ApologeticsCary Christian SchoolCary Christian School

Jehovah’s Witnesses

The Overview

The Schedule

JW’s – the Overview

JW’s the details

Debates – 1-3

Bibliography for JW’s

Kenneth Boa, Cults, World Religions and the Occult

Walter Martin, The Kingdom of the Cults

Ron Rhodes, Reasoning from the Scriptures with Jehovah’s Witnesses

Ron Rhodes, 10 Most Important Things you can Say to a Jehovah’s Witness

J.W.’s and other doctrinesHistorically founded by Charles Russell in late

1800’s, which most JW’s will deny“Jehovah’s Witnesses” taken in 1931 to differentiate between the new group that followed Russell’s successor Judge Rutherford and those still committed to Russell

The New World Translation is extremely problematic

No textual Criticism

Terrible handling of original languages

All hermeneutics go through Watchtower

The Watchtower Society

Sometimes as The Watch Tower Society (two words)

Publish: The New World Translation (“Bible”)

Reasoning from the Scriptures

You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth

Awake!

One God - Jehovah

No Trinity . . . No Trinity . . .

Jesus

Not God, but the Incarnate person of Michael the Archangel

Jehovah made the universe through Him, although He was the first “creation”

After living a perfect life, he died on a stake (not a cross)

He was resurrected as a spirit

He is not returning – he did that invisibly in 1914

Spirit

Impersonal force

Not God, but the active force of Jehovah

Speaks to people only through true personalities like angels or humans

The Gospel

“Grace” in Christ is just to take away sin inheritance from Adam

Baptism required – that is baptized as a Jehovah’s witness

Work by “witnessing for Jehovah”

Heavenly salvation limited to 144,000 (already full)

The rest of the “righteous” will live on earth in a future millennial kingdom and if not lived perfectly, they will be annihilated

Jehovah’s Witnesses and 11:4

Jesus is first creation of Jehovah, known as Michael before – He is a god

The Spirit is just an “it”, an impersonal force

The Gospel is one where the atonement of Christ only puts us back to pre-Adam status and enables one to work for salvation.

For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which

you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear

this beautifully.-2 Corinthians 11:4

NAU

Jehovah’s Witnesses

The Details

The Schedule

JW’s – the Overview

JW’s the details

Debates – 1-3

The Focus

Jesus

Spirit

Gospel

For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which

you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear

this beautifully.-2 Corinthians 11:4

NAU

PublicationsA Clarification

Publications

Several Books, all doctrinal – not exegetical

New World TranslationNew Testament until 1950

We do textual criticism – they won’t

Trial on translation veracity with Fred Franz

In short, “No, we cannot read it”

Other issues

Jesus as MichaelDaniel 10:13

Blood transfusion– Do not “eat” the blood

• Christ crucified on “stake”– Cross is pagan symbol– stauros

THE ISSUE IS HERMENEUTICSSTICK TO THE BIBLE: STICK TO THE THREE – JESUS, SPIRIT, GOSPEL

For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which

you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear

this beautifully.-2 Corinthians 11:4

NAU

Jehovah’s Witnesses

The Details