The religion of the Jehovah’s Witnesses was founded in the 1879 by Charles T. Russell. There are roughly 8 million Jehovah’s Witnesses throughout the world today. They work with and through their publishing arm known as The Watchtower Bible & Tract Society (also founded by Russell). Though they will sometimes cite certain passages from other Bible translations, Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that their New World Translation is the only accurate translation of the Scriptures. In reality, the New World Translation was designed to defend and promote peculiar Jehovah’s Witnesses doctrines and it often reflects their biases. Bible students should know that the New World Translation contains many inaccuracies and in some places is mere Jehovah’s Witness propaganda (one example of this is their removal of personal pronouns in passages referring to the Holy Spirit). The New World Translation is more of a paraphrase than a translation. It is a perversion of the Scriptures rather than another version.
Jehovah’s Witnesses emphasize the need for both faith and works in their religious practice. This would be great, however the “faith” of Jehovah’s Witnesses is not the faith of the Bible and their “works” are often not the works prescribed by God. Actual “good works” are “ordained” by God (Ephesians 2:10). They are not concocted by humans.
One of the “works” of the Jehovah’s Witnesses is their version of evangelism. They are very active in carrying out this work in the form of door-knocking and their version of personal “evangelism.” While zeal is commendable, it is very important that it be for a “good thing” (Galatians 4:17-18). Like the Jews that Paul described in Romans 10:1-3, Jehovah’s Witnesses obviously have “a zeal” for their particular view of God. However, their zeal is, as Paul said of the Jews, “not according to knowledge…” Paul continued, “for they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” While the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ zeal to propagate their doctrine is commendable, their actions only result in more people being exposed to dangerous soul-damning errors! It is important that truth defenders have a basic understanding of these errors and how to oppose them biblically. This study is not intended as an exhaustive study of all of the predictions, theories and doctrines of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, but is a treatment of their primary doctrines and beliefs.
Why They Call Themselves “Jehovah’s Witnesses”
Jehovah’s Witnesses cite Exodus 6:3 as proof that the name “Jehovah” is the personal name for God and the name that people must use for God today. They ignore the fact that just 4 verses later God said, “and I will be to you a God” (Elohim, Exodus 6:7). The word “Jehovah” is a Hebrew word for God, but so is Elohim, which is also used frequently of God in the Old Testament. Furthermore, the New Testament was written in the Greek language. The Greek word for God is Theos and it is used over 1300 times in the New Testament. Why wouldn’t we be just as obligated to do as did Jesus and the apostles and call God Theos? English speakers do nothing wrong when they call God “God.” When the apostles prayed in Acts 4:24 they said, “Lord, you are God…” “Lord” is from the Greek word “despotes” (meaning ruler or master) and “God” is the Greek Theos. Either term is scriptural and right to use today.
Jehovah’s Witnesses cite Isaiah 43:10 to support their being “witnesses.” Anyone familiar with this context knows that Isaiah had reference to the Jews who had been scattered and exiled by the Babylonians. It is not referring to members of the Jehovah’s Witness religious organization. They also cite the use of the term “witnesses” in Hebrews 12:1 as proof that God’s people should be called witnesses today. However, the “witnesses” of Hebrews 12:1 were the Old Testament men and women of Hebrews 11 who were commended for their obedient faith. The Hebrew writer was not referring to Christians as “witnesses.” The word “witness” is used in the New Testament of those who had seen the risen Christ (Acts 1:22; 2:32; 5:32), but this does not include people today, for no one alive today has seen the risen Christ.
Jehovah’s Witnesses’ View Of The Earth
Jehovah’s Witnesses are fairly well known for their doctrine that the earth will stand forever. They cite Isaiah 45:18, showing that God created the earth to be inhabited. This verse does obviously teach that God created the earth to be inhabited. However, Isaiah 45:18 says nothing about how long the earth will stand. They cite Ecclesiastes 1:4 and Psalm 37:29 (“A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever…. the righteous will inherit the earth and dwell in it forever.”) It should be noted that both passages view the earth from the human perspective and from the human perspective the earth appears as a permanent fixture. These verses do not prove that the earth will exist forever. They also cite Psalm 104:5 which states that the earth will not totter for ever and ever. However, the Hebrew term that is translated “forever” (owlam) is used in some passages to mean an era or long time. For example, The same word is used in Genesis 17:7 in reference to circumcision. God said that the covenant of circumcision would be “an everlasting covenant” with Abraham’s descendants (the Jews). This obviously did not mean literally forever or for eternity, for Paul said that the rite of circumcision ended with the ending of the Law of Moses (Galatians 5:1-4).
