Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father. God did the exalting and did so to his OWN glory. This entire passage speaks to God s sole authority to do what He wants, in this case exalting His own Son. Jesus is NOT the exalt-er, but the exalt-ee. One cannot exalt another unless there is superior position, rank or authority. Jesus is clearly the lesser of the two. 1 Corinthians 15:25-28: (speaking of Jesus) For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he has put everything

13 under his feet. Now when it says that everything has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God Himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him that put everything under him, so that God may be all in all. Can a logical person even conceive that these two, God the Father and his Son, Jesus are equal from this scripture? This is one of the most direct passages describing their relationship in terms of rank, or position. Any part of the Godhead described by most Trinitarians is equal to the power of the other. This directly rejects that teaching. Here, in these verses, it is crystal clear who has the authority and who has been given authority. They CANNOT be equal. JESUS IS ALL-KNOWING, AND THEREFORE IS GOD Matthew 24:36, Jesus speaking: No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. While Jesus was certainly blessed by God with extraordinary powers, the claim that Jesus is all knowing is completely and utterly denied by Jesus own words here. Jesus does not know the hour in which the actual end will take place. If he were God, he most certainly would know for it is his (God s) master plan. There exists no scripture, let alone Jesus own words, that says he is all-knowing. Some apostles asked Jesus that, since he knew all things, would he please explain this or that but to claim that these scriptures say Jesus knows all would be in direct conflict with Jesus words here. We know it has to be one way or the other, so which is it? For me personally, I will trust in Jesus words that he does NOT know the hour of the coming of the end and therefore does not know all things. [Note:...And six pages of verses and commentary from Revelation edited] Thank you for your response and I will enjoy putting this on our web site. I can tell you are zealous in what you believe

14 and I sense a strong disdain towards those who differ from you. I am sorry that with my heavy schedule I cannot address all your points but let me address just a few. Your response is typical of JW s who have misunderstood the doctrine of the Trinity and have used Bible verses out of context. Let s take a look at a few. The doctrine of the Trinity teaches that there is one God who has revealed Himself in three distinct persons all are equal in nature. They are distinct in person. The Father is not the Son. The Son is not the Holy Spirit. One God revealed in three distinct persons. JW s mislead people when they say the trinity teaches Jesus and the Father are one in the same person. They are distinct in person, but equal in nature. In regard to the passage from John 6:46 states, No man has seen God you interpret this to mean no man has ever seen God at all. Let s take a look at some passages and see if this is the case. Isaiah 6 states, In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on the throne, high and exalted. Isaiah appears to have seen the Lord. In Exodus 3, Moses speaks with God at the burning bush. Deuteronomy 34:10 states, Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. There are other passages where men have seen and spoken with God. So what John 6:46 is saying is, no one has seen God in His full glory. That no one could withstand. However, God has revealed Himself in veiled form, which we could see and withstand. Jesus is God the Son veiled in flesh. Philippians 2 if you read the entire passage states, that Jesus emptied himself or made himself nothing. He temporarily clothed himself in flesh and revealed himself to us. Later in Revelation 1, we see Jesus in glory. The allegation that the Trinity was not taught until the Nicene council is incorrect. The Watchtower printed this in their magazine Should You Believe in the Trinity. There they quote pre-nicene fathers as rejecting the Trinity. One

15 interesting note, the Watchtower does not footnote any of it s references. They use endless dots. why are there no footnotes or references pointing to the exact location of these quotes. Typical Watchtower deception. In my article on the Probe web site called Why You should Believe in the Trinity, I quote several pre Nicene church fathers and give the exact reference. Here are a few the Watchtower misquoted. Justin Martyr (165 A.D.): the Father of the universe has a Son; who being the logos and First-begotten is also God (First Apology 63:15). Irenaeus (200 A.D.) : (referencing Jesus) in order that to Christ Jesus, our Lord, and God, and Savior, and King, according to the will of the invisible Father,... (Against Heresies I, x, 1). Clement of Alexandria (215 A.D.): Both as God and as man, the Lord renders us every kind of help and service. As God He forgives sin, as man He educates us to avoid sin completely (Christ the Educator, chapter 3.1). In addition, Our educator, O children, resembles His Father, God, whose son He is. He is without sin, without blame, without passion of soul, God immaculate in form of man accomplishing His Father s will (Christ the Educator Chapter 2:4). Tertullian (230 A.D.): the only God has also a Son, his Word who has proceeded from himself, by whom all things were made and without whom nothing has been made: that this was sent by the Father into the virgin and was born of her both man and God. Son of Man, Son of God, (Against Praxeas, 2). Hippolytus (235 A.D.): And the blessed John in the testimony of his gospel, gives us an account of this economy and acknowledges this word as God, when he says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. If then the Word was with God and was also God, what follows? Would one say that he speaks of two Gods? I shall not indeed

