God Vs Religion – Jehovah Witness
Jehovah’s Witness movement, first called the International Bible Students Association, originated in the United States during the 1870’s under the direction of Charles Taze Russell. In addition to the International Bible Students Association, Russell formed the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania in 1884.
In October of 1946, then president of the Watch Tower Society, Nathan H. Knorr, proposed a fresh translation of the New Testament, which Jehovah’s Witnesses usually refer to as the Christian Greek Scriptures. Several chapters of the translation were read to the directors, who then voted to accept it as a gift.
God (Jehovah) is the most high. Jesus is God’s agent, by whom sinful humans can come to Him and be reconciled with God. The Holy Spirit is the name of God’s active force in the world. They commemorate the death of Christ every year, only those who are thought to be among the 144,000 co-rulers are allowed to partake of the wine and bread.
Jehovah’s Witnesses, follow strict separation from the government, will not observe certain laws, salute the flag of any nation, or sing its anthems, siting it as false worship. They will not serve in the military, participate in elections, celebrate birthdays or any holidays.
Jehovah’s Witnesses, are designated as publishers, who meet at Kingdom Halls, and go door to door preaching.
When And Who Founded The Jehovah’s Witness?:
Charles Taze Russell (1852-1916), rejected what the Bible said about hell being a real place of eternal punishment, he first followed the teachings of the Ladder Day Saints movement, and its non-Trinitarian theology, denying the divinity of Jesus Christ. He also believed that the Second coming of Christ was an invisible presence and that the Parousia (second coming), or “Millennial Dawn,” had already occurred, in 1874.
Parousia would be followed by His visible presence, and the establishment of the millennial kingdom in 1914. Well, the millennial kingdom did not arrive in 1914 as he predicted, yet his teaching encouraged a number of people to hand out his books, pamphlets, and monthly magazine called, The Watchtower.
Jehovah’s Witnesses originated as a branch of the Bible Student movement, which was developed in the United States in the 1870s among followers of Christian Restorationist minister Charles Taze Russell. Bible Student missionaries were sent to England in 1881 and the first overseas branch was opened in London in 1900. The group took on the name International Bible Students Association and by 1914 it was also active in Canada, Germany, Australia and other countries.
The movement split into several rival organizations after Russell’s death in 1916, led by Russell’s successor, Joseph (Judge) Franklin Rutherford (1869–1942). He took control of both the The Watchtower magazine and publishing corporation, the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.
Rutherford took the International Bible Students Association to a new level as he introduced several doctrinal changes that resulted in many members leaving, but then introduced new preaching methods that attracted younger followers.
In 1931, Russell’s teachings were a thing of the past, Rutherford, removed all the original members, thus forming the Jehovah’s Witness. Even more changes were made to the doctrines, including their own version of a bible called the New World Translation, the rejection of celebrating birthdays and holidays, the rejection of the cross in worship, and the rejection of the Biblical Armageddon recorded in Scripture.
History of the Jehovah’s Witness:
In 1869, Charles Taze Russell (1852-1916), then seventeen years of age, attended a meeting of a group called, “Second Adventists” in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, an advent preacher named Jonas Wendell, explained his views on biblical prophecy. Wendell, influenced by the teachings of William Miller (1782-1849), who rejected the biblical teachings of the Books of Daniel and Revelation concerning the immoral soul and a literal hell, who also predicted that Jesus Christ would return in 1873.
Russel, believing this, and convinced that God would reveal His purpose in the last days of the Gospel Age, formed an independent Bible study group of his own. He rejected the biblical teachings that Christ would return and destroy the earth. He drew his own conclusion that Jesus died to pay a ransom to atone for sinful humans, fully intending to restore the earth and humans to the times of Eden, which everything was perfect (Edenic Perfection). Russell established himself as an independent and controversial Adventist teacher. In addition to his rejecting a real hell, he also rejected the deity of Christ,
In 1876, Russell, read an issue of Herald of the Morning, a periodical edited by Adventist preacher Nelson H. Barbour of Rochester, New York. Barbour, like other Adventists, had earlier applied the biblical time prophecies of Miller and Wendell to predict that Christ would return in 1874. When this failed, it led him and co-writer John Henry Paton (1843-1922) to conclude that it was correct, but their error was in how he would return. They believed that Christ’s return came, but was invisible (parousia) and had been there since 1874.
