I returned home from a shopping trip to my local city about a few days ago, and found a folded up religious pamphlet crammed in the space between my door knob and the frame of the door. You can see what it looks like below.....

    Since I was unsure which group gave me this tract, I wanted to know that fact before I checked into the statements inside, because there are so many religions out there which are false and some even cults that are pretending to be true, so I flipped the pamphlet over to try to acertain which religion had left me this tract-like pamphlet. When I flipped it over, I saw the words "Jehovah's Witnessess", and "The Watchtower," which is the leadership of the Jehovah's Witnesses.
    According to the "Kingdom of the Kults" and the "Handbook of Cults," two books I have read, the christian apologetic experts who wrote both books list the Jehovah's Witnesses as a cult. This of course means that this religion is not only a false religion, but a cult as well. My personal definition of a false religion is any religion whose traditions or beliefs are directly contradicted by the teachings of the Bible. My personal definition of a cult is a false religion which tries to assert control over it's congregation in order to control completely what they do and do not do, say and do not say, and go and not go.
    The remainder of this article will have a two-fold purpose. The first will be to debunk the claims found within this pamphlet that was delivered to my door, and the second part of this article will be a discussion of why exactly the Jehovah's Witnesses are considered not only a false religion, but a cult as well.
    The main thrust of the pamphlet was to discuss the following three things: What is false religion, how will it end, and how will you be affected. I will deal with them in order. According to the pamplet, a false religion is one which meddles in war and politics, spreads false doctrine, or tolerates immoral sex.

    According to the Bible, God directly meddled in war and politics. God started many wars on behalf of the Israelites, and slew a great portion of the egyptian army when He allowed the Red Sea to form back together. God was instrumental in causing the Israelites to kill all the males and married females and even the livestock of many ancient cultures, what is commonly called the "ITES". The Hittites, the Amorites, the Jebusites, and others like them. God initialized their complete destruction through warfare, but of course the Israelites were not always obedient to God and kept some alive that were supposed to die. This of course caused trouble later on with many Israelites going over to pagan religions.
    God also reluctantly gave the Israelites a King in Saul, forbid (and then allowed) for a census of the Israelite men for war to be taken. Apparently, the Jehovah's Witnesses have forgotten all these things that God has done as recorded in the Bible, and their forgetfulness points a finger at God Himself being the founder of a false religion, according to what this pamplet is saying! Of course, in reality this could not be further from the truth.
    The United States of America was also founded on Judeo-Christian beliefs, and the common law of England, which itself goes back a roman text on law found in the 11th Century. The founders of this country did make many laws favoring the Judeo-Christian religion, as well as it was based on the freedom of religion not enjoyed in England.
    We as americans have lost many of those rights and priveledges because we became lazy after the 1950's and allowed prayer to be taken from the schools, and a discussion of the Bible to be taken from the schools in the 1980's. Now people want to removed the ten commandments from our capitals, and "In God We Trust" from our coins!
    In addition, the foul horror of abortion was passed into law while christians slept, as well as other laws that have changed the meaning of the separation of church and state, which originally meant that the state would not interfere with religion, not vice versa. Therefore, it is imperitive that we as christians "meddle" in politics to keep the rights we still have and to try to win back some of the rights that we used to. A church that refuses to get involved to keep and win christian rights should be suspect of being an untrue religion! So the Jehovah's Witnesses first claim of "a false religion is one which meddles in politics," is absolutely false.
The second claim of what is a false religion is one who spreads false doctrine, according to the pamplet. To quote the pamplet directly, "Most religions teach that the soul or spirit is some invisible part of a human that survives the death of the physical body. By means of this teaching, many of these religions exploit their members, charging money to pray for departed souls." The pamplet goes on to state, "However, the Bible teaches a differenent docttrine. 'The soul that is sinning-it itself, will die.' (Ezekial 18:4). 'The living are conscious that they will die, but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all.' (Ecclesiastes 9:5)."
    "Jesus taught that the dead will be resurrected-an unnecessary action if humans had an immortal soul. (John 11:11-25). Does your religion teach that the soul will not die?"

