JEHOVAHS WITNESSES

1. John 10:30-34 is a section of verses where the Pharisees say that Jesus is making Himself out to be God (v. 33).
   1. “I and the Father are one. Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, ‘I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?’  ‘We are not stoning you for any of these,’ replied the Jews, ‘but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.'”
   2. You can say, “See, even the Jews knew He was claiming to be God. The Jehovah’s Witness (if he’s quick enough) will say something like, “Jesus wasn’t God; the Jew’s only thought that Jesus was claiming to be God.” Then you can say, “Oh, I see. Then let me get this right. You agree with the Pharisees, Jesus wasn’t God? Is that correct?” The Jehovah’s Witness will not like it that he agrees with a Pharisee.
2. Plurality in the Godhead
   1. The following group of scriptures strongly suggests a plurality within the Godhead. These verses are translated correctly in the Jehovah’s Witness Bible, so you can encourage them to use it. The NIV is not as literal in its translation in the Amos verses, so I recommend using either the King James or the New American Standard Bible when doing your own.
      1. Gen. 1:26, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…'”
         1. They will say that angels are the ones who helped God make man. However, there is no scriptural evidence for that. God is the only creator.
         2. You can also take him to Col. 1:15-17 where it says that Jesus is the creator of all things, including man and Isaiah 44:24 where it says that God created the heavens and the earth all alone.
      2. Gen. 19:24, “Then the LORD [Jehovah] rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD [Jehovah] out of heaven.”
         1. Is this saying there are two Lords, two Jehovah’s?
      3. Amos 4:10-11, ‘I sent a plague among you after the manner of Egypt; I slew your young men by the sword along with your captured horses, and I made the stench of your camp rise up in your nostrils; yet you have not returned to Me,’ declares the LORD. I overthrew you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah…'”
         1. Jehovah is the one talking, and He says, “I overthrew you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah…” Very interesting.
      4. Isaiah 44:6, “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides me…'” See also, Isaiah 48:16
      5. If you are reading these verses to a Jehovah’s Witness, he might say something like, “Are you trying to show the Trinity from these verses?” You can then say, “You got the Trinity out of these?”
      6. These verses and others are more fully developed in The Plurality Study, which is a powerful tool for witnessing to the Witnesses.
3. John 20:25 says, “The other disciples therefore were saying to him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I shall see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe'” (NASB).
   1. The Jehovah’s Witnesses deny that Jesus was crucified on a cross. They say it happened on a torture stake where His wrists were put together over His head, and a single nail was put through both. If that is true, then why does Thomas say “Unless I shall see in His hands the imprint of the nails…” In the Greek the word used here for “nails,” helos, is in the plural. Therefore, there was more than one nail used in the hands of the crucifixion of Christ.
4. First and Last
   1. How many firsts and lasts are there? In the Bible God is called the first and last and so is Jesus. Since God says there is no God apart from Him and Jesus and God are both addressed by the same title, then that poses a problem for the Jehovah’s Witness.
      1. Isaiah 44:6, “This is what the LORD says, -Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.”
      2. Revelation 1:8, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
      3. Revelation 1:17-18, “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”
         1. Obviously, Rev. 1:17-18 can only refer to Jesus.
      4. Revelation 22:12-13, “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
         1. Here, both the “Alpha and the Omega” and the “First and the Last” are said to be one and the same.
         2. Also, at this point go to Titus 2:13 where it says that Jesus is the one who is coming soon; therefore, Jesus and Jehovah are the same.
5. The Holy Spirit
   1. Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that the Holy Spirit is an active force like radar. They deny that He is alive and that He is a person. This is, of course, because they deny the Trinity. Yet, if the Holy Spirit is simply a force then…
      1. Why is He called God (Acts 5:3-5)?
      2. How is it that He can teach (John 14:26)?
      3. How can He be blasphemed (Matt. 12:31,32)?
      4. How can He be the one who comforts (Acts 9:31)?
      5. How is it possible for Him to speak (Acts 28:25)?
      6. How then can He be resisted (Acts 7:51)?
      7. How can He be grieved (Eph. 4:30)?
      8. How can He help us in our weaknesses (Rom. 8:26)?
   2. If the Holy Spirit is a force, then how is it possible that the above-mentioned characteristics are attributed to Him? A force doesn’t speak, teach, comfort, etc.
   3. Nor can you blaspheme against a force.
6. The Resurrection of Jesus
   1. The Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the physical resurrection of Jesus. They say that if the sacrifice of Jesus were real, then the body had to stay in the grave. They say that He rose in a spirit body. This body was a manifestation similar to the way angels manifested themselves in the Old Testament.
      1. The problem with their view is that the angels were not incarnated; that is, they are not born of women. Jesus became a man by birth; therefore, He had a real, physical body, a permanent body. In fact, right now, Jesus is in heaven in the form of a man though he is a glorified man.  Also, He still has two natures, God and man, and will eternally be in this state.
   2. Jesus rose from the dead in the same body he died in.  For scriptural proof of this, consider the following verses.
      1. In John 2:19-22 before the crucifixion Jesus said, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up…He was speaking of the temple of His body.” Since Jesus said He would raise the same body He died in, then it must be true.
         1. This last verse is worth focusing on. Remember, Jesus said He would be the one to raise His body. So, it must be true.
      2. John 20:27, Jesus said to Thomas, “reach your finger…and put it into My side . . . ”
         1. If Jesus were not raised from the dead, then why did He have a physical body?
         2. The Jehovah’s Witnesses will reply that it was a temporary body materialized so the apostles would believe that He was raised. Yet, this is not what Jesus said in John 2:19-22. He said He would raise His very body.
      3. Luke 24:39, “a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”
         1. Jesus said that He had “flesh and bones” not “flesh and blood.” This is important because flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 15:50).  The blood of Jesus was the sacrifice for sin (Rom. 5:9). It is the blood that cleanses us of our sin (Heb. 9:22).
         2. The blood of Jesus was shed on the cross; and so, most probably, Jesus doesn’t have any functioning blood in His body.
7. Similarities between the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Pharisees:
   1. The Pharisees denied the Trinity and the Deity of Christ, as do the JW’s.
   2. The Pharisees denied  the physical resurrection of Christ and salvation by grace alone, as do the JW’s.