The book, Three Worlds and the Harvest of This World, published in 1877, articulated ideas that remained the teachings of Russell’s associates for the next forty years, it spoke of a two thousand five hundred and twenty year long era called “the Gentile Times”, which would end in 1914.
Russell claimed it was the first book to combine biblical end-time prophecies with the concept of restitution, in which, all humankind since Adam would be resurrected to earth and given the opportunity for restitution (eternal life).
It suggested the concept of parallel dispensations, in which there were prophetic parallels between the Jewish and Gospel dispensations, believing a new creation of man would begin six thousand years after Adam’s creation, which was believed to be reached in 1872.
It also suggested the that Christ had left heaven in 1874 to return to earth for God’s harvest of the saints and would end in early 1878, when they would all be taken to heaven.
Russell, Barbour, and Paton began traveling to hold public meetings to discuss their beliefs. For Russell, it was not enough, He provided Barbour with additional funds to resurrect The Herald of the Morning. Russell severed his relationship with the magazine in July, 1879 after Barbour publicly disputed the concept of the ransom. He began publishing his own monthly magazine, Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence (now known as The Watchtower), which he sent to all the subscribers of the Herald, disputing Barbour’s teaching.
Also in 1877, Russel wrote and published a pamphlet called, The Object and Manner of Our Lord’s Return, he published fifty thousand copies, explaining his views, and belief that Jesus would return invisibly before the battle of Armageddon. The coming of Christ’s invisible presence signaled the end of the current order of society and would be followed by his visible presence and the establishment of the millennial kingdom on earth in 1914. Although the kingdom did not come, Russell’s teachings motivated a number of volunteers to circulate his many books and pamphlets and The Watchtower, and to recalculate the time of the Parousia.
In 1884, In addition to the International Bible Students Association, Russell formed the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, with himself as president. In 1909, he transferred the headquarters of the movement to Brooklyn. From 1886 to 1904, he published a six-volume Bible study series originally titled Millennial Dawn, later renamed Studies in the Scriptures, nearly 20 million copies of which were printed and distributed around the world in several languages during his lifetime.
After Russell’s death, Russell was succeeded as president in 1917 by Joseph (Judge) Franklin Rutherford (1869–1942), shortly after becoming the leader, a crisis arose surrounding Rutherford’s leadership of the society, causing in a movement-wide schism. As many as three-quarters of the approximately fifty thousand Bible Students who had been members in 1917 had left by 1931.
Under Rutherford’s leadership, Russell’s group became a tightly knit organization, imposing a worldwide Bible Student movement, which he later called a theocracy, requiring all members to distribute literature via door to door preaching and to provide regular reports of their preaching activity. He also instituted training programs for public speaking as part of their weekly meetings for worship.
Rutherford, formed his followers into a group of dedicated evangelists, equipping members with portable phonographs to play his sermons on street corners and in the living rooms of prospective converts. This led to an another reform of the movement, emphasizing on the belief that its members were specially God’s or Jehovah’s chosen followers, changing the groups name to Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1931.
Rutherford, concluding that the date of Christ’s invisible return was in 1914, he further denied biblical doctrine, teaching that Jesus died on a tree and not the cross, that Armageddon was God’s war on the wicked, and the belief that the start of Christ’s millennial reign was hanging. He enforced restrictions on his converts, forbidding blood transfusions, the condemning of holiday observances of holidays, including birthday’s, the saluting of national flags, and of singing national anthems. In 1935, the term Kingdom Hall was established as houses of worship. With the distribution of almost four hundred million books, booklets, and twenty-one bible study books, Rutherford, was credited by the Society in 1942. Despite significant decreases during the 1920s, membership increased more than sixfold by the end of Rutherford’s twenty-five years as president.
