Denominationalism and the Jehovah Witness
Reverence: Psalm 23 This is how God wants his people who believe in His Son and His works on the cross. His tender love shows us that He has saved us by His grace and mercy. He shows us how He is toward us and what He does everyday for us. We repay Him by our continued steadfast commitment to Him. We should be devoted to reading His word, to help others, and by giving our tithes and offering to Him. God wants His people, called by His name, to look and appreciate all that he has done, what we can see and the things we can not see Him doing. He wants us to freely say this about Him.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Thou dost prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; Thou hast anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen and Amen
Introduction
Denominationalism 2 and the Jehovah Witnesses. Part 2 of 4
In my last article I did not name this denomination because I did not know enough about them. How different they are in the belief of God and Jesus Christ. I only dealt with their basic differences in scripture, between their bible, the new world translation, and God’s Word to man, “The Holy Bible.” They have taken away the judgment of God and say that all men go to hell, the righteous and the wicked. They define hell as the common grave of mankind. When people die, everybody goes to a grave in the ground. The only ones that are not resurrected are those opposed to God’s will. What they call resurrection, you are resurrected to paradise on earth. They say that Jehovah has given them the keys of salvation for the world. They claim that if you are not a Jehovah Witness you are not saved. They do not believe that Christ is God that came in the Flesh. John 1:14 They separate Christ and His death to pay our debt of sin on the cross for those that have come to faith in Christ. They say His death was to pay the ransom of Adam and Eve’s sin, not all of mankind. They believe that all people, good and bad go to live in paradise on earth. The bad will be taught who Jehovah is. They do not believe in the New Heaven and the New Earth in Revelation. 21:1-8 In this, we will cover their belief as to who the faithful servant is, their belief in salvation, no heaven for the masses, only 144,000 Jehovah Witness in heaven in the Kingdom of God, no life after death, no faith in Christ’s resurrected body, because He has already returned in 1914, but is invisible, Armageddon, Purpose of Jehovah Witness, compared to the Purpose of God.
How have the Jehovah Witness Organization helped Christ in reaching the unreached in this world. That is the Great Commission that Christ gave to His church. The Jehovah Witness say that they are the soul giver of God’s Word to the whole world. “the only exception is people who were saved by Jesus teaching in the first century who are believers in Jesus. Since Christ lived and ministered, and had His 11 disciples in the first century, everyone that came to Christ during the first century is saved. Anybody that came after that is not saved unless they believe in the Jehovah Witness organization. And they achieve this by saying that when people die, everybody goes to hell (common grave of man) to lay in an unconscious state there, until the resurrection to a new body and mind that can be retrained to think like the Jehovah Witness organization. Faith in Christ is not enough. In fact, at the first resurrection, Christ, will be under the 144,000, and Jehovah. Christ is king over the people on the new paradise on earth, as it was when God made Adam and Eve.
This organization does not say they believe in God, but that Jehovah God gave them, not Jesus Christ as the way to attaining everlasting life through the organization, not by Jesus Christ and faith. This organization only talks about themselves and rules they have in this organization are the only way to be saved is, belief in the organization. They have an arrogance that divide people, by their rules. They put their members on the sidelines unless they do exactly what they say. They are exclusive in their thought process, but Christ is inclusive of all peoples. The leaders cannot know the thought of man, but Christ can, Christ has the ability through His word and deeds to touch the soul and heart of man. It is Christ that has saved people from the first century up until the time of His return. The Jehovah Witness have divided God from His humanity, His righteousness, His Holiness, His love for man kind. They do not have to follow God’s commands, but their 141 rules and regulations. What they believe are contrary to God Himself, what He stands for, God’s sovereignty, rule, truth, grace, mercy, humility and faith. All these things are subservient to the organization.