by Matt Slick
12/05/08

The Witnesses make many claims in their attempt to convert you to their faith. They profess to have the only true Christian church, to be the only true representatives of God, to have the only correct biblical teaching, and to be the only true announcers of Jehovah’s coming kingdom.

If they are the only true church and are the only true voice of God’s word, then what they say should prove to be true and especially in prophecy. When it comes to predicting the future, the Watchtower organization fails miserably. Following are some of the false predictions made over the years by the Watchtower organization. If you present these to a JW, he will probably say something like, “Those are taken out of context,” or “They didn’t claim to be the prophet of God,” or “The light is getting brighter, and we are understanding Bible prophecy better now,” etc. Make a copy of these false prophecies, found in the appendix, and give it to them to check. They are right out of the Witnesses’ literature.

Remember Deut. 18:22, “If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.” If someone makes a false prophecy and they have claimed to be a prophet of God, then they are false prophets and are not to be listened to. Do the Witnesses claim to be the prophet of God? Yes, they do.

In 1972 the Jehovah’s Witness Watchtower claimed to be the prophet of God.

IDENTIFYING THE “PROPHET”–“So does Jehovah have a prophet to help them, to warn them of dangers and to declare things to come? These questions can be answered in the affirmative. Who is this prophet? . . . This “prophet” was not one man, but was a body of men and women. It was the small group of footstep followers of Jesus Christ, known at that time as International Bible Students. Today they are known as Jehovah’s Christian Witnesses . . . Of course, it is easy to say that this group acts as a ‘prophet’ of God. It is another thing to prove it,” (Watchtower,  Apr. 1, 1972, p. 197). (See Deut. 18:21.)

• 1897 “Our Lord, the appointed King, is now present, since October 1874,” (Studies in the Scriptures, vol. 4, p. 621).
• 1899 ” . . . the ‘battle of the great day of God Almighty’ (Revelation 16:14), which will end in A.D. 1914 with the complete overthrow of earth’s present rulership, is already commenced,” (The Time Is at Hand, 1908 edition, p. 101).
• 1916 “The Bible chronology herein presented shows that the six great 1000 year days beginning with Adam are ended, and that the great 7th Day, the 1000 years of Christ’s Reign, began in 1873,” (The Time Is at Hand, forward, p. ii).
• 1918 “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,” (Millions Now Living Will Never Die, p. 89).
• 1922 “The date 1925 is even more distinctly indicated by the Scriptures than 1914,” (Watchtower, Sept. 1, 1922, p. 262).
• 1923 “Our thought is, that 1925 is definitely settled by the Scriptures. As to Noah, the Christian now has much more upon which to base his faith than Noah had upon which to base his faith in a coming deluge,” (Watchtower, Apr. 1, 1923, p. 106).
• 1925 “The year 1925 is here. With great expectation Christians have looked forward to this year. Many have confidently expected that all members of the body of Christ will be changed to heavenly glory during this year. This may be accomplished. It may not be. In his own due time God will accomplish his purposes concerning his people. Christians should not be so deeply concerned about what may transpire this year,” (Watchtower, Jan. 1, 1925, p. 3).
• 1925 “It is to be expected that Satan will try to inject into the minds of the consecrated, the thought that 1925 should see an end to the work,” (Watchtower, Sept., 1925, p. 262).
• 1926 “Some anticipated that the work would end in 1925, but the Lord did not state so. The difficulty was that the friends inflated their imaginations beyond reason; and that when their imaginations burst asunder, they were inclined to throw away everything,” (Watchtower, p. 232).
• 1931 “There was a measure of disappointment on the part of Jehovah’s faithful ones on earth concerning the years 1917, 1918, and 1925, which disappointment lasted for a time . . . and they also learned to quit fixing dates,” (Vindication, p. 338).
• 1941 “Receiving the gift, the marching children clasped it to them, not a toy or plaything for idle pleasure, but the Lord’s provided instrument for most effective work in the remaining months before Armageddon,” (Watchtower, Sept. 15, 1941, p. 288).
• 1968 “True, there have been those in times past who predicted an ‘end to the world’, even announcing a specific date. Yet nothing happened. The ‘end’ did not come. They were guilty of false prophesying. Why? What was missing? . . . Missing from such people were God’s truths and evidence that he was using and guiding them,” (Awake, Oct. 8, 1968).
• 1968 “Why are you looking forward to 1975?” (Watchtower, Aug. 15, 1968, p. 494).

A JW might say that the organization is still learning. If that is so, then how can they trust what they are taught now by the Watchtower? Will what they are being taught now change also?

A true prophet of God won’t err in prophesying. Only a false prophet does. The Jehovah’s Witness organization, that claims to be a prophet of God, is really a false prophet. Jesus warned us by saying, “For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect–if that were possible” (Matt. 24:24).