1942, Rutherford’s successor, Nathan Homer Knorr (1905–77), became president, he continued to enforce Rutherford’s policies, and added more. He established the Watch Tower Bible School of Gilead in South Lansing, New York, to train missionaries and leaders, and made a decree that all the Society’s books and articles were to be published anonymously. He also set up adult training programs to train Witnesses on how to teach them to potential converts.
In 1945, the Watch Tower Society, amended its charter to state that its purpose was to preach the Kingdom of God, acting as agents of Jehovah’s Witness to His teachings and of Jesus Christ. The Watch Tower Society publishes millions of books, tracts, recordings, and periodicals in more than 700 languages. Its chief publications are a semimonthly magazine, the Watchtower, and its companion magazine, Awake!. Work is carried out throughout the world by more than eight million Witnesses.
1946, Under Knorr’s direction, a group of Witnesses produced their own translation of the Holy Bible, The New World Translation. Until the New World Translation, Witnesses used the King James version. They found a great deal of distrust in the Authorized Version that was written from the archaic language. They sought fresh translation that did not contain this language, a better manuscript to more accuracy.
Witnesses refer to the New Testament as the Christian Greek Scriptures, and in 1947, when the “New World Bible Translation Committee” was formed. The committee agreed to turn over its translation to the Society for publication and on September 3, 1949, Knorr, during a joint meeting of the board of directors of both the Watch Tower Society’s New York and Pennsylvania corporations announced that it was now able to print its new modern English translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures. Several chapters of the translation were read to the directors, who then voted to accept it as a gift. The New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures was released at a convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses at Yankee Stadium, in New York, on August 2, 1950.
1978, Knorr’s successor, Frederick W. Franz (1893–1992), became president. He had previously served as Vice President from 1945 until 1977. He was also a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses, which assumed over-all control of all Jehovah’s Witness corporations in 1976. In 2010, the Watch Tower Society asserted that the “generation” of 1914 regarded by Jehovah’s Witnesses as the last generation before the battle of Armageddon includes persons whose lives “overlap” with “the anointed who were on hand when the sign began to become evident in 1914.”
1992, Franz’s successor, Milton G. Henschel (1920–2003), and remained in that position until 2000. Major organizational changes took place in 2000, as the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses was separated from the Society’s board of directors. As a result, members of the Governing Body stepped aside from their capacities in the Watch Tower Society, and Don A. Adams was appointed president. Henschel, remained a member of the Governing Body until his death in 2003.
In 2015, Franz was cited as an example of one of the last members of the “anointed” alive in 1914, suggesting that the “generation” would include any individuals “anointed” up until his death in 1992. The movement’s headquarters were transferred to Warwick, New York, in 2016.
What Do Jehovah Witnesses Believe?: (All the information received on the Jehovah’s Witness beliefs is directly from JW.org.)
Jehovah’s Witnesses, believe that God (Jehovah) is the most high. Jesus is God’s agent, by whom sinful humans can come to Him and be reconciled with God. The Holy Spirit is the name of God’s active force in the world.
Jehovah’s Witnesses, believe that they are living in the last days before Jesus would establish God’s Kingdom on the earth, and He will use 144,000 human co-rulers to help him govern. Those who acknowledge Jehovah in this life will become members of the Millennial Kingdom, those who do not acknowledge Him will face total extinction.
Jehovah’s Witnesses, baptize new members by immersion and are expected to like by their strict code of personal conduct. Marriage is a holy covenant, and no divorce is approved except adultery.
Jehovah’s Witnesses, commemorate the death of Christ every year, on 14 Nisan of the Jewish calendar (March or April of the Gregorian calendar). During this event they pass around wine and bread to symbolize the blood and body of Christ. Only those who are thought to be among the 144,000 co-rulers are allowed to partake of the wine and bread.
Jehovah’s Witnesses, follow strict separation from the government, will not observe certain laws, will not salute the flag of any nation, or sing its anthems, siting it as false worship. They will not serve in the military or participate in elections.