No man or organization can undo what God has said He is going to do in His word. All things will come to pass, just as God has said it will. Man will always try to usurp the power of God and bend the Bible to fit what they want it to say and mean. They will use all means to try and coerce and get people to follow them and come up with a strict set of rules that you have to follow. They have about 141 rules they want you to follow. God only gave us 10. You are not allowed to talk to people outside the organization and be friends with them. If you work for a company, you are not to associate in any meeting unless it is required. They do not like their people to go to college because they do not want any other ideas coming in that upset there teaching. Woman are strictly forbidden from having any roles of leadership in the Kingdom Hall. One can only become a leader by invitation. These positions are only for the most ardent supporters of the organization, and believe that the organization is the savior of the world. They believe that God has turned over to them the salvation of the world, and anybody that is not a part of the Jehovah Witnesses, they will not be saved. This organization was not incorporated until the early 1930’s. It is operated and controlled by the 12-15 leaders in New York. If you do not follow, there are three local leaders that will talk to you, and try and get you back on their path once again. This organization operates by fear and intimidation, if you do not comply you will be placed on probation. While on probation, no family members, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and people in their body will not be able to talk to you. You have to sit in the back of the room, keep quiet, and all others in the meeting ignore you. This is called disfellowshipping. The denomination has an exception, when it comes to parenting. This is done as long as the three men in the meeting come to a conclusion that you have been repentant enough. They follow the rules of the organization, not by grace and mercy from the Lord Jesus. This denomination has their own bible. It is called the New World Translation.
They do not believe that God is over them, but they are equal with God. Anybody that says God has turned over salvation to an organization, believe they are equal to God. The Bible says When Christ returns to earth in Revelation 22:4, everybody see’s Christ and they all mourn because there is nothing for them to do, but suffer the consequence of their unbelief. As all the doubters die, they meet their fate for what they have believed and done against God and His plan of salvation, their efforts to keep people from believing in the Lord Jesus. In the end, it will be just exactly what God has said. Exactly, did I say Exactly, yes Exactly.
There are 66 books in the Bible, written by men that had the Holy Spirit placed in them so they could act and write about what God has done and how He did it for all peoples and believers that claim Him as Lord and Savior of the world. One book after the other have the same message of God’s love, of judgement of sinful men, that He would send the Messiah to pay for the sins for all the world, and for those who believe, even though they die, they shall be resurrected in body to be reunited with their Spirit and the resurrection of believers, to see and be with Christ for eternity.
Background of Charles Taze Russell, Founder of the Zion watch tower publication society.
Charles Russell’s parents were members of the congregational Church. At an early age, Charles Russell joined the same church, as well as the Young Men’s Christian Association, and became very active in local ministry work. Russell at age 15 years old, believed that the gospel as taught by the Congregational Church was incorrect. Not to long after this he began to have doubts of the teaching of the Congregationalists. In about 1868 he attempted to covert a nonbeliever to his way of thinking. The person he tried to convert was better than he was, and Russell turned away from his faith for a while. “But that which threatened to shipwreck his faith” served as a stepping stone to a new way of interpretation of scripture. p28, [4] Following his encounter with the unbeliever, Russell made investigation of leading oriental religions. When nothing interesting came from this, he turned to a study of various creeds of the Christian Churches. In these he found out that they all contained some elements of truth. Among other doctrines, Russell found himself reading that of a Second Adventist. [5] From this reading he gained a new concept of the divine inspiration of the Bible. One evening in 1869, he was drawn to a service conducted by Jonas Wendell, a minister of the advent church. In this small church he said they had no light on the word to offer concerning the bible, and as result of this experience, Russell was led to a deeper study of the scriptures and the conviction that the gospel age was about to close. This marked the beginning of his religious career.
In 1876 Russell meet with N.H. Barbour [7] an editor, who was instrumental in explaining to him the time prophecies in the Bible. Prior to this meeting, Barbour had sent Russell a copy of his paper, The Herald of the Morning. This was his belief regarding the second coming of Christ. Russell commented, upon opening and reading this paper he was well aware of the fact it was a second advent periodical, but he was curious to learn what the new time they would set up next for the “burning up of the world.” [8]
From the contact with Barbour they made a new prediction of 1874. From this Russell had learned that one could make a excuse for the failure of the prediction, come up with a new formula and predict a new date. With this he published a magazine called Russell’s time predictions, the publication of the magazine was called the The Watchtower and Zion Herald of Christ’s Presence. This publication sold millions of copies. As you see Russell did not come up with this date setting. Do you remember earlier I wrote when Russell started looking at the Christians creeds, he found that there was some truth in them. To Russell, as long as there was some truth of the Bible in his writings, it was okay to lie or bend the truth for the other parts.