Jehovah’s Witnesses must either avoid or explain away passages that speak of the destruction of the earth. They like Psalm 37:29 and 104:5 but ignore Psalm 102:25-27 (and Hebrews 1:10-12) which speak of earth and the heavens “growing old” and being “folded up.” Jehovah’s Witnesses have great difficulty with 2 Peter 3:10-13 which speaks of the earth’s destruction. Peter said, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10). Jehovah’s Witnesses argue that only the “works” of the earth will be burned up, but Peter said that the earth AND the works in it will be burned up. They deny that it is the physical “earth” in verse 7 that will be affected by fire, but Peter was clearly speaking of the physical earth when he mentioned Noah’s flood waters in verses 5 and 6. While the wicked works of wicked people were dealt with in the flood, the earth itself was radically affected by the flood. The teaching of 2 Peter 3 should not be so lightly dismissed.
Jehovah’s Witnesses’ View Of “God”
Jehovah’s Witnesses flatly reject the concept of the trinity or Godhead. They do not believe that God exists in 3 persons. The Bible repeatedly affirms that there three distinct persons of God: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19; Romans 15:16). Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that there is only one person of God — “Jehovah.” They believe that Christ was “a mighty spirit person” and “God’s first creation” but not God. They believe that the Holy Spirit is “God’s power in action… His active force” but not God. Jehovah’s Witnesses even deny that the Holy Spirit is a person at all. Their New World Translation removes all personal pronouns referencing the Holy Spirit.
The Bible speaks of Godhead or Godhood. That is, the state of being God. As a boy shares boyhood with other boys, a person of God shares Godhood with other persons of God. Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.” The word “Godhead” is from the Greek word “theiotes” which means divine nature. A synonym of this word is used in Colossians 2:9 where Paul wrote, “For in Him dwells all of the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (or “in bodily form”). The “Him” in this verse is Christ, not the Father. The point is that Jesus remained fully and functionally God while living in His fleshly body.
Acts 5:3-4 plainly teach the deity of the Holy Spirit. When Peter rebuked Ananias he charged him with lying to the Holy Spirit. He went on to explain that in so doing, Ananias had lied to “God.”
As noted above, Jehovah’s Witnesses insist upon calling God by the Hebrew word Jehovah, but what about the other commonly used Hebrew word for God, Elohim? I suspect that they don’t like it because it is a plural word for God and employs plural pronouns. These plural terms imply multiple persons of God:
Genesis 1:26 says, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth’” (Emphasis mine, TH).
Genesis 3:22 says, “Then the LORD God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil…’” (Emphasis mine, TH).
Deuteronomy 6:4 is often cited as proof of only one person of God. Moses affirmed, “The Lord our God is one Lord.” However, the word “one” in this verse doesn’t mean “one” in number; it means “one” in unity. God is a united one.
Witnesses insist that when Christ said in John 14:28, “My Father is greater than I,” that He meant that the Father was divine and that He wasn’t. This is a terrible misrepresentation of this passage. Jehovah’s Witnesses mistake the roles of God for the deity of God. Jesus was referring to the Father’s comparative role when He said that the Father was “greater” than Him. The Father was in the role of master and commander. Christ came in the role of a servant (Isaiah 53; Philippians 2:7-8). As a servant, Christ was in the role of commandment-keeper, not commander (John 14:31). Though also God, He fulfilled His role as an obedient Son (Hebrews 5:8; Philippians 2:8; John 4:34). The context of John 14:28 clearly demonstrates this to be true. John 14:13 speaks of Christ as the “Son” of His “Father.” These were their roles for the purpose of human redemption. Verse 26 speaks of the Father sending the Holy Spirit. However, John 15:26 says that Jesus would “send” the Holy Spirit from the Father. Jesus was also “sent” by the Father (John 3:17). What we are reading in these verses is graduated authority in the Godhood, NOT varying degrees of divinity in the Godhood!