Jehovah’s Witnesses, remain separated from other denominations, and disavow the church and ministers. Their congregations are designated as publishers, who meet at Kingdom Halls, and go door to door preaching. They also have pioneers, who hold part-time secular jobs so they can devote more time to their religious services. Special pioneers are full-time employees of the society. Each of the publishers are assigned a territory and neighborhood.
Jehovah’s Witnesses, also oppose medical practices they believe go against Scripture, such as receiving blood transfusions as it mimics the consumption of blood.
What Does The Bible Say About This?
The only thing they got right in all this is the fact that God is Jehovah. Jesus is not God’s agent, He is God’s only begotten Son. In fact, Jesus is God in the flesh, incarnate through the immaculate birth of the virgin Mary. God Himself said this after He was baptized. “And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” – Mark 1:9-11.
Jesus has not returned yet, no one, not even He knows when He will return, God, the Father, has not told Him. We are given signs that His return is near, but no one, knows the hour in which He will return. “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.” – Mark 13:31-33.
The 144,000 spoken of in the Book of Revelation, these are the Jews, twelve thousand of each tribe that will be saved during the Tribulation. “And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.” – Revelation 7:1-4.
There will also be a multitude from every other nation of people. “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.” – Revelation 7:9-10.
In order to be one of the multitude that are saved from the Tribulation, and reconciled with God, you must accept the Gospel of Christ. The Gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of God’s only begotten Son, born of a virgin, who died a sinless death on the CROSS, was buried for three days and nights in the tomb, then arose to break the curse of death and hell, yes, hell, to all who believe. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” – Romans 10:9-10.
“Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away. And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst. And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.” – John 19:16-19.
Yes, hell is a real place. The punishment for sin is death and hell. This is why Jesus died, was buried, and arose three days later. “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” – Hebrews 9:27-28.
There is a place for saved souls to go until Jesus returns, that is heaven, where Jesus is. “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” – II Corinthians 5:6-8.
When Jesus does return to earth, the bodies of the saved will resurrect, they will reunite with their souls, receiving in new glorified and immortal body. “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” – I Corinthians 15:51-54.
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” – I Thessalonians 4:16-17.
After Jesus returns, He will reign for a thousand years, that is when His saints will help Him rule the kingdom. “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” – Revelation 20:4-6.
There is a place of unsaved souls until judgment, that is hell. After Jesus reigns a thousand years, judgment will begin for the unsaved. They will be resurrected, and they will be cast into the lake of fire along with Satan and the angels that followed him. “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” – Revelation 20:10-14.
About Sin:
Adam and Eve were created perfect, meaning they were not inclined to error. When they chose to sin, they became like a dented cake pan that could only produce a dented cake. We all carry this same dent. When Adam and Eve sinned, they severed their relationship with God, and passed that down to us. Immediately after Adam and Eve sinned, God passed a sentence on the guilty parties, and that sentence was passed down to us.
A good person wants to think, feel, and act properly at all times. Sin means failing to achieve that goal perfectly by doing bad. Any action, feeling, or thought that is bad is sin, this includes uncontrolled anger, swearing, nurturing a wrong desire, or giving into impulse. Realistically, we know that there is no one without sin. Completely avoiding all sin, even for a day, is beyond our ability.
Our inability to avoid sin shows that sin is a deeper problem than simply committing wrong acts, we inherit sin. We get sick, grow old, and die, not because we choose to do bad, because we are born imperfect, and inclined to sin. We cannot rid ourselves of this inclination by our own efforts.
Just as a caring human father feels pain when his children suffer, God pains to see us suffer. God feels deeply for us, and promises He will eventually remove all evil from the earth. GOD has been taking steps to ensure that rebellion against Him will never occur again.
God still wants the earth to be a paradise, and has never abandoned that objective. God also revealed His purpose to undo the damage they had caused. It takes time to resolve the issues, but God’s final judgment will set a universal and eternal precedent that will sanctify God’s name and vindicate his way of ruling. And God will completely undo all the damage that Satan caused.
THE Messiah’s atoning sacrifice will completely remove the burden of sin and guilt from human hearts. Yet, his Kingdom will accomplish much more. The blessings of the Messiah’s rule include endless life on earth.
