Jehovah's witnesses

 

Jehovah's witnesses blaspheme the holy Spirit by stating that those who give healing by imposition, according to Mark 16:18, Matt 10:8, Heb 6:1-2 and 1 Cor 12:9 do this with the aid of demons or evil spirits. (see also Matt 12:26)

Jehovah's witnesses deny that Jesus was hanged on a cross and instead state that it was on a pole. 1 Cor 1:18 fits them well owing to that: "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

Jehovah's witnessess "anointed ones" are not filled with the holy Spirit, as Jesus was after his baptism and as the apostles were according to Acts 2:1-4.

Jehovah's witnesses deny that man has a Spirit that leaves the body, as said in 2 Cor 5:1-5.

Jehovah's witnesses deny that people can get gifts of grace after 1914, though nothing like that it is indicated in connection with 1 Cor 12:4-11.

Jehovah's witnesses deny that Jesus will return just as the apostles saw him go to heaven in Acts 1:9-11 (Rev 1:7).

Jehovah's witnesses say that they have no pastors, though they call the founder of their movement Charles Taze Russell, "pastor Russell".

Jehovah's witnesses take exception to the gifts of the Spirit, as mentioned in Acts 2:17-18 and 1 Cor 12:8-11.

Jehovah's witnesses have only one festival each year, "the commemoration", about the same time as Easter, that should correspond to breaking of the bread in Luke 22:14-19. The bread and the wine is though being past all except the "anointed ones". The mutual help with this in Acts 2:42 by the apostles and the other beleivers has not got this limitation, though.

Jehovah's witnesses assert that the holy Spirit is not a person, only God's power. Eph 4:30 exhorts us though not to make the holy Spirit grieved. How could a power become grieved? John 14:26 tells us among other things that the holy Spirit will teach us everything. How can a power teach anything? (also see Acts 13:2).

Jehovah's witnesses assert that nothing survives the bodily death, though the bible is very clear when it tells the opposite. See 1 Sam 28:14. "and Saul perceived that it was Samuel", it says. What should otherwise "the second death" according to Rev 20:14 mean if "the first death" implies total extermination?

A book with Bible explanations, called "Aid to bible understanding", written by Jehovah's witnesses' "wise men in New York", shows some strange things in the faith of the witnesses. Regarding the covenant names of the Lord, seven in the bible, the interesting thing is not what is written, but what is not written in the "Aid" book. One of the covenant names, "Jehova-Rapha", means "the Lord who heals you". Some of the covenant names are explained in the "Aid" book, but not this (due to the Witnesses' denial of supernatural healing).

Jehovah's witnesses say that they pray in the name of Jesus, as the bible tells us to do. What they are doing instead is that they pray in the name of Jehovah and in the end of their prayer make the addition "in the name of Jesus", to make it sound like prayer in the name of Jesus (1 Joh. 3:23).

Jehovah's witnesses have adjusted their version of the bible to make it meet with their conception. ("NW" = "New world" translation.)

About Jesus in John 1:1
NKJ: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
NW: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.
(The Word = Jesus)

About death in Luke 23:43
NKJ: And Jesus said to him: "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise".
NW: And Jesus said to him "Assuredly I say to you today: You will be with me in Paradise".

Jehovah's witnesses take 1 Cor 14:33 as a pretext for the statement that their faith is the only true religion. If you start reading from verse 26 instead, you can see that this document part concerns the order of the Christian meetings.

Jehovah's witnesses have no spiritually inspired preachers. Instead they have lecturers who are reading a written lecture, both uninspired and uninspiring. This is contrary to Rom 10:17, which says that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

Jehovah's witnesses declare that Jesus returned in the year of 1914, though no one except the Father knows the time for this, according to Matt 24:23-26. As a support for their statement they make a combination of bible verses in Dan 4 and Rev 12, that together will "prove" this. In Dan 4 is spoken about "seven times", that occurred in king Nebuchadnezzar's lifetime. Jehovah's witnesses interpret "seven times" as 2520 years, after having combined Dan 4 with Rev 12:6 and 12:14. If you read the whole book of Daniel instead, you will find that "seven times" should correspond to seven years, since they happened in King Nebuchadnezzar's lifetime.

According to Rev 11:15 the dominion over the world will belong to our Lord and his anointed ones, after the seventh angel has blowed in his trumpet. That will be far later than 1914. The third angel has just (1986) blowed his trumpet (see Rev 8:10-11). The name of the star is "Wormwood", it says. Besides, "Wormwood" is "Chernobyl" in Russian.

According to Eph 1:20 the Father seated Jesus at his right hand side in heaven directly as he reached heaven, and not 1914.

John 5:23 says: "He who does not honour the Son does not honour the Father who sent him". This fits Jehovah's witnesses well.

Jehovah's witnesses claim that baptism in the holy Spirit was an isolated case that happened in Acts 2:4, thereby denying that in the last days God shall pour out his Spirit over all people (see Acts 2:17).

Jehovah's witnesses claim that Jesus Christ is the most distinguished of the angels, identical with Archangel Michael. This is opposed by Hebr 1:1-8, where it says in verse 4 "having become so much better than the angels …". Notice that it says "the angels" and not "the other angels". The same goes for verse 5 and 6. Verse 6: "let all the angels of God worship Him", not "all the other angels of God …". The verses 7 and 8 also oppose JW:s opinion.


Mikael Lillieros

 

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