16 speak of two Gods, but of one; of two persons however, and of a third economy, the grace of the Holy Ghost (Against the Heresy of One Noetus. 14). Origen (250 A.D.): (with regard to John 1:1) the arrangement of the sentences might be thought to indicate an order; we have first, in the beginning was the Word, then And the Word was with God, and thirdly, and the Word was God, so that it might be seen that the Word being with God makes Him God (Commentary on John, Book 2, Chapter 1). Not only in these instances, but also throughout their writings the ante-nicene fathers strongly defend the deity of Christ. I would challenge you to ask the leaders at your kingdom hall, Why doesn t the watchtower magazine, on Page 7 footnote their references? Also, where exactly are these quotes located in the writings of the church fathers? If you know a little about church history, you will know that the early church suffered persecution under the Roman Empire. It was not until Emperor Constantine converted that they could have a church council. At Nicea then, they simply articulated what they already believed and taught. 2 Peter 1:17, states, For he received honor and glory from God the Father. Take a look 17:5 where Jesus prays, And now Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. Now take a look at Isaiah 42:8. God says, I am the Lord, that is my name. I will not give my glory to another God will not give his glory to another. Yet Jesus shared in God s glory before the world began. He shares God s glory because He is in nature God. Let s look at John 14:28 where Jesus says the Father is greater than I. Greater refers to position not to nature. For example, you would agree with the statement, George Bush is greater than you or I. As the chief executive officer of our

17 country, that is indeed true. But is George Bush a superior being to you or I? No. Greater refers to position, not nature. In the Trinity, there is an economy, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. They are equal in nature, greater refers to position. In Hebrews 1:4 it states, So he (Jesus) became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. Here Jesus is not an angel because He is superior in nature to them. Or as the New World Translation states, So he has become better than the angels, Jesus is better, meaning superior in nature to the angels. If Jesus was an inferior being to the Father, He would have said, the Father is better or superior than I. Let s take a look at the verse you quoted in Philippians 2. You begin at verse nine, but you need to look at the verse in its context. Begin at verse 1. Paul is exhorting the Philippians to exemplify humility as Christ did. How did Christ demonstrate humility? Verse 6 states, Who (Christ) being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped. The Greek word there is morphe which means essential attributes. In other words, Jesus essential attributes was the nature of God. He humbled himself unto death and was exalted by God at the resurrection and sits at the Father s right hand. Another interesting note, verse 11 states, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord In Isaiah 45:18 God states, I am the Lord and there is no other. Yet here when every tongue confesses Jesus is Lord, it brings glory to the Father. We can t have two Lords and if God states, He is the only Lord and Jesus has that title as well, what must we conclude? In regard to the Revelation passages, it would be helpful to outline the book of Revelation. State the theme and how it plays out through the book. The Watchtower has interpreted it incorrectly in many areas. In Chapter 1:7 Jesus is coming to the earth. In verse 8 it states, I am the alpha and the Omega, says Jehovah God, the One who is and who was and who is

