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Whilst I have never been a member of this false cult, my heart nevertheless echoes similar sentiments. I wish that I, too, might testify to every Jehovah’s Witness – and what better way than through this short series ofarticles on the Pen4God Ministries Website – not only to prove them wrong in their teaching, but more important still, to convince them that they are most definitely and hopelessly wrong, also.

I am the first to admit, however, that although it is reasonably easy to prove the falseness of Jehovah’s Witness doctrine, it is quite a different matter to try and convince them of this falseness. A testimony from a young Jehovah’s Witness, to which I will refer later in this article, is adequate illustration of this. BUT I CHALLENGE EVERY JEHOVAH’S WITNESS TO READ THIS ARTICLE, AND OTHER ARTICLES IN THIS SHORT SERIES, HONESTLY AND SINCERELY AND LEARN THE TRUTH ABOUT THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.

Thisarticlet, then, together with others in this short series, each beginning with the words “Jehovah’s Witnesses and…” in their title, seeks to answer the question asked by Jesus Himself, “Who do you say I am?” [1]  It does not set out to cover all the ramifications of the false doctrinal teaching put forth by the organisation known today as Jehovah’s Witnesses. There are many excellent publications available giving comprehensive coverage of the subject, to which the reader is referred.

By the sheer weight of Bible truth alone it is possible to show the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses concerning the Lord Jesus Christ to be utterly and hopelessly wrong. Every year a vast number of dear souls are lost to eternity as they are being added to this great anti-Christian organisation. The phrase “anti-Christian” may seem a little strong, even unfair or unkind, for a cult which appears to be essentially Christian; but the Word of God puts us right on this score.

“Who is the liar? but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist – he denies the Father and the Son.” [2]

JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES DENY THE TRUE DOCTRINE OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.

There are many verses of Scripture that one could quote to prove the truth of this statement; these will be used throughout this article. “A truthful witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies.” [3]

Again, this may appear to be a strong accusation to make. It is with deep regret, however, that one has to admit this statement to be perfectly true. Even a casual study of their main points of doctrine is sufficient to prove how false and anti-Christian Jehovah’s Witnesses are in character.

“A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful.” [4] Here alone is the proof we need as to the validity of this accusation. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not seek to save lives...to convict men and women of their sins, to bring them to repentance, to urge them to seek the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour. No! They seek only to gain “converts for the organisation”—to build an all-powerful international religious system with the predominant purpose of selling more and more Watchtower books each year.

“According to Jehovah’s Witnesses,” explains Ted Dencher, a former Jehovah’s Witness himself, “salvation comes only via the organisation… They do not believe that salvation can be obtained by means of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which we call regeneration (Titus 3:5). Instead, you obtain your own salvation by becoming an active member of their organisation. They do not believe that salvation can be obtained in this present life. Rather, you are supposed to spend this entire life gaining salvation, which you will receive in the next life…” [5] Presumably, the more books you sell and the more active you are in the organisation, the more salvation you “gain” in this life!

This dear lady is so typical of many people today: loyal members of their particular Christian denomination, knowing nothing of the blasphemy expounded by this false cult and, therefore, condoning their activities. In this case she was almost defending them! My reply was most emphatic.

“In the first place,” I said, “whilst they may have a right to believe what they believe, what they believe is anything but right! Not only is there doctrine totally false, but worse, it is extremely blasphemous, too. Anyone, individual or corporate body, who robs our Blessed Lord of His deity cannot possibly be right. Our doctrine – that is, the doctrine of the true Christian Church, the Body of Christ – is based on the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments; so, in the second place, if we are wrong then the Bible is wrong. Jehovah’s Witnesses, however, use the Word of God to support their own doctrines rather than the other way round.”

The lady was disposed to continue arguing. “In view of what you say, supposing they cannot find ‘proof’ for their doctrine in the Bible, what then?”

Either she had not been listening properly, or my lecture had been less effective than I’d imagined. My reply was simple and seemed to satisfy. “Then they alter the meaning of the Bible to fit their doctrine!”