What Does The Bible Say About This?:
When God created the earth, Adam and Eve, He pronounced that it was all good, and gave them one command. “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” – Genesis 2:16-17.
When Adam and Eve sinned, they did not die physically, they died spiritually, that means God removed His Spirit from man, and that all that is living will die. Death is the curse that was passed down from Adam for their sin. God concluded that all sin (even the angels) from birth, we do not need to be taught how to sin, it comes naturally for us. “There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” – Romans 3:11-12.
Jesus broke that curse, with His own death. By Mary being conceived as a virgin by the Holy Spirit, Jesus did not inherit the sin nature that we have because His father is not Adam, it is God. “And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” – Luke 1:30-31,34-35.
Being born of a virgin did not mean that Jesus was never tempted to sin, He was tempted just as we are, yet He never sinned. “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” – Hebrews 4:15. That enabled Him to become the unblemished sacrifice needed to reconcile man with God forever, and live eternally with Him. “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” – Hebrews 9:27-28.
Sin is any wrongdoing in the eyes of God, if you think of committing the sin, it is just as through you have committed it. Sin separates us from God, in fact, it makes us enemies with Him. “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” – Romans 5:10.
Death is the punishment or wages for sin, but life is by grace through our faith in Jesus Christ. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” – Romans 6:23.
And there is an additional punishment for sin far worse than death itself, and that is hell and the lake of fire, which is the second death. “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” – Revelation 21:7-8.
Jesus does more than remove the burden of sin and guilt from human hearts, He saves the souls of those who believe in and receive Him as their Saviour from death and hell. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” – Romans 10:9-10.
And, when we believe in and receive Christ as our Saviour, we are not just God’s friend, we are His children. “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” – Galatians 3:24-27.
About The Bible:
The Bible offers the best possible advice on life’s most difficult questions. Its value has been proved throughout the centuries. The Bible is a gift from God. It gives us information that we can’t find anywhere else. For example, it tells us that God created the heavens, the earth, and the first man and woman. It gives us principles that can help us when we have problems. In the Bible, we learn how God will accomplish his purpose to make the earth a better place.
The Bible has been translated into about 2,600 languages, and billions of copies have been printed. It gives us information that we can’t find anywhere else. The Author of the Bible is God. God guided men to express his thoughts. Hundreds of years before it happened, the Bible prophesied how Babylon would be conquered. Bible prophecies are being fulfilled now.
We can trust what the Bible says about the future. What the Bible says about scientific matters is accurate. Bible writers were honest. Jesus gave us advice on how to be happy, how to get along with others, how to pray, and how to view money. It can help you to understand God’s purpose. It can help you to know what kind of person you are. It can help you to understand what God expects of you. God wants you to read, study, and love the Bible.
What Does The Bible Say About This?:
Note that Jehovah’s Witness has their own version of what they call the Bible, and this is what they are referring to as what they believe to be God’s Word. The New World Translation is not the Bible, it is a mans option on what they interpret, just like all the other modern versions. No one is to add, remove, or change one thee, one thou, one jot, or one tittle. “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” – Matthew 5:17-18.
There are no errors in the King James, nothing is left out, nothing has been added, nothing has been changed. The italics that you see are the words used to say in English what was said on Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic, which are the three languages of the original transcripts. “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” – Revelation 22:18-19.
The Bible is God’s gift to His believers. He gave His Word so that we might know how He wants us to live. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” – II Timothy 3:16-17.
When people make up their own version of God’s Word, they are not helping anyone understand it, all they are doing is sending people and themselves to hell for misleading them. “But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.” – Matthew 23:13.
About Jesus:
Unlike any other human, Jesus lived in heaven as a spirit person before he was born on earth. He was God’s first creation, and he helped in the creation of all other things. He is the only one created directly by Jehovah and is thus called God’s “only-begotten” Son. Jesus served as God’s Spokesman, so he is also called “the Word.”
God sent his Son to earth by transferring his life from heaven to the womb of a virgin Jewess named Mary. So Jesus did not have a human father. Jesus came to earth to teach the truth about God, to set an example in doing God’s will, and to give his perfect life as “a ransom.”
