Jehovah's Witness Jeopardy
Jehovah's Witnesses began in much the same way as do all deviations from the truth of God. Charles Taze Russell was opposed to all the available organized religions of his day and found fault with many of the teachings proclaimed in God's Word. He was a religious rebel and a skeptic. Mr. Russell gathered a small group of like-minded individuals who agreed with his beliefs and a decade later began publishing a small magazine entitled, "Zion's Watchtower and Herald of Christ's Presence." The original name has been changed, however it is known to most people as, "The Watchtower." What started out as a minor publication reached a circulation of 10, 200,000 in 1984 and grows steadily.[1] To a great extent this magazine is JW's main source of teaching and is considered as their supreme authority. The success of Jehovah's Witnesses can only be attributed to Charles Taze Russell's charisma and exuberant efforts. Walter Martin conducted an in-depth study of the many conflicts, instabilities and lack of integrity surrounding Russell's adult life. He also chronicles legal actions that were brought against JW's first president. Mr. Martin writes in his book, "That Kingdom of the Cults", "As a speaker, Russell swayed many, as a theologian, he impressed no one competent; as a man, he failed before the true God." [2] Russell died in 1916 and was succeeded by Joseph F. Rutherford, "Judge" Rutherford to many. In 1942 the baton was passed to Nathan H. Knorr, during whose reign, the "New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures" was published. This is the Jehovah's Witness' official, accepted version of the Bible. In 1977 Frederick W. Franz assumed the presidency.
"Worker Bees"
"... they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge."
Jehovah's Witnesses are workers!! Their claim to salvation from sin and a home in Heaven is ultimately based upon individual works. So, just like worker bees, Russellites work, work, work. They are programmed to do very little else. They seem to be oblivious to the contradictions within their religion and the very truth in the Bible that they carry. They work because they have been indoctrinated with the understanding that, "All who by reason of faith in Jehovah God and in Christ Jesus dedicate themselves to do God's will and then faithfully carry out their dedication will be rewarded with everlasting life"[3] Because of this belief that eternal life comes from earthly labor, a Jehovah's Witnesses will not know whether they have made it into heaven until they die. How different that is from the writings of their own NWT Bible. "And this is the witness given, that God gave us everlasting life, and this life is in his Son. He that has the Son has this life; he that does not have the Son of God does not have this life. I write you these things that you may know that you have everlasting life, you who put your faith in the name of the Son of God." (I John 5:11-13, NWT ) Their Bible!! [4] The JW doctrine of salvation by works is also attested to in another of their publications, "An unnumbered crowd of faithful persons do not expect to go to heaven. (But) They have been promised everlasting life on earth if they prove their faithfulness."[5] Once again Jehovah's witnesses need only to open their eyes and read their NWT Bible, Ephesians 2:8-9, "By this undeserved kindness, indeed, you have been saved through faith; and this not owing to you, it is God's gift. No, it is not owing to works, in order that no man should have ground for boasting." [6] The Jehovah's Witnesses' teachings not only contradict biblical Christianity, they find contradictions within their religion, in their own Bible.
A beehive is alive with action, it is never still. Worker bees are intent on one thing, and one thing only, to complete the task they are given. They never stop and consider what is happening around them. So many proponents of the Jehovah's Witness doctrine abide by what they are told and seem to have "spiritual blinders." They believe that only a chosen portion of their fellow devotees will make it to Heaven and those remaining will have everlasting life on earth. They have been told, " The Bible plainly shows that some of these, that is, 144,000, will share in heavenly glory with Christ Jesus, all others will enjoy the blessings of life down here on earth." [7] That is in complete contradiction with the Word of God. "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;..... Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them...... shall feed them." Revelation 7:9,15,17 [8]
The death knell for the credibility of Charles Taze Russell's followers lies in the subject of prophecy. JW are famous for proclaiming the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and predicting the end of the world. All prophecies concerning these two categories have been proven false in every instance. That dutifully places these religious leaders in the category of false prophets. After each failure the Watchtower Society has put a "spiritual spin" on these predictions, however the Society continues to press on with simple-minded sagacity. Duane Magnani, an 18 year JW veteran who finally saw the light and abandoned the sect said,
"The record clearly destroys any claims to the prophetic authority of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society."[9] Former Jehovah's Witness Ed Gruss investigated the six faulty predictions dating back to 1877 and reached this conclusion, "When I looked at the many events the Jehovah's Witnesses had predicted and the specific dates they had set, I found that in every case the prediction had proved to be false."[10] How wonderful it is that our God is a God of mercy, not visiting the penalty of death upon false prophets that seek to turn us away from the Lord our God. Deut. 13:5 & 18:20 [11]
In closing, here are some doctrinal beliefs of the Jehovah's Witnesses that stand in direct opposition to original Bible manuscripts translated and preserved in the King James Version of the Bible.
"The Holy Spirit is (not a person) the invisible active force of Almighty God which moves his servants to do his will." [parentheses mine] [12]
"Holy Spirit is God's active force, not a person" [13]
"Jesus Christ was not resurrected in the flesh" [14]
"Michael the archangel is no other than the only-begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ." [15]
"The doctrine of a burning hell..... cannot be true" [16]
"A dead person is unconscious, inactive. The soul itself is dead." [17]
It's sad that so many people who are Jehovah's Witnesses are loyal to doctrines and beliefs which contradict the Word of God . They put themselves in jeopardy by trusting what their leaders say, and not searching out the truth. The leaders of their denomination are in gross error and stray far afield when it comes to the doctrines of the Trinity, Christ's deity, salvation from the penalty of sin and eternal life. Their teachings are in direct opposition to the truth revealed in the Holy Bible. Notwithstanding the Watchtower Society claims that the Bible is their final authority, "To let God be true means to let God have his say as to what is the truth that sets men free. It means to accept his Word, the Bible, as the truth..... Our obligation is to back up what is said herein by quotations from the Bible for proof of truthfulness and reliability." [18]
Bibliography
[1] "The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah's Kingdom", February 1st, 1984 p. 2
[2] Walter Martin, "The Kingdom of the Cults", 3rd rev. ed. p. 45
[3] "Let God Be True" [1952] p. 298
[4] New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York, Inc. 1961)
[5] "Let God Be True" p. 231
[6] New World Translation
[7] "Let God Be True" p. 298
[8] Holy Bible, King James Version
[9] Duane Magnani, "The Watchtower Files", rev. ed., pp. 63-99
[10] "The Cult Explosion" (Harvest House) p. 208
[11] Holy Bible, King James Version
[12] "Let God Be True" p.108
[13] "Make Sure of All Things" p. 487
[14] "Make Sure of All Things" p. 426
[15] "New Heavens and New Earth" p. 30
[16] "Let God Be True" p.99
[17] "Make Sure of All Things" p. 143
[18] "Let God Be True" 2nd ed. p. 9
Acknowledgments
Subsidiary assistance for this article was gleaned from; "Another Gospel", Ruth A. Tucker, Academie Books, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506, © 1989; "What They Believe", Harold J. Berry, Back to the Bible, Lincoln, Nebraska 68501, © 1987; "The Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Error" [Tract], Keith L. Brooks, rev. by Irvine Robertson, The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, © 1985