In his first issue of Zion Watchtower publication, Russell outlines most of his doctrines and beliefs he held for the next 37 years. “He said God is love, and a God of love would not allow suffering to continue without hope. He stated that Christ died as a ransom for Adam and Eve’s sin and that the ransom promised was eternal life for all man kind, including those long dead. He also claimed there was no hell. {NWT July 9, 1879} The reason he gave for this was, he believed the Catholic Church created hell to raise money and to hold them as captives, that they could hold them in fear. {NWT Nov, 1883-5537 He also said that the grave (earthly graves) was the only place for the dead, they only slept waiting for the resurrection. During the Millennium, all would be given perfect health, and at the end of the 1,000 year reign the good would be rewarded to eternal life, while those who defied God’s will would die a second death.
“Russell himself made no claim of special revelation from God, but held that in God’s due time the Bible would be made plain, and that he being fully consecrated to the Lord’s service, was permitted to understand it.” [9] “The writer of Russell’s memoirs speaks of him as the greatest expounder of biblical truth since the days of saint Paul. Russell was the staunchest defender of the faith since Luther.” [10]
When Russell first heard Jonas Wendell, the first Adventist minister that stirred him to greater study, and N.H. Barbour also an Adventists, Russell said that they did not present him with a single truth, but giving them credit for helping unlearn some of the things he had been taught as a boy. Shortly after 1870, Russell made the acquaintances of two other Adventist ministers, George Stetson and George Storrs . which is an indication that his interest in their views had not gone away. Russell said about these men: “The study of the Word of God with these dear brethren led step by step, into greener pastures and brighter hopes for the world, though it was not until 1872 when I gained a clear view of our Lord’s work, as our Ransom Price, that I found the foundation of all hope of restitution to lie in that doctrine. ” [15] In his later years he would extensively travel by train. Sometimes he would travel up to 30,000 miles a year. One year on his travels he passed away on a train in Texas on October 31, 1916.
“I soon began to see that we were living somewhere near the close of the Gospel Age, near the time when the Lord declared that the wise, watching ones of His children should come to clear knowledge of His Plan. At this time, myself and a few other Truth seekers in Pittsburgh and Allegheny, formed a class for Bible study; and the period from 1870 to 1875 was a time of constant growth in grace, in knowledge and in love of God and his Word.” (Watch Tower, First Faint Gleam of God’s Plan, June 1, 1916, p. 170)
“Charles Russell had a Adventist friend by the name of Adam Wendell. Russell wrote the following, Russell could never accept the salvation of only Adventists. Russell wrote, we felt greatly grieved at the error of of the Second Adventists, who were expecting Christ in the flesh, and teaching that the world and all in it except the Second Adventists would be burned up.” {Proclammer p45} Russell also said that a College Education is Anti Christian.” He thought that evolution, skepticism, and wealth all led to the same end.” {Zion Watchtower May1,1904,3357}
Mr. Russell also made a number of predictions of the time of Christ’s return. Since this has never happened yet, in 1914, they say He has returned, but you wouldn’t know it, because He is invisible. The predictions will appear in another section at the end of this article.
This begins some of the beliefs of the Jehovah Witness.
- Salvation and The Faithful servant. Matthew 24:45-51 NASB “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of His household to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is the slave whom His master finds so doing when He comes. Truly I say to you, that he will put him in charge of all His possessions. But if that slave says in his heart, my master is not coming for a long time, and shall begin to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and an hour which he does not know, and shall cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, weeping shall be there and the gnashing of teeth.” This is a parable of two very different kind of people. One faithful and sensible, willing to follow directions and commands, and the other living a life of debauchery, slothful in his duties as described, disrespectful to authority, not caring about anything entrusted to him, or the workers he is in charge of. The Jehovah Witnesses believe that the Watchtower organization in New York is the faithful slave, and they have been put in charge of giving the message of Jehovah to the whole world. Remember that Russell thought that as long as you have a part of the truth in your idea, then it is okay to distort and bend the truth of God. They have distorted this scripture totally. This has to do with two different kind of people on earth in the time of Christ’s return, how He will find those who belong to Christ and the ones that are opposed to Him in this world.