God told the first man, Adam, that if he committed what the Bible calls sin, he would die. If Adam had not sinned, he would never have died. Even though Adam’s life did not end until centuries later, he began to die from the day he disobeyed God. Adam passed on to all his descendants sin and its penalty, death. Thus, death “entered” the world of mankind through Adam. That is why we need a ransom.
Who could pay the ransom to free us from death? When we die, we pay the penalty only for our own sins. Since Jesus did not inherit imperfection from a human father, he died, not because of his own sins, but for the sins of others. God sent his Son to die for us as an expression of His extraordinary love for mankind. Jesus also showed love for us by obeying his Father and giving his life for our sins.
By curing the sick, raising the dead, and rescuing people in peril, Jesus demonstrated what he would eventually do for all obedient mankind. After Jesus died, God restored him to life as a spirit person. Jesus then waited at God’s right hand until Jehovah gave him power to rule as King over all the earth. Now Jesus is ruling as King in heaven, and his followers on earth are announcing the good news worldwide. Soon, Jesus will use his power as King to put an end to all suffering and those who cause it. Millions who exercise faith in Jesus and obey him will enjoy life in a paradise on earth.
What Does The Bible Say About This?:
First of all, Jesus is not just some extraordinary man, He is God incarnate, meaning God in the flesh. He was not God’s first creation, He is God! “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” – Genesis 1:26.
“Let us make man in our image,” Yes, God is talking to Himself here, rather in His three persons. “This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” – I John 5:6-7.
“and these three are one.” Father – God, Word – Jesus – Still God, Holy Spirit – Still God. You see, God is this is only made possible because God is omnipotent, meaning He has the ability to be and do whatever He wants. If He chooses to have three separate persons as His person, then that is His choice, and no one dare question Him. He is also omniscient, meaning, all knowing, He knows everything that is going to happen before it happens. He created everything that is in the heavens and earth, Himself, and the things that are made are made from things that God has made. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” – John 1:1-3.
Jesus is the Word made flesh, meaning everything that the Bible contains is Him, from creation to His second coming, to the end of this world, and the beginning of the new world is Jesus. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14.
Yes, Jesus was born of a virgin, named Mary, conceived of the Holy Spirit, this means that God Himself touched Mary, and was instantly conceived by God. This also means that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God, meaning He always was and has existed, and became flesh through conception. “And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” – Luke 1:30-31,34-35.
God did not tell Adam that if he sinned he would die, Adam had no idea what sin was. What He said was this, “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” – Genesis 2:16b-17.
When Adam sinned, that did bring death the curse of death to not only man, but the entire world. Time did not exist until that first sin was committed. And this was not a physical death, this was a spiritual death, meaning He took His Spirit from mans soul, and unless we have His Spirit in our soul, when our body dies, our soul goes to hell. Why? Sin = Death! Hell is a real place! God does not want all of His creation to end up in hell, He created hell for Satan, his angels, and his followers. They are awaiting the day Christ returns and judges all.
“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” – Revelation 20:10,12,14-15.
“For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:” – II Peter 2:4-6,9.
Since we cannot escape this punishment on our own because of our sin nature, God made a way, and that way is Jesus. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” – Romans 6:23.
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” – Hebrews 9:27-28.
About Salvation:
Salvation is a gift from God attained by being part of “God’s organization” and putting your faith in the ransom sacrifice of Jesus.
Salvation is made possible only through Christ’s ransom sacrifice, individuals cannot be saved until they repent of their sins and call on the name of Jehovah. This is not to give eternal security, rather to secure our place in paradise.
Salvation is unattainable without good works that are prompted by faith. Your works prove that your faith is genuine.
Preaching and teaching are some of the works necessary for salvation, if they are not going out in the streets, preaching their gospel, then their faith is not genuine.
Conforming to the moral requirements set in the Bible is another form of works. Getting baptized as a member of Jehovah Witness is another work, and a vital step toward gaining salvation.
There are two groups who will be resurrected when Christ returns. The first group is the 144,000 anointed, who will get to go to heaven. And the second group are those who are known as the, “other sheep or “great crowd” and will live forever on earth.