The Bible plainly and repeatedly teaches that Jesus was, is and forever will be a person of God:
John 1:1-2 — “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” We are told a few verses later that this person of “the Word” assumed a physical human body in the person of Jesus Christ. John here affirmed the full deity of Christ. Of course, the Jehovah’s Witnesses insist that since the second “God” in John 1:1 is not preceded by the definite article, then that word “God” should actually be a little “g” god. The NWT thus says, “In [the] beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.” Their translation does the same thing in John 1:18b. Their belief that Jesus is not God prevents them from accurately translating these verses. Their translation is contradicted by an avalanche of respected Greek scholars and Bible translators. The dishonesty of the Jehovah’s Witnesses on this point is seen from the fact that the word God in verses 2, 6, 12 and 13 of this same chapter also don’t have the definite article! Why didn’t the New World translators also say “a god” in these verses? The answer is obvious. They know that “God” in those verses refers obviously to God, the Father! They conveniently ignore their contrived grammar rule where it fails to accommodate and promote their doctrine.
John 5:18 and John 10:30 plainly teach that Jesus was/is equal and one with God.
John 14:9 — Jesus said, “He who has seen me has seen the Father…”
John 21:17 affirms the omniscience of Jesus.
Romans 9:5 and Titus 2:13 affirm Jesus to be God.
Colossians 2:9 teaches that all of the fulness of the Godhead dwelt in Jesus (bodily).
1 Timothy 3:16 says that “God was manifest in the flesh.” (KJV, NKJV)
Jesus was worshipped. The Bible teaches that only God is worthy to receive worship (John 4:24; Revelation 19:10) — Not angels (Revelation 19:10) and not mere men (Acts 10:25-26 and Acts 14:12-15). However, Jesus accepted worship on multiple occasions (Matthew 2:11; 8:2; 9:18; 14:33; 15:25; 18:26; 28:9, 17; John 9:38). The only way for Christ to have rightly accepted worship was for Him to be fully God, and the divine nature of Christ does not change. He “is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
Christ Is Jehovah! As noted, Jehovah’s Witnesses insist upon serving only “Jehovah” God. If they were to be consistent they must then worship and serve Christ as God, for He is frequently identified with the Jehovah of the Old Testament:
Mark 1:2-3 + Isaiah 40:3 — Mark cited Isaiah’s prophecy as being fulfilled by John the baptist (baptizer). John was to “prepare the way for the Lord” (Jehovah). For Whom did John “prepare” the way? According to Mark 1:7-9 it was Christ. Christ was the person of “Jehovah” who was referred to in Isaiah 40:3.
Romans 14:10-12 + Isaiah 45:23 — After saying that we must all “stand before the judgment seat of Christ,” Paul quotes the Jehovah passage of Isaiah 45:23 and applies it to that judgment role of Christ. Some manuscripts do not have “Christ” in Romans 14:10, but according to 2 Corinthians 5:10 it is indeed the judgment seat “of Christ” before which all will one day stand. Christ is the “Jehovah” of Isaiah 45. The point is that the term Jehovah applies to more than just one person of the Godhead.
Philippians 2:10-11 + Isaiah 45:23 — Citing the fulfillment of Isaiah 45:23, Paul said that every knee would bow at the name of Christ and every tongue would confess Him to be Lord. The “Lord” of Isaiah 45 was “Jehovah,” thus Christ is a person of Jehovah. The term is not limited to the Father. The Jehovah’s Witnesses are wrong to limit application of the name Jehovah to only the Father. It also applies to God, the Son. Only the context can determine which person of God is under consideration.
Hebrews 1:10 + Psalm 102:25 — The Hebrew writer quotes Psalm 102:25 and defines the “Lord” (Jehovah) as being Christ.