The Jehovah Witness, have 12 reasons for preaching, Here are the two most important. Preaching for them is not listening to a preacher. “It is going door to door and giving the people the message of the Jehovah Witness.” These are two of their reasons. “1. It helps save lives, and 2. It is a requirement for salvation.” {Watchtower Kingdom Ministry 2012 June p 1 (US Edition} I wished other Christians would do the same.
“In effect, Jesus also conveys Jehovah’s voice to us as he directs the congregation through “the Anointed one (Jehovah Witness Organization) and the discreet slave. We need to take this guidance seriously for our everlasting life depends on our obedience.” {Watchtower 2014 Aug. 15 p21}
“Only Jehovah Witnesses, those of the anointed remnant and the “great crowd” as a united organization under the protection of the Supreme Organizer, have any scriptural hope of surviving the impending system dominated by satan the devil,” {jw.org/wol/en/wol/d/r1/pl-e/1101993014}
The Supreme organizers are the 12-to 15 leaders of the Jehovah Witness in New York. It is they who make the rules for the subordinates to live by, not God.
What is the Day of Judgement to the Jehovah witnesses?
“In fact, with God’s day of judgment so near today, all the world should keep silent before the sovereign Lord Jehovah, and hear what he says through the “little flock” of Jesus’ anointed followers, and their companions, his other sheep” (Luke 12:32, John 10:16 NWT) Annihilation awaits all who will not listen and thereby set themselves against rule by God’s Kingdom” {jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2001123
To Jesus Christ, there are two types of people, believers in Him and willing to follow Him and His word to obey Him. The other group are unbelievers. there are may people that do not believe, that do not oppose Christ. Others do not want any moral or ethical restrictions and is not the way they want to live. Since the time of Christ, it is a person’s lifetime that we have to find the Lord Jesus Christ and take Him as Savior. In “Hebrews 9:27 And in as much as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.” NASB Christ is very definite in scripture what will happen, there are only two choices, and no organization will be able to overrule Jesus Christ. - No Heaven for the masses,
The Great Crowd, Revelation 19:1-4 , 7:9 (NWT) “The great crowd is not in heaven, their standing before the throne of God, this does not require them to be in Heaven. They are simply in the sight of God. The fact that the great crowd which no man can number, is not a heavenly class is shown by comparing its unspecified number, with what is written at Revelation 7:4-8 and Revelation 14:1-4. There the number taken from earth to heaven is revealed to be 144,000.” {JW.org/en/wol/d/e1-e/1102002073} {jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200001762} (the great crowd)
“Only the 144,000 Jews marked by God and having the seal of living God. Now the Jehovah Witness take these Jews marked by God, and replaces them with the leaders of the Organization of Jehovah Witness, “Revelation 7:1-8, they go to heaven and live in Heaven and in the kingdom of God. This is called the Little Flock.” The Jehovah Witness organization places themselves above the common people and Christ Himself. Christ is delegated to ruling on earth as king on Paradise, over the common folks of the Jehovah Witness. He has risen, invisible unto life, only 144,000 go to heaven to be kings and priests to rule over the people that live on paradise on earth. They rule with Jehovah God. Christ is the King of Paradise on Earth. This is the first resurrection, this happens after the 1,000 year reign of Christ. {The Little Flock jw.org/en/wol/d/r/lp-e 1101968009 - What is the purpose of the Jehovah Witness organization?
“The leaders of the Jehovah Witness believe that God’s purpose is that the whole earth be made into a Paradise. These are people in memorial tombs, these are the people the sea gave up the dead in it, and death and the grave gave up the dead in them, this collective grave will be emptied. All the billions who rest shall live again. Paul said, there is going to be a resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous.” {jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1102005133}
Here the organization divides itself into two groups. The Little flock in heaven, and the great crowd on Paradise on earth. This group include the righteous (believers)and the unrighteous (unbelieving), people. The people at the top go to heaven. People at the bottom go to paradise on earth to be ruled.