What Does The Bible Say About This?:
Salvation is a free gift from God, obtainable only by ones faith in the Gospel of Christ alone, which is His sinless death, burial, and resurrection. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” – Romans 6:23.
There are no works to salvation, Jesus did the work! One is saved by grace alone through their faith in Christ alone. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” – Ephesians 2:8-9.
Salvation means eternal life, you must have eternal life or you will not be saved. It is only made possible by admitting that you are a sinner, believing the Gospel of Jesus, and confessing that You need Him to save you. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” – Romans 10:9-10.
And forget paradise, that was where saved souls went until Jesus fulfilled the Law. Once Jesus resurrected, all saved souls go to heaven the second the body dies. “And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” – Luke 23:39-43.
“For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” – II Corinthians 5:1.
As for the resurrection, there will only be one for His saved, and that is when He returns. “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” – I Thessalonians 4:16-17.
They will receive immortality and live with Him forever on the new earth. “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” – Revelation 21:2-4.
About The Trinity:
Many Christian denominations teach that God is a Trinity. Neither the word Trinity nor the explicit doctrine appears in the New Testament, the doctrine developed gradually over several centuries and through many controversies.” In fact, the God of the Bible is never described as being part of a Trinity. Note these Bible passages:
“Jehovah our God is one Jehovah.”—Deuteronomy 6:4.
“You, whose name is Jehovah, you alone are the Most High over all the earth.”—Psalm 83:18.
“This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.”—John 17:3.
“God is only one.”—Galatians 3:20.
What Does The Bible Say About This?:
Of course, the word trinity is not recorded in Scripture, neither is the word rapture, but it that is what will take place when Jesus returns.
Yes, Jehovah is one God, and only one God, but Jehovah is Jesus, as well as the Holy Spirit. God is each of these three as He is needed to be, God, Almighty, I Am, and Creator of all mankind. God, incarnate, through Jesus, the Son. God, the Spirit, and life to all who believe.
Again, Jesus is not just some extraordinary man, He is God incarnate, meaning God in the flesh. He was not God’s first creation, He is God! “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” – Genesis 1:26.
“Let us make man in our image,” Yes, God is talking to Himself here, rather in His three persons. “This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” – I John 5:6-7.
“and these three are one.” Father – God, Word – Jesus – Still God, Holy Spirit – Still God. You see, God is this is only made possible because God is omnipotent, meaning He has the ability to be and do whatever He wants. If He chooses to have three separate persons as His person, then that is His choice, and no one dare question Him. He is also omniscient, meaning, all knowing, He knows everything that is going to happen before it happens.
About Heaven:
The word heaven is used in three basic senses in the Bible: The physical heavens. The spirit realm, and a symbol of high or exalted position. In each case, the context helps determine the correct understanding.
The physical heavens refers to the earth’s atmosphere, where the winds blow, the birds fly, the clouds produce rain and snow, and the lightning flashes. It can also mean outer space, such as the location of “the sun and the moon and the stars.
The spiritual heavens refers to the spiritual realm, a level of existence higher than the outside of the universe. The spiritual heavens are home to Jehovah, who is a Spirit. It is also home to the angelic spirit beings God created. At times the heavens also represent the faithful angels as a congregation of holy ones.
The symbol of the heavens refers to an elevated position, such as the throne of God Himself, where God rules, as the almighty Sovereign. God’s Kingdom, the government that will replace human rule will be the “new heavens.
God selects a limited number of faithful Christians who, after their death, will be resurrected to life in heaven. Once they have been chosen, they must continue to maintain a Christian standard of faith and conduct in order not to be disqualified from receiving their heavenly inheritance.
The Bible indicates that 144,000 people will be resurrected to heavenly life. Those “who are called and chosen” to rule with Christ in the Kingdom are referred to as a “little flock.”. This shows that they would be relatively few in comparison with the complete number of Jesus’ sheep.
What Does The Bible Say About This?:
First of all, there is the first, second, and third heaven, The first heaven is the sky. “And God called the firmament Heaven.” – Genesis 1:8a. The second heaven is the universe. “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.” – Genesis 1:14-15.