Permit me at this point to introduce a personal word of testimony. There is a reason for this, which will become apparent later in this article. My testimony is simple and sincere. I love the Lord Jesus Christ. He has done great things for me. The greatest, perhaps, is that He saved my soul, so that I now enjoy fellowship with Him day by day. Jesus is alive, and I know Him to be alive in my experience! I have proved Him to be sufficient through my life to meet my every need. Mere words cannot fully express the true feelings of my heart.

Because I have proved Him to be what the Bible claims Him to be, because I know Him personally – and because I am able to know Him personally – and because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard that which I have entrusted to him for that day,” [6] I am deeply grieved when I learn of people who profess to serve God, who claim to be His witnesses, yet preach and teach a false Christ. They blind the eyes of people who seek to know the truth.

There are many false doctrines taught by the Jehovah’s Witnesses. As we have already stated, in this short series of articles with the words, ”Jehovah’s Witnesses and…”, in their title, we are only interested in one – what they say about the Lord Jesus Christ. In Matthew’s Gospel we have recorded an incident in the life of Christ where He took His disciples towards the coasts of Caesarea Philippi and asked them two very important questions. The first: “Who do people say the Son of man is?”, [7]  and the second: “Who do you say I am?” [8]

THESE TWO QUESTIONS FORM THE BASIS OF THIS SHORT SERIES OF ARTICLES.

Again my testimony: I say with the apostle Peter, in answer to that second question, Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” [9]

AMONGST THIS CLASS THE WORST OFFENDERS ARE THE JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES.

Believe it to be true yet still stubbornly continue to answer falsely? How can this be? We turn again to Ted Dencher for the explanation. “I knew I was a sinner—no one had to tell me that. And I knew also that all these works—door to door, platform speeches, book studies, convention work, etc., had not removed a single sin. I knew there was no real power to this; that in the end I was still the same sinner as I had always been, in spite of my being a Jehovah’s Witness. But like all the other Witnesses, I placed all hopes and responsibility on the organisation, and let it go at that.” [10]  What a testimony!

In this short series of articles you will find a mixture of Bible truth and personal experience, brought together in an attempt to prove the truth of the Bible as opposed to the false teachings of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. The subject—the Lord Jesus Christ—has been more a matter of divine inspiration rather than personal choice.

Before proceeding further, however, it seems only right and proper that my authority and qualifications for writing these articles should be presented to the reader. One cannot expect to gain his or her confidence if there is doubt as to whether or not the writer is in a position to write with authority on the subject in question. Permit me, then, to humbly present my credentials.

Because the anti-Christian teaching of the Jehovah’s Witnesses is so deadly and corrupt, coupled with a subtlety that surpasses most other false cults, I have been compelled to place special emphasis on studying their system of doctrine; so much so, a very pleasant Jehovah’s Witness who called at my door one Saturday was completely taken by surprise when I was able to tell him things about his own organisation that he had not known himself. He was very courteous and came back later to say that he had looked up the references I had given him in his own Watchtower literature, and I was right in what I had said to him. But that did not alter the fact, he assured me, that he was still right in his Biblical thinking! The Watchtower said so!

IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT I HAD PROVED HIS JEHOVAH’S WITNESS DOCTRINE TO BE WRONG, I HAD STILL FAILED TO CONVINCE HIM!

I felt extremely sorry for that young man, and promised him that I would be praying that he would be fully convinced of the truth one day before it was too late. I never saw him again! He was so typical of Jehovah’s Witnesses in general. “They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.” [11]

Let me be quite clear in my views and attitude regarding Jehovah’s Witnesses. I do not condemn them as people. That in itself would be contrary to the Word of God. I definitely believe them to be honest in what they believe, hard-working and sincere. True Christians everywhere would do well to copy them in the zealous way in which they set about preaching and teaching their brand of gospel, even though their brand of gospel is not acceptable to true Christians...nor to Almighty God! It is their zeal that is commendable not their message! However, what I do condemn in the strongest possible terms, and in so doing believe I have the divine approval of God Himself through His Holy Word, is the blasphemous and utterly false system of doctrine they perpetrate.