“During that period of judgment, which will last 1000 years, Christ Jesus along with the 144,000 men and woman resurrected to life in heaven will rule in heaven, and will rule over the earth. They will serve as kings and priests, administering the benefits of Jesus’ ransom sacrifice and progressively elevating faithful humans to physical and mental perfection.” {jw.orge/publications/magizines/g201001}
“We reasoned that, if Christ’s coming and is bringing irrevocable ruin upon 99 out of a 100 of mankind, then it could scarcely be considered desirable, neither could we pray with the proper spirit, Come Lord Jesus, Come Quickly.” {Supplement to Zion’s Watchtower, And Herold of Christ’s Presence.” July 1, 1879.}
“During the final period of the ancient world that perished in the flood, Noah was a faithful preacher of righteousness {2 Peter 2:5} In these last days of the present system of things, Jehovah’s people are making known God’s righteous standards and are declaring good news about the possibility of surviving into the new world {2 Peter 3:9:13} just has Noah and his God fearing family were preserved in the ark, survival of individuals today depends on their faith and their loyal association with the earthly organization” {jw.org/or/wol/r1/lp-e/2010928}
“How does judgment make you feel? If So, you can find comfort in the fact that judgment Day is a loving arrangement that will bring great blessings to the human family- including those who have died. Whom God placed humans on the earth, he did not intend it to “For may people the prospect of being subjected to any kind of judgment is unwelcome. Is this how it was not meant to be merely a proving ground for future life in another realm. He created humans to live forever on the earth. Although physically and mentally perfect, the first human couple rebelled against God. As result, they lost the prospect of eternal life for themselves. and brought sin and death to all their descendants. Judgment day will be a period of a 1000 years during which humans will have the opportunity to regain what Adam and Eve lost. Judgment day will affect those living on the inhabited earth. Those receiving favorable judgment will live on earth and will enjoy everlasting life in perfect conditions. Thus Judgment Day helps to accomplish God’s original purpose for humans on the earth.” {jw.org/publications/magazines/g2010001
From God’s Word, what is His purpose. Ephesians 2:1-10 (NASB) And you were dead in your trespasses and sin, in which you formally walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ, and raised us up with Him, and sealed us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Jesus Christ for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Amen and Amen
Jesus came to be the sacrifice for all man. Jesus is not exclusive, but inclusive of all peoples, nations, tribes and tongues. Jesus crosses all political and economic system. Everybody who wants to, has the opportunity to believe. The consequence is, that those who do not believe will spend the rest of the time where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Jehovah Witness hate the thought of any judgment, so it is up to them to say that God and Christ are wrong, judgment is not God’s intention, so Jehovah has turned salvation over to them. Now, only the vilest of offenders will face judgment. Even those that have never made a commitment to Jesus Christ, can be saved by believing in the Jehovah Witness, because when Christ comes, they can learn who Jehovah is.
Footnotes of Charles Taze Russel”Biography,” 4. he Watchtower and Herald of Christ’s Presence, 37:356, Dec. 1, 1916. 5. The Second Adventists with whom Russell came in contact were members of the Advent Christian Church, who believed that Christ would return in 1874. 7. N.H. Barbour had been a member of the Advent Christian Church for a number of years prior to 1874. He was associated with Jonathan Cummings in setting the date of 1854 for the time of Christ’s return, but , unlike Cumming’s, he did not give up whe the 1854 passed without the return of Christ expected. He became an advocate of the 1873-1874 as the time of the Lord’s return, holding that the mistake of the 1843 movement was not an argument. 8. Charles Taze Russell, Harbest Gatherings and Siftings. The Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence, 37:170, June 1, 1916. 9. “Biography”, The Watch Tower and of Christ’s Presence, 37:356, Dec. 1, 1916 - 10. Wisdom. op. p26.
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