Jehovah’s Witnesses’ View Of Man
Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the existence of an eternal immortal soul in man. They teach that the “soul” is just another term for “person” and that the soul dies with the body. They teach that the spirit is merely the breath or “life force” in man and that it expires at death. They teach that neither soul nor spirit has any conscious existence after death.
Jehovah’s Witnesses’ writings make frequent reference to Ecclesiastes 9:5. This verse is used as a proof text against conscious existence after death. The verse says, “For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten.” They are especially fond of the phrase, “the dead know nothing.” They think this proves their theory about the soullessness of man. However, their position completely ignores the immediate context of the verse as well as additional remote contexts relating to the nature of man.
As is typically the case when verses are misused, the erroneous position is answered in the very next verse. Solomon went on to say, “Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 9:6). Solomon is speaking of their interactions “under the sun.” This same phrase is used again in verses 9, 11 and 13 of Ecclesiastes 9. Verse 9 addresses relations with one’s spouse, and Jesus said that there is no marriage in the afterlife (Matthew 22:30). Verse 11 deals with various life endeavors (races, battles, economics, academics). Verses 13-ff discuss applications of wisdom. The point is clear in each case. Solomon is not addressing the question of the nature of the human spirit or conscious existence after death: He is addressing conditions under the sun, that is, conditions on earth and during one’s fleshly existence. When Solomon spoke of the dead “knowing nothing” he had reference to the cessation of their ongoing knowledge of earthly events and circumstances and their participation in earthly endeavors.
Verse 10 also makes this clear. Solomon said, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.” His point is that in death there will be no more “work” or application of wisdom and knowledge in such work.
Furthermore, the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ position on Ecclesiastes 9:5 puts this passage in direct conflict with dozens of other passages, as the reader is about to see, and we know from John 10:35 that no Scripture contradicts other Scriptures.
They cite 1 Peter 3:20 as an example of the interchangeability of soul and person. Speaking of the flood and Noah’s family, Peter said, “…in which few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.” The Jehovah’s Witnesses are right that Peter used the term “few” (people) interchangeably with “souls.” Romans 13:1 and Revelation 16:3 do the same thing. Romans 13:1 says, “Let every soul be subject to the higher powers.” Paul uses the word “soul” to represent the whole person (body, soul and spirit). However, the Jehovah’s Witnesses are wrong about why the Bible sometimes uses the word soul in this comprehensive way. “Soul” does not always refer only to one’s physical life. In Matthew 10:28 Jesus instructed His disciples to not fear those who were able to kill the body but were “not able to kill the soul.” If the “soul” and “body” are the same, how could the body die without the soul? If the Jehovah’s Witnesses are correct, the soul would have died with the body.
In Matthew 16:26 Jesus asked, “What does a man profit if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?” According to Jehovah’s Witnesses a man IS his own soul, which would make nonsense of our Lord’s observation. Jesus clearly distinguished the man’s soul from his physical being.
In 3rd John 1:2 John wished that Gaius would prosper and be in health even as his soul prospered. Gaius’ physical well-being was a separate thing from his spiritual well-being. According to Revelation 6:9, at the opening of the fifth seal John “saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God…” In these passages the Bible uses the term soul in the same sense in which it elsewhere uses the term spirit — in the sense of a consciousness that is different from the body and that can exist apart from and beyond the body.
This is well illustrated by what happened to Jesus when He died. While dying on the cross He said to the Father, “Into your hands I commend my spirit (Greek, pneuma)” (Luke 23:46). His body was interred in Joseph’s new tomb where it remained for three days (Luke 23:50-53), but His “spirit” went somewhere else. From what Jesus told the penitent thief on the cross we know that His spirit went into paradise (Luke 23:43). Jesus told the thief, “Today you will be with ME in paradise” (Emphasis mine, TH). It is important to note that Jesus’ body was buried in Joseph’s tomb that same “day.” So, while Jesus’ body went into Joseph’s new tomb, His spirit went into “paradise” (along with the penitent thief’s spirit). Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that the “spirit” is only the breath or “life-force.” It was not Christ’s breath that joined the thief in paradise, it was His spiritual person — the part that He called “Me.” Christ’s spirit remained in paradise until it was reunited with His physical body prior to His resurrection.