My qualifications, that of a sincere believer, a minister of the true Gospel, one who has a personal experience of the Lord Jesus Christ [for over 60 years at the time of this article’s publication on the Internet in 2010], I trust are acceptable. My authority is the Word of God itself. My experience and my Bible go together! Jehovah’s Witnesses may twist and alter the meaning of the Bible, even change the actual wording as they frequently do, but they cannot misinterpret or misrepresent my experience, nor can my personal association, my personal relationship, with the Lord Jesus Christ be shaken or undermined.

For the reader whose knowledge of the cult is limited to an occasional encounter on the doorstep, or maybe a curious glance at the Watchtower or Awake!—two magazines used extensively in their door-to-door ministry, and sold frequently in the streets—a very brief history here will not go amiss.

As with his predecessor, Rutherford assumed a title to which he had no right—that of “Judge”. It is true he was granted a licence in 1892 to practice law, but he was never elected to the office of Judge. After his death on the eighth of January, 1942, the vice president of the organisation, Nathan H. Knorr, took over the leadership.

So “Pastor” Russell and “Judge” Rutherford, with their assumed titles, between them invented a subtle, anti-Christian and blasphemous system of doctrine, the teachings of which are contained in seven volumes entitled Studies in the Scriptures, by Russell, and The Harp of God, by Rutherford. This is not to mention hundreds of other books and booklets, such as Let God Be True—a key book rather in the mould of The Harp of God, and first published in 1946—and the regular periodicals, Watchtower and Awake!

The cult has masqueraded under many aliases since its invention: Russellism, Millennial Dawn, Watchtower Movement, International Bible Students Association, Kingdom Message, Watchtower Bible and Tract Society and the Metropolitan Pulpit. In 1931, the title “Jehovah’s Witnesses” was adopted and has been used ever since.

If the reader is interested in learning more of the history of this cult, including the false prophesies of Russell, together with an account of the domineering and insulting conduct towards his wife, resulting in a legal separation; of the lies told in court whilst he was under oath; of the prison sentence served by Rutherford for “seditious utterances”; of the many doubtful and dishonest practices of the cult itself, as well as that of its leaders; then he is advised to consult the many excellent books dealing with the subject. It does not come within the scope of this short series of articles.

This short series of articlets, then, the titles of which all begin with the words, “Jehovah’s Witnesses and…”, seek only to answer the question asked by Jesus Himself: “Who do you  say I am?” [12] We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is both true God and true man, and is, in fact, God manifest in the flesh. The Bible makes it quite plain. “God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”  [13] To whom else can this refer other than Jesus Christ? We believe, also, that the Lord Jesus Christ, by suffering and dying for our sins according to the Scriptures, has atoned for the sins of the world, and that all who believe in Him as Saviour will be saved. We believe in the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

WE DO NOT BELIEVE IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AS TAUGHT BY THE JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES.

People like them are described so perfectly by Jude in his letter. “My friends, I was fully engaged in writing to you about our salvation…when it became urgently necessary to write at once and appeal to you to join the struggle in defence of the faith, the faith which God entrusted to his people once and for all. It is in danger from certain persons who have wormed their way in, the very men whom Scripture long ago marked down for the doom they have incurred. They are the enemies of religion; they pervert the free favour of our God unto licentiousness, disowning Jesus Christ, our only Master and Lord.” [14]

In a similar sense I feel compelled to “appeal to you to join the struggle in defence of the faith,” to combat the erroneous teachings of the Jehovah’s Witnesses who are constantly “disowning Jesus Christ, our only Master and Lord.” Their false teachings have been propagated by millions of copies of books in which all Scripture which contradicts their doctrines is either interpreted symbolically or misappropriated or ignored completely. In their own “Bible”—The New World Translation of the Scriptures—they even go so far as to delete verses that do not support their fabricated doctrines!

If this short series of articles counteracts some of the erroneous teachings concerning the Lord Jesus Christ; if the Name of the Eternal Son of God can be propagated by the global coverage on the Internet of these articles; then I believe God will bless the effort, and they will have served their purpose.

Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Lord Jesus Christ