18 coming, the Almighty. God the Father is never referred to as coming soon. the one who is coming is Jesus. Verse 8 refers to the one coming soon in verse 7 who is Jesus. Jesus is called God in verse 8. The whole theme of chapter one is the Son of God. Even if you want to say verse 8 refers to Jehovah and not Jesus, look at 22: Who is the alpha and Omega there? Jesus. Jehovah is the Alpha and Omega in chapter one. You cannot have two Alphas and Two Omegas. You can only have one. It is Jehovah in chapter 1, Jesus in chapter 22. So we conclude Jesus is God the Son. In 1:17-18 it states, I am the First and the Last. I am the living one; I was dead and behold I am alive forever and ever. The First and the Last here is Jesus who died and rose again. In Isaiah 44:6, Jehovah says, I am the First and the Last; apart from me there is no God. You cannot have two firsts and two lasts. You can only have one. Once again, Jesus is God the Son for He shares the same title. Just a study of Chapter one of Revelation reveals the deity of Christ. I would study Revelation without the Watchtower articles to see what it says for itself. It is the Watchtower interpretations that led to the numerous false prophecies of Jesus second coming in 1914, 1918, 1925, and Their record of false prophecies alone should have one question the credibility of this organization. Sorry I do not have time for a detailed study of the rest of your passages. Perhaps at a later time. Thanks for your reply. Patrick Zukeran Probe Ministries

19 Jesus Was Only Representing Jehovah I read your letter concerning Jehovah s Witnesses and the Trinity. Like you, I like to get my facts straight, that s why I did a little research. I found out something concerning the Alpha and the Omega. If you turn your bible to the first chapter of Revelations, you will see something that maybe the witnesses you ve talked to haven t. In my version it states, A revelation by Jesus Christ, which God gave him, to show his slaves the things that must shortly take place. So here you clearly see that when Jesus said he was the Alpha and the Omega, he was representing God, Jehovah God. I am yet to do some more research concerning that other verse of yours, but please take into consideration that I m not trying to be rude, and I am listening to what you are saying, what I m trying to do is help another one in understanding the deep things of God. I welcome your comments and discussions, and I might be writing to you again. My is enclosed. And please don t get the point that I m some snobby religious person trying to get back at another. I m 14 yrs old and I read and study the bible everyday so don t think that I m not coming from anywhere. Anyway, Good Day! Thank you for writing. I have read your response to my article and I am glad you are interested in searching for the truth. As you do, let me encourage you to seek answers from the Bible alone, not the Watchtower organization.

20 In regards to your response, it does not change the argument that Jesus is God the Son in any way. I agree that this message is given by God and mediated through Christ. In 1:8 God the Father is speaking. We know this because after He states, I am the Alpha and the Omega, He states, Who is, and who was, and is to come, the Almighty. The phrase who was, who is, and is to come refers to God the Father. When we look at Revelation 22:12-21, Jesus is speaking about himself, not on behalf of God the Father. How do we know this? 22:12 states, Behold, I am coming soon and my reward is with me. When scripture refers to the coming of the king to earth, it is referring to Jesus. Jesus is the one who is coming. God the Father is not referred to as the one who is coming soon. Jesus is the one coming soon in all occasions. (Matthew 16:27, 24:30-31) Revelation 1:7 makes it clear once again that Jesus is coming because it states that the one who is coming is pierced. So when Jesus says, in 22:7 and 12, Behold I am coming soon, He is not quoting God the Father, He is referring clearly to himself. He, Jesus, is coming soon. In 22:16 Jesus states again, I Jesus have sent my angel It therefore does not fit if you look at the grammar of the discourse to say in verse 22:12 Jesus is referring to Himself, then in the same discourse He suddenly switches to quote God in verse 13 and then switches back to refer to Himself in verses This is an attempt by the Watchtower organization to manipulate the text to fit their interpretation. However, if you look at the grammatical context, in verse 22:12 Jesus refers to himself, for He is the one who is coming. And verses refer to Jesus. To say verse 13 suddenly refers to God the Father and not Jesus is being dishonest to the grammar and context of the passage. I would recommend you read through the entire book of Revelation, outline it and state what the theme of the entire book is. Do not simply accept what the Watchtower teaches you,