Peter explained this on Pentecost by invoking David’s Psalm 16 prophecy about Christ. Peter quoted David’s prophecy, “Because you will not leave my soul (Greek, psyche) in hades, neither will you allow your Holy One to see corruption” (Acts 2:27; Psalm 16:10). Jesus had predicted that He would “build” His church and that the “gates of hades” would not prevail against Him (Matthew 16:18). That is, He would die but still establish His church. Upon His death, Jesus’ “soul” went into hades. “Hades” means unseen and refers to the realm of departed human spirits. Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that the “soul” is simply the physical body and that “hades” was the physical grave. However, Peter provided inspired commentary proving them wrong when he said in Acts 2:31, “He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.” Notice that the soul is distinguished from the flesh. The point was that Christ’s “soul” would not be left in hades and His fleshly body would not be left to decay in the earth. Ordinarily, the body “returns to the dust of the ground” (Ecclesiastes 12:7). This was not to be the case with Jesus, for after three days His spirit returned to His body. His body was then raised from the grave and later was changed for His ascension into heaven (Acts 1:9-11). “Hades” is composed of both paradise (also called “Abraham’s bosom,” Luke 16:22) and torments (Lk. 16:23, also called “tartarus” in 2 Peter 2:4). Paradise is a place of comfort and tartarus is a place of torment. Jesus’ spirit went into the paradise compartment of hades.
As we have seen in some of the above passages, the words “soul” and “spirit” are sometimes used interchangeably in the New Testament. This happens because the word “soul” is sometimes used to describe the whole person, as in 1 Peter 3:20, Acts 2:41…, etc. When Peter said “souls” he meant the whole person including body, soul and spirit. As we will see later, the word “body” is also sometimes used of the complete person.
However, the word soul is not always used this way. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” It is the frequent interchangeability of the terms “soul” and “spirit” that actually gives this passage its meaning. The Hebrew writer’s point is that God’s word is so powerful that it distinguishes things that are sometimes seemingly indistinguishable. In the same way that “joints” and “marrow” and “thoughts” and “intentions” are related but are not the same thing, “soul” and “spirit” are related but are not the same thing. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 contains words addressing all three aspects of humans — spirit, soul and body. Paul wrote, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (emphasis mine, TH). This passage plainly states that there are tree distinct aspects of human nature.
Spirit: The word “spirit” (pneuma) is used many different ways in the New Testament. While it does sometimes refer to wind or breath, it certainly isn’t limited to this usage and Jehovah’s Witnesses must ignore many plain Bible passages in order to protect their materialistic theory about human nature. When used of humans as it is in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, the word spirit refers to the rational part of man — his mental disposition and conscience. It interacts with the human body through the brain. Paul served God “with” his “spirit” (Romans 1:9). Paul didn’t serve God with his “breath!” Jesus “perceived in His spirit” (Mark 2:8). He didn’t perceive in His “breath.”
1 Corinthians 5:2-5 shows that the spirit is capable of making judgments about human behavior. 1 Corinthians 16:18; 2 Corinthians 2:13 and 7:13 show that the spirit is capable of being comforted and refreshed. John 11:33 shows that the spirit is capable of experiencing sadness and grief. John 13:21 says that the spirit can be troubled. One’s spirit might be “stirred” to action (Acts 17:16). One’s spirit might be “fervent” (Acts 18:25; Romans 12:11). The spirit may be “pressed” by a sense of commitment and obligation to do a particular thing (Acts 18:5).
Soul: The word “soul” (psyche), as noted, sometimes refers to the whole of man (body, soul, spirit, as we saw in 1 Peter 3:20). It is sometimes used interchangeably with the word spirit, but when used with the word spirit as in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 or Hebrews 4:12, or when it is used in its literal and technical sense it means breath as in the breath of life. When Eutychus fell out of the third floor window at Troas, Paul said to those around him, “trouble not yourselves; for his life (psyche) is still in him” (Acts 20:10). As a good shepherd Jesus gave His life (psyche) for the sheep (John 10:11, 15, 17). Jesus came to give His life (psyche) as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28). In Matthew 6:25, when Jesus said, “Take no thought for your life (psyche), what you shall eat and what you shall drink…,” He meant that psyche “life” is sustained by what we eat and drink.
Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that it is the “spirit” (pneuma) that represents the life principle in animals and humans alike, but it is actually the soul or breath that humans and animals have in common. Genesis 2:7 says that God breathed into man the breath life and he became a living “soul.” The word soul is from the Hebrew term nephesh, which was used of sea-life in Genesis 1:20 and 21 and beasts, cattle and other land-life in verses 24 and 30. It is the breath of life (“soul” — nephesh or psyche) that humans have in common with other life forms.
Body: 1 Thessalonians 5:23 also mentions the body as an aspect of man’s composition. The word body is from the Greek word soma which is used of many different things in the New Testament. It is used of humans in 1 Corinthians 15:44; of animals in Hebrews 13:11; of grain in 1 Corinthians 15:37, 38; of celestial bodies in 1 Corinthians 15:40; of the local church in 1 Corinthians 12:27; and of the universal church in Ephesians 1:23.
Like the word soul, the word body is sometimes used of the complete man (body, soul and spirit – Matthew 5:29; Romans 12:1; James 3:6). However, when used either in connection with or distinction from “soul” and “spirit” it has reference to the fleshly aspect of man – his physical nature. One example of this is James 2:26 where James defined death as being the separation of the “body” from the “spirit.” Romans 8:10 says, “And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness.” Body and spirit are not the same thing.
2 Corinthians 12:2-4 teaches that one can exist outside of his body.
1 Corinthians 6:19 says that the body is the temple of the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 5:10 and Romans 6:13, 19 teach that the body is the instrument of the spirit.
Jehovah’s Witnesses’ View Of God’s “Kingdom”
Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that God’s kingdom is “an actual heavenly government with a King —Jesus Christ— and 144,000 co-rulers, who are bought from the earth.” They cite Revelation 5:9-10 and 14:1-4 as proof of this arrangement. They say that the kingdom was established in 1914. They arrive at this number by connecting Nebuchadnezzar’s “7 times” of Daniel 4:25 with other passages. They say that “the seven times represent the period during which God allowed the nations to rule over the earth without interference from any kingdom that he had set up. The seven times began in October 607 B.C.E., when, according to Bible chronology, Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians.” They cite Revelation 12:6 & 14 to show that since “3 1/2” equals 1260, and that since “7” is two times “3 1/2” (1260), then the total amount of uninterrupted human rule is 2520 years. They then subtract 607 from this number at arrive at “1914.”
The Bible teaches that the kingdom was established in Jerusalem on Pentecost in 33 AD. John and Jesus both preached that the kingdom was “at hand,” not centuries away (Matthew 3:2; 4:17). Jesus promised to build His church and He called it His “kingdom” in Matthew 16:18-19. Jesus told the apostles that the kingdom would come “with power” in the lifetimes of at least “some” of them (Mark 9:1). We are later told that the “power” would come with the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). According to Acts 2:1-4 and other passages, this happened on the first Pentecost following the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. This fits perfectly with Daniel’s kingdom prophecy in Daniel 7:13-14, for he said that Christ would be given a kingdom after His ascension into heaven.
The New Testament speaks of the kingdom as being already in existence in the first century — long before 1914 (Colossians 1:13; 1 Thessalonians 2:12; Hebrews 12:28; Revelation 1:9).
Jehovah’s Witnesses’ View Of The Plan of Salvation
Unlike universalists and protestants, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that certain conditions must be met for salvation. They believe that one must know God’s word, believe in God (their concept of God), witness to others, repent and be converted (they cite Acts 3:19), make a “dedication” to God (they cite Deuteronomy 6:15) and then be baptized. Jehovah’s Witnesses do believe that baptism is by immersion. However, they do not believe that baptism is for the remission of sins. They believe that baptism is essential, but only to “symbolize” one’s “personal dedication to Jehovah.”
The Bible teaches that baptism is for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16), for salvation (Mark 16:16; 1 Peter 3:21) and to put on Christ (Galatians 3:26, 27).