The third heaven is where God, Jesus, the angels, and the saints live. “Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?” – Acts 7:49.
Anyone who dies in the flesh, being saved, goes directly into heaven. “Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” – II Corinthians 5:5-8.
The Holy Spirit is lives within the saved souls on the earth. “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” – John 14:26.
Angels are not spirits, they are physical beings, workers of God, solely used for whatever God commands them. “And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.” – Revelation 22:8-9.
Angels too are subject to judgment just as we are. “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” – Jude 1:6.
The 144,000 recorded in the Bible are not the only ones going to heaven, and in fact, this has nothing to do with heaven, these are the Jews who will help him gather His saints while the earth will be judged and destroyed. “And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.” – Revelation 7:4.
There will a multitude of His saints from every nation that will be in heaven and saved from the tribulation.“After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.” – Revelation 7:9-10.
And all of this has nothing to do with the new heaven and earth, this is what will take place when judgment comes. The new heaven and earth will come down from the heavens as this earth and heavens will be destroyed. This is where all saints will dwell forever, Jesus will be among us. God will be on His throne. “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.” – Revelation 21:1-3.
“And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;” – Revelation 21:9-11.
About Hell:
Some Bible translations use the word “hell” for the Hebrew word “Sheol” and the matching Greek word “Hades,” both of which refer to the common grave of mankind. Many people believe in a fiery hell. However, the Bible teaches otherwise. Those in hell are unconscious cannot feel pain. Good people go to hell. The faithful men Jacob and Job expected to go there. Death, not torment in a fiery hell, is the penalty for sin.
Eternal torment would violate God’s justice. When the first man, Adam, sinned, God told him that his punishment would simply be to pass out of existence. God would have been lying if he were actually sending Adam to a fiery hell. God does not even contemplate eternal torment. The idea that he would punish people in hellfire is contrary to the Bible’s teaching that “God is love.”.
What Does The Bible Say About This?:
This is all wrong on so many levels, Hell is not a place of rest, it is a place of torture, and Job and Jacob are not in hell, they are in heaven right now. God’s saints, which are His believers, are in heaven right now. The Bible, and Jesus Himself describes what hell is through a parable, which means short story that gives a valuable truth.
“And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.” – Luke 16:22-24.
“What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” – Matthew 10:27-28.
About Baptism:
The Bible clearly teaches that if you want to serve Jehovah, you should get baptized. Jesus also set the example by getting baptized himself. He was completely immersed in water, not just sprinkled with water on his head. Today when a Christian is baptized, he must also be completely immersed in water.
When you get baptized, it shows others that you really want to be God’s friend and to serve him. Before you can get baptized, you must come to know Jehovah and Jesus, but that is not enough. The Bible says that you must be “filled with the accurate knowledge” of Jehovah’s will. The meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses will help you to have a closer relationship with Jehovah. That is one important reason for you to attend those meetings regularly.
Jehovah does not expect you to know everything in the Bible before you get baptized, but to get baptized, you need to know and accept at least the basic teachings of the Bible.
What Does The Bible Say About This?:
First of all, we do not get baptized so that we can be friends with God. The second we get saved, meaning trust in the Gospel of Christ and accept that He alone is the only one to save us from death and hell, we are not only friends with God, we are His children. “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” – Romans 8:16-17.
Water baptism is a profession of our faith in Christ, it does not save us nor is required in addition to our salvation to be saved. However, we do need a spiritual baptism. The second we believe in and receive Christ as our Saviour we are baptized in with the Holy Spirit. “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;” – Colossians 2:12-13.
This is proved by the thief on the cross next to Jesus, He was being crucified along with Jesus, and He saved him right there on the cross. “And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” – Luke 23:42-43.
There is no need for works to get baptized, salvation is by grace alone, through our faith in Jesus Christ Himself. And there is no water baptism need to receive the Holy Spirit, this happens the second they receive Christ as their Saviour. “He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.” – Acts 19:2-6.
Resources: Britannicia.com, Wikipedia.com, jw.org