21 study the scriptures for yourself. The record of 100 years of false prophecy from the Watchtower clearly displays their record of false interpretation for over a century. God commands us to study His word, not the teachings of an organization. God says, Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, (Rev. 1:3) and He is not referring to the Watchtower magazines. Thanks for writing. Keep studying God s word. Patrick Zukeran Probe Ministries A Short Look at Six World Religions Understand the Beliefs of Non-Christians An overview of Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Mormonism and Jehovah s Witnesses from a conservative Christian perspective. Islam There are three monotheistic religions in the world, religions that teach that there is only one God: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The term Islam means submission to the will of God, and the person who submits is called a Muslim. The founder of Islam is Muhammad, who was born in 570 A.D. At age 40 he claimed to begin receiving revelations from a spirit being he believed was the angel Gabriel. These later were

22 recorded and became the Qur an, Islam s holy book. There are Six Articles of Faith that all Muslims hold to. The first is that there is no God but Allah. The second Article of Faith is belief in a hierarchy of angels, of which the archangel Gabriel is the highest. Each Muslim is assigned two angels, one to record his good deeds and the other to record the bad deeds. At the bottom of the angelic hierarchy are the jinn, from which we get the word genie. They are a Muslim version of demons. The third Article of Faith is belief in 104 holy books, with the Koran as the final revelation. The fourth is belief in the prophets. According to the Qur an, God has sent a prophet to every nation to preach the message that there is only one God. 124,000 prophets have been sent, most of them unknown but some of them biblical characters, including Jesus. Muhammed, though, is the prophet for all times, the Seal of the Prophets. The fifth Article of Faith is belief in predestination. All things, both good and evil, are the direct result of the will of Allah. Islam is a very fatalistic religion. The sixth Article of Faith is the day of judgment. Those whose good deeds outweigh their bad will be rewarded with Paradise; those whose bad deeds outweigh their good will be judged to hell. Islam is a religion of human works. The Bible tells us, though, that we can never earn God s acceptance on the basis of our deeds. There are Five Pillars of Islam, obligations every Muslim must keep. The first is reciting the creed, There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is his messenger. The second is prayer: 17 cycles of prayer, spread out over five times of prayer each day. They must wash in a prescribed manner before they kneel down and face toward Mecca. The third pillar is almsgiving, 2.5% of one s income for the

23 poor. The fourth pillar is fasting during the lunar month of Ramadan. Muslims must forego food, water and sex during daylight hours. The fifth pillar is making the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lives. Sometimes you will hear people say that Allah is another name for the God of the Bible. Is it the same? Allah is the Arabic name for God, and Arab Christians use the name Allah to describe the God of the Bible. Mohammed taught that there is one true God who is the same God that Jews and Christians ( the People of the Book ) worship. He began Islam on the foundation of the God of the Bible. We can say that in principle, we worship the same God. Islam began on the foundation of belief in the one true God to combat the pagan polytheism of the area. However, Mohammed departed from this foundation, and we differ in our understanding of how God has fully revealed Himself. In the Qur an, Allah is a distant spiritual being, but Yahweh is a Father to His children. Allah does not love wrongdoers, but God demonstrates His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Allah has predetermined everything about life; the God of the Bible invites us to share our hearts with Him. Hinduism Hinduism may seem like an alien religion of people on the other side of the world, but it has infiltrated our culture in all sorts of ways. You re probably familiar with most of the basic Hindu concepts without even realizing it. Have you seen the Star Wars movies? They are filled with Hindu ideas. Ever watch Dharma and Greg on TV? Dharma is an important Hindu term for moral duty. 30% of Americans believe in reincarnation, which is a Hindu concept. Transcendental Meditation is thinly disguised Hinduism. George Harrison s song My Sweet Lord invokes a Hindu chant. New Age philosophy is Hinduism wrapped in Western garb. Hinduism is tremendously diverse. It encompasses those who