Jehovah’s Witnesses’ View Of Heaven And The 144,000
Jehovah’s Witnesses cite Revelation 7:4 and 14:1-3 as proof that only a literal 144,00 people will enter heaven. They cite Revelation 5:9 and 20:6 in defense of their notion that these people “will rule alongside Jesus for 1000 years.” They cite the term “firstfruits” (of mankind) in Revelation 14:4 to suggest that the 144,000 will be composed of a “small representative selection” of people. Citing Philippians 3:14, they claim that God determines which people receive “the prize of the upward call.” They claim that this group will form the “new heavens” or what they call “the heavenly government that will rule over the ‘new earth,’ or earthly government.” They say that the job of the 144,000 will be to help restore mankind to the righteous conditions that God intended. They claim that Isaiah 65:17 and 2 Peter 3:13 will be thus fulfilled.
As already addressed, they then cite passages like Psalm 37:11, 29 and 34 as proof that most will live on the newly renovated earth, and Isaiah 65:21-23 as proof that earth life will not be inferior to life in heaven.
Interestingly, the Jehovah’s Witnesses use Revelation 7:4 to teach that only 144,000 will go to heaven, but they ignore the fact that verse 9 of that same chapter teaches that there was also “a great multitude” of other saved people. Where were they? They were also in heaven, around God’s throne!
The 144,000 were redeemed Jews (Rev. 7:4). Their ethnicity distinguished that group from “the great multitude” of Revelation 7:9. Revelation 12 certainly shows that God’s people included faithful Jews, both under the law of Moses and converts to Christ under the gospel system.
The Bible also teaches that all who are sanctified and saved have the hope of heaven (1 Peter 1:2-5). Not just 144,000.
Matthew 5:12 says that the persecuted will be rewarded in heaven. 2 Timothy 3:12 says that all who live godly in Christ are persecuted.
In Hebrews 10:34 saints are promised that it is “in heaven” that they have a better and enduring substance.
Hebrews 12:23 tells us that the names of saints are written in “heaven” (not on the earth).
Jehovah’s Witnesses On Blood Transfusions
Jehovah’s Witnesses cite Genesis 9:4; Leviticus 17:10; Deuteronomy 12:23 and Acts 15:28, 29 against the use of blood transfusions in medical procedures. NONE of these verses say anything about blood transfusions. These passages specifically condemn the eating of blood, not the use of blood as a life-saving medical treatment. Deuteronomy 12:23 says, “But be sure you do not eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat.” Jehovah’s Witnesses insist that these verses teach that one must “avoid” receiving blood in medical transfusions. However, eating blood is not the same and does not produce the same results as being intravenously transfused with blood. There is difference between eating blood and receiving blood into your circulatory system.
Furthermore, while certain health arguments can be made against the eating of blood, which is the actual point of these passages, no one is under Old Testament legislation today. This leaves only Acts 15:28 and 29, and these verses instructed gentile believers to avoid eating food that had been sacrificed to idols, blood, the meat of strangled animals and fornication. This passage addresses and prohibits certain practices related to paganism with its blood rituals, superstitions and immoralities (compare 1 Corinthians 6, 8 and 10). The passage has nothing whatsoever to do with blood transfusions.
Conclusion
Jehovah’s Witnesses may be very zealous and conscientious about many things, but their religion is based upon false hopes and claims. Bible studies with Jehovah’s Witnesses are made difficult due to their insistence that their New World translation is the only safe version of the Bible. However, the New World translation contains many errors and does not accurately represent God’s will in many places. There is also the problem of their arbitrary redefinition of basic Bible terminology to suit their religious preconceptions. Their errors are quite systemized, so Bible defenders need to be prepared for their sophistry, equivocations and Scripture misconnections (the grouping of unrelated passages in an attempt to impress prospects with the seeming weight of the Scriptures in favor of their point). One must also be prepared to be assertive, for Jehovah’s Witnesses typically like to dominate conversations and control the narrative. Many people are deceived by these domineering tactics. The gospel of Christ contains God’s power to expose the machinations of error (Hebrews 4:12), but it must be handled correctly. Let us study that we might do this effectively, to the glory of God and in the demolition of error (2 Timothy 2:15; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5).
—Tim Haile