14 REASONS WHY I CANNOT BE A JEHOVAH'S WITNESS INTRODUCTION:
-- The clear teachings of the Word of God will NOT allow a thorough going Bible student to embrace the doctrines set forth by the Jehovah's Witnesses (J.W.'s).
-- The basic teachings of this CULT are in CONFLICT with the Scriptures.
-- 14 of their doctrinal ERRORS will be given today and constitute sound REASONS why no one may unite with the Witnesses and still hold to the TRUTH of God.
[Isaiah 8:20; Be not unequally yoked w/ unbelievers]I. JW's Deny the Absolute, Unique Divinity of Jesus Christ.
Scripture demonstrates that the Lord Jesus Christ is Jehovah.
A. Isaiah 41:4; 44:6 & 48:12 declare that the attribute of being the 'first and the last' belongs to Jehovah ALONE. Revelation 1:8,11,17 & 22:13-14 Jesus Christ is shown possessing this very attribute, thereby making Him the Jehovah of these Isaiah passages, & of the entire O.T. B. Isaiah 45:22-25 speaks of a UNIVERSAL WORSHIP, which one day ALL mankind will render unto Jehovah. Philippians 2:9-11 applies this Isaiah passage to Jesus Christ. C. Isaiah 44:22-23 sets forth Jehovah as the REDEEMER. Ephesians 1:7 establishes Jesus Christ as this REDEEMER. D. Isaiah 45:24 & 54:17 Jehovah is our righteousness. I Corinthians 1:30 Jesus Christ is our righteousness. E. Isaiah 43:11 reserves for Jehovah ALONE the work of SAVING man. "[B]eside me there is no saviour." Titus 2:13 teaches that Jesus Christ is the SAVIOUR, thereby establishing Him as the Jehovah of Isaiah Chapter 43. An HONEST student of the Scripture will READ, STUDY & COMPARE the verses just mentioned.II. JW's Teach That Jesus Christ Is a Created Being--Simply Another God.
A. This doctrinal ERROR is achieved through a SPURIOUS translation in their New World Translation which renders John 1:1, 'And the Word was a god.' Isaiah DENIES this ERROR in 43:10; 44:6, & 45:5,21 and shows their translation of John 1:1 to be ILLEGITIMATE. B. 4 times Jehovah declares the IMPOSSIBILITY of there being 'another god' or 'a god' beside Himself. EVERY HONEST student of Scripture MUST acknowledge the solitary aloneness of Jehovah."In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1)
"Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me." (Isaiah 43:10)
"Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God." (Isaiah 44:6)
"I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:" (Isaiah 45:5).
"Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me." (Isaiah 45:21)III. JW's Deny the Personality and Divinity of the Holy Spirit.
A. Of the MANY Scripture references which demonstrate this to be FALSE John 16:13-14 is representative."(13)Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. (14)He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." (John 16:13-14)
9 times the Lord Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit by the PERSONAL masculine pronoun. B. The Greek word "Spirit" is neuter but the pronoun employed is not 'it' but rather "he" & "himself". Christ deliberately set aside the established rules of Greek grammar, for the pronoun must agree with the noun in gender, to emphasize the Holy Spirit's PERSONALITY. Were the Holy Spirit not a PERSON, the pronoun 'it' would have been used and the grammar of the passage kept intact. [The Witnesses' own New World Translation acknowledges the Spirit's PERSONALITY in the translation of these 2 verses.] C. The DIVINITY of the Holy Spirit is clearly demonstrated in the following references which the HONEST student will carefully study: Acts 5:3-4; I Corinthians 3:16; II Corinthians 13:14. D. In I Corinthians 12:4-6 the Holy Spirit is called LORD (v.5) and GOD (v.6). E. In placing Isaiah 6:8-10 alongside of Acts 28:25-27 it becomes EVIDENT that the GOD of Isaiah 6 is the Holy Spirit.IV. JW's Deny the Biblical Doctrine of the Trinity.
A. The TRUTH of the TRINITY [Godhead] constitutes part of the revelation of God. 1. There is a Person known as the FATHER who is God (Ephesians 1:2). 2. Another Person called the SON, Christ, Jesus. Jesus Christ who is God (Titus 2:13). 3. Still another Person called the HOLY SPIRIT, Holy Ghost, Spirit of God who is God (Acts 5:3-4)."Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 1:2)
"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;" (Titus 2:13).
"(3)But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? (4)Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God." (Acts 5:3- 4)B. The ONE Greek word theos, "God", is used of ALL THREE Persons, thus ascribing the SAME divinity to each. C. The FACT of the TRINITY in Isaiah 48:16-17; Matthew 3:16-17; 28:19 & II Corinthians 13:14. D. The conclusion is simply that there is ONE God manifest in THREE Persons known as Father, Son & Holy Spirit, and since each Person is God, the persons are EQUAL.V. JW's Deny the Bodily, Corporeal Resurrection of Jesus Christ From the Dead.
A. FALSE doctrine declares 'The man Jesus is dead, only His spirit arose.' B. The witness of Jesus Christ is QUITE DIFFERENT (Luke 24:36-45). Even a casual glance at v.39 DISPELS any doubt concerning the BODILY resurrection."Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have." (Luke 24:39)
C. THOMAS met the PHYSICALLY resurrected Christ (John 20:24-29), as did the other disciples who ate fish with Him. (John 21:12-14) D. PAUL testifies to the CORPOREAL resurrection of Jesus Christ in I Corinthians 15:3-19. E. The guards at the tomb, the chief priests and Sanhedrin would never have become excited, Matthew 28:11,15 if 'only His spirit arose.'VI. JW's Deny the Bodily Visible Return of Jesus Christ.