24 believe in one reality, Brahman, as well as those who believe in many gods as many as 330 million! Some Hindus believe the universe is real; most believe it is illusion, or maya. (This world view isn t consistent with reality. You won t find Hindus meditating on railroad tracks, for instance.) Some believe Brahman and the universe are one; others see them as two distinct realities. Despite the diversity within Hinduism, there are five major beliefs of this religion. The first is that ultimate reality, called Brahman, is an impersonal oneness. In The Empire Strikes Back, Yoda tells Luke that everything the tree, the rock, etc. is all part of The Force. This is monism: the belief that all is one. Nothing is distinct and separate from anything else. Another Hindu belief is that just as the air in an open jar is identical to the air around the jar, we extend from and are one with Brahman. All is one, all is god and that means that we are god. In her book and movie Out on a Limb, Shirley MacLaine relates a time when she stood on a beach, embracing this concept and declaring, I am god! I am god! It s a very Hindu concept. Humanity s primary problem, according to Hinduism, is that we have forgotten we are divine. The consequence is that we are subject to the Law of Karma, another important Hindu belief. This is the moral equivalent to the natural law of cause and effect. You always reap what you sow. There is no grace, there is no forgiveness, there is never any escape from consequences. It s a very heavy burden to carry. Not only that, but Hinduism says that the consequences of our choices, both bad karma and good karma, follow us from lifetime to lifetime. This is another Hindu concept: samsara, the everrevolving wheel of life, death, and rebirth, also known as reincarnation. A person s karma determines the kind of body whether human, animal, or insect into which he or she is incarnated in the next lifetime.

25 The final major Hindu concept is liberation from the wheel of birth, death, and rebirth. One can only get off the reincarnation merry-go-round by realizing that the idea of the individual self is an illusion, and only the oneness of Brahman is real. There is no heaven, though only losing one s identity in the universal oneness. Praise God that through the Lord Jesus, Christianity offers hope, forgiveness, grace, and a personal relationship with a personal God in heaven. Jesus means there s a point to life. Buddhism Buddhism does not believe in a personal God. It does not have worship, prayer, or praise of a divine being. It offers no redemption, no forgiveness, no hope of heaven, and no final judgment. Buddhism is more of a moral philosophy, an ethical way of life. In his essay De Futilitate, C.S. Lewis called Buddhism a heresy of Hinduism. Buddhism was founded by a Hindu, Siddhartha Gautama, during the sixth century B.C. After being profoundly impacted by seeing four kinds of suffering in one day, Siddhartha committed himself to finding the source of suffering and how to eliminate it. One day he sat down under a fig tree and vowed not to rise again until he had attained enlightenment. After some time, he did so and became the Buddha, which means enlightened one. He started teaching the The Four Noble Truths, the most basic of Buddhist teachings. The First Noble Truth is that life consists of suffering. The Second Noble Truth is that we suffer because we desire those things that are impermanent. This is absolutely central to Buddhism: the belief that desire is the cause of all suffering. The Third Noble Truth is that the way to liberate oneself from suffering is by eliminating all desire. (Unfortunately, it s a

26 self-defeating premise: if you set a goal to eliminate desire, then you desire to eliminate desire.) The Fourth Noble Truth is that desire can be eliminated by following the Eight-Fold path. In the Eight-Fold Path, the first two steps are foundational to all the others. Step one is Right Understanding, where one sees the universe as impermanent and illusory and believes that the individual does not actually exist. If you ever hear someone say, The world is an illusion, and so am I. I don t really exist, they re probably exploring Buddhism. (You might want to pinch them and see what they do.) Right Thought means renouncing all attachment to the desires and thoughts of oneself, even as he recognizes that the self doesn t exist. Other parts of the Eight-Fold path are Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Awareness, and Right Meditation. Ethical conduct is very important in Buddhism. There are commands to refrain from the taking of any life (that includes ants and roaches in your house), stealing, immorality, lying, and drinking. The Eight-Fold Path is a set of steps that describe not only a good life but one which will move the follower toward Nirvana, the goal of Buddhism. Nirvana is not heaven; it is a state of extinction, where one s essence which does not actually exist in the first place is extinguished like a candle flame, marking the end of desire and thus the end of suffering. One of the important concepts in Buddhism is samsara, a cycle of birth, death and rebirth. It differs from the Hindu concept of reincarnation in that Buddhism teaches there is no self to continue from one life to the next. Another important concept is karma, the belief that you reap what you sow, and your karma follows you through the cycles of samsara. Note the inherent inconsistency here: there is no self to continue from one life to the next, but one s karma does?!