A. They say, 'We must not expect Him to come again as a human being'-- 'Coming is properly translated presence and refers to the invisible presence of the Lord.' B. In CONTRAST, a Bible student discovers the TRUTH that Jesus Christ IS coming back again PHYSICALLY, LITERALLY. 1. Revelation 1:7 "every eye shall see him" 2. I Thessalonians 4:16-17 "(16)the Lord himself shall descend from heaven" 3. Acts 1:10-11 He "(11)shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."VII. JW's Deny Presence of the Believer With Christ Upon Death.
A. II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:21-24 & Luke 16:20-22, the repentant believer, immediately upon death, passes into the presence of Christ."We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." (II Corinthians 5:8)
B. The BODY sleeps in the ground (John 11:11-14), awaiting the resurrection, (I Corinthians 15:20-23), while the SOUL and SPIRIT now separated from the body (James 2:26), pass into Heaven.VIII. JW's Chide the Believer's Hope of Heaven.
John 14:1-3; Philippians 3:20-21; I Peter 1:3-5; & Revelation 3:12 are but a few of the MANY passages in Scripture which speak of the 'living hope' of being with Christ FOREVER.IX. JW's Deny the Reality and Eternality of Future Punishment.
A. Scripture teaches the REALITY of HELL. The Lord Jesus Christ spoke more of HELL than Heaven and informs us that 1. Hell is a FURNACE of FIRE, (Matthew 13:49-50) 2. a PLACE for Satan and his emissaries, (Matthew 25:41) 3. an UNQUENCHABLE FIRE, (Mark 9:42-48) B. He insisted upon the FACT HELL is ETERNAL. 1. The Greek word aionios, which is defined as that which is WITHOUT end, is used to describe the EVERLASTING LIFE mentioned in John 3:16. 2. The ETERNALITY of God in Romans 16:26 is deliberately used by Christ to describe the duration of HELL (Matthew 18:8), and by John in Revelation 14:11."Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire." (Matthew 18:8)
"And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night..." (Revelation 14:11).3. Aionios does NOT have a double meaning. If it means that God is ETERNAL and the life which the believer receives is ETERNAl, then it MUST mean that HELL is also ETERNAL.X. JW's Deny the Perfect Salvation of Christ's Cross.
A. The Witnesses teach that the Millennium, the 1000 year reign of Christ upon earth, will afford all mankind from Adam onward, who will be resurrected, an opportunity, under favorable conditions, to earn salvation. Where is there a single Bible verse supporting this? B. The Lord Jesus Christ has purchased our SALVATION on the Cross, Romans 3:21-26, and it remains for man to believe and be SAVED (Ephesians 2:8-9 and Acts 16:30-31). Salvation is wholly APART from any human effort (Romans 3:27-28).XI. JW's Deny Patriotism and the Salute to the Flag.
Scripture enjoins ALL believers to be loyal citizens. The student will see in Romans 13:1-7; I Peter 2:13-15 & Matthew 22:21.XII. JW's Are Confused About the 144,000.
A. Thru good works & sincere effort it is the hope of a Jehovah's Witness to become one of the 144,000. B. Revelation 7 and 14, the student of Scripture notes that 144,000 are 1. LITERAL JEWS of the ancient tribes [no Gentiles among them] (7:4-8) 2. ALL MALES (14:4) 3. VIRGINS (14:4) 4. Will minister during the Great Tribulation (14:6-13) 5. Do NOT earn their office but are appointed by God (7:3) Sound Biblical interpretation will NOT allow for a Gentile sect to claim for its devotees a place among the 144,000.XIII. JW's Use a Perverted Translation of the Bible.
A. The New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scripture is a FUMBLING translation of the N.T. which no reputable Greek scholar will endorse. B. The Translation has been ALTERED to fit the HERESY. The Greek word for 'other,' 'allos', does NOT appear in the Greek text of Colossians 1:16-17 but is inserted 4 times in their translation to make Christ appear as part of the creation, and hence fit their doctrine that He is a created son, another god. '...because by means of Him all other things were created.' Dozens of other passages make the New World Translation a travesty of God's Word."(16)For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: (17)And he is before all things, and by him all things consist." (Colossians 1:16-17)
XIV. JW's Doctrinal System Is Based Upon the Interpretations of Charles Taze Russel.
A. In 1874, Charles Taze Russel, announced that he possessed all the truth.
B. In his many volumes Russel 'left scarcely one great TRUTH or fundamental doctrine untouched with his UNholy and UNwarranted conclusions.' (Dr. Wm. E. Biederwolf) Russel's writings serve as a broad base upon which the Jehovah's Witness structure is erected. C. JW's are following the FALLEN conclusions of a rascal who was divorced by his wife, was in trouble with the courts and who fleeced his followers with 'miracle wheat' sold at an exorbitant price, which claimed would produce 15 times as much wheat as an ordinary bushel.CONCLUSION:
-- The Jehovah's Witnesses NEGLECT a vast area of Scripture TRUTH.
-- Numerous books, pamphlets and magazines turned out by the Watch Tower Publishers, reveals that ONLY a SMALL percentage of the Bible is used.
-- A mere 6 1/2% of the Scripture is quoted, leaving UNTOUCHED the rest of the Word of God.