27 Buddhism says there are many paths to the top of the mountain, so there are many ways to God. Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me. Judaism Both Christianity and Judaism have their roots in Old Testament faith. But Christianity is really a sister, rather than a daughter, to Judaism, which is the religion developed by rabbis from 200 B.C. on. When the Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D., that spelled the end of sacrifices and the priesthood. Instead of being guided by prophets, priests and kings, the Jewish people turned to rabbis as their authorities on matters of laws and practice. There was basically one kind of Judaism until the eighteenth century when the Age of Enlightenment swept through Europe. That s when the three major branches of Judaism arose. That one basic kind of Judaism is what is now called Orthodox Judaism. It has a strong emphasis on tradition and strict observance of the Law of Moses. Reform Judaism began in Germany at the time of the Enlightenment. Reform Judaism is the humanistic branch. In fact, there are many Reform Jews who dont believe in God at all. For them, Judaism is a way of life and culture with a connection to one s ancestors that is about legacy, not faith. The middle-ground branch, seeking to find moderate ground between the two extremes of the Orthodox and Reform branches, is Conservative Judaism. If there is any religious principle that Judaism explicitly affirms and teaches, it is the unity of God. You may have heard of the Shema, found in Deuteronomy 6:4¾ Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. This one all-important

28 principle is the reason so many Jewish people have a hard time understanding Christianity, which they see as a religion of three gods, not one God in three Persons. The Old Testament is the Scripture of Judaism. Many Jews, though, do not consider the Old Testament to be the Word of God or inspired, although they do give it respect as a part of Jewish tradition and history. There are some lifestyle practices that set people apart as distinctively Jewish. Traditional Jews, usually Orthodox but including some from other branches, observe the Sabbath. This means abstaining from work, driving, and lighting a fire from Friday night to Saturday night. Orthodox Jews also keep kosher, which means keeping the Old Testament dietary laws. The most well known is the prohibition against mixing meat and milk at the same meal, although many people are also aware that most Jewish people do not eat pork or shellfish. It is difficult for Jewish people to place their faith in Jesus as Messiah because it is not considered a Jewish thing to do. In fact, they see Jewish Christian as an oxymoron. For many, being Jewish equals Not Christian. But there s another big reason it is so hard for Jewish people to come to faith in Christ. They don t see a need for salvation, because there is nothing to be saved from. If there is a God, then Jewish people already have a special relationship with Him as His chosen people. Jesus is superfluous for Jews. If you know someone who is Jewish, pray that God will cause the scales to fall from the eyes of their heart and they will see the truth: that there s nothing more Jewish or more godly than submitting in faith to one who was, and is, the very Son of God, and who proved His love for them by dying in their place on the cross.

29 Mormonism and Jehovah s Witnesses Have you ever answered your door to find a couple of nicelydressed people asking to talk to you about spiritual things? Chances are they were either Mormons or Jehovah s Witnesses. Since both groups send many missionaries not only into American homes but to foreign countries, it makes sense to cover them in a discussion of world religions. Many people think of Mormons and Jehovah s Witnesses as Christians in slightly different denominations, but this is not the case. To put it bluntly, both religions teach another gospel and another Jesus. They are cults, not Christian denominations. Mormonism was founded by Joseph Smith, a teenage boy in New York. He claimed that he was visited by first God the Father and the Son, and then by the angel Moroni, who gave him golden plates, which he translated into the Book of Mormon. He said that Christianity had been corrupted since the death of the last apostle, and God appointed him to restore the truth. But Joseph Smith provided nine different versions of these events, which set the tone for the rest of his teachings. Deuteronomy 18:22 gives God s standards for His prophets: 100% accuracy. Joseph Smith wrote a lot of prophecies, many of which never came true. He was a false prophet, and the religion he founded is not from God. Mormonism is not Christian because it denies some of the essential doctrines of Christianity, including the deity of Christ and salvation by grace. Furthermore, Mormon doctrine contradicts the Christian teaching that there is only one God, and it undermines the authority and reliability of the Bible. Jehovah s Witnesses was founded by Charles Taze Russell, another false prophet. His Watchtower Bible and Tract Society has produced a prodigious amount of literature. It has