    These are the direct claims of false doctrine that the Jehovah's Witnesses believe we teach incorrectly from the Bible. Let's examine the veracity of their statements here.... It is true that one religion in Christianity, the Roman Catholics, do pray for the souls and/or spirits of their departed loved ones for the purpose of removing that soul/spirit from purgatory into heaven. I agree with the Jehovahs Witnesses that this is a false teaching since the Bible does not support praying for the dead or the notion of purgatory. However, instead of targeting this one religion of the Roman Catholics, the Jehovah's Witnesses make it seem that ALL christian religions except theirs do this also, which is patently not true. However, one must also know that in an effort to study the beliefs of the Jehovah's Witnesses, one must first and formost understand that they have not only their own Bible version that they have created, but also a "study guide" manufactured by the Watchtower which every faithful Jehovah's Witness must have alongside their own Bible verson in order to completely understand the doctrine of the Jehovah's Witnesses.

Eze 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. (KJV)

    The main mistake that the Jehovah's Witnesses made here is that just because a word translated into english is "soul" does not in any way mean that that english word defines the hebrew word underlying it. The hebrew word for "soul" in Ezekial 18:4 is "nephesh" and is defined as "... properly a breathing creature, that is, animal or (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental).
    According to this definition, the "soul" in Ezekial 18:4 is not talking about our real soul or spirit, but rather a breathing, physically living human being! Therefore, the Jehovah's Witnesses have made the mistake of literally interpreting the flawed english translation. Perhaps if they looked at the underlying hebrew words, they would not make so many mistakes. So, to reiterte, that which will die is a living, breathing, physical part of a person, and we all will someday die if we are not raptured first because of the legacy of sin from Adam and Eve.
    But that part which dies, according to the hebrew in Ezekial 18:4 is not th spirit or soul, but rather the body. The soul, therefore, is not the same as the spirit, which lives eternally. How do I know this? Notice the usage in Ecclesiates 12:7.....

Ecc 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

     The spirit is that which is made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26) and which was eternal. The soul then, is a combination of the mind and the five senses. If we look at the glimpse of hell we see Jesus telling us about in Luke 16: 20-31, we see that not only do both the wicked dead and the righteous dead continue living on in the spirit, but they also have their mental faculties as well as the five senses. The rich man could see Abraham and Lazarus. He could feel the flames tormenting him. He heard Abraham speak, and smelled the brimstone. He longed to taste a drop of water to cool his burning tongue.
    Therefore the spirit lives forever, whether a person dies in their sins, or lives for God. The soul also lives forever, since our minds and senses remain intact. The only thing we lose is the physical body that housed us on earth, as in Ecclesiastes 12:7.
    The body returns to the dust which gave it, and our eternal spirit returns to God which gave it. There, we will be judged, and those who died in their sins will be cast into hell temporarily (and then the Lake of Fire for ever and ever), and those who are righteous in Him will go to live with God forever.
    At the proper time in God's timeline, we will also receive glorified bodies of flesh and bone; bodies which are perfect and not flawed in any way by disease or sin, or our own bad choices. So why do the Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the soul and/or spirit dies if it is wicked? Because one of their beliefs is that the wicked who die in their sins cease to exist.
     Revelation 19:20 tells us that the Beast (Antichrist) and the False Prophet are both thrown into the Lake of Fire at the end of Armagheddon.....

Rev 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

    Revelation 20:2 tells us that Satan is bound in a bottomless pit for 1000 years....

Rev 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

     Revelation 20:7 simply tells us that after the 1000 years are up (The Millenial Kingdom of Jesus Christ on earth) the devil is loosed from the bottomless pit in order to stir up trouble. And Revelation 20:10 tells us one very important thing.....

Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

    What we learn from Revelation 20:10 is that the devil is also cast into the lake of fire 1000 years after the Beast and the False Prophet were cast in, and that even after 1000 years, the Beast and False Prophet are still there! The greek word for "are" in Revelation 20:10 is "kai", which is the same word for "was" in John 1:1. Kai has several meanings, such as "and, also, even, so, then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words: - and, also, both, but, even, for, if, indeed, likewise, moreover, or, so, that, then, therefore, when, yea, yet." What you may have noticed is that none of the words have a past tense. Therefore, the meaning of Revelation 20:10 is that even 1000 years later, the wicked Beast, False Prophet, and all those who took the mark of the Beast are STILL in the Lake of Fire, proving from the Bible that those who are wicked who die in their sins do not cease to exist, as the Jehovah's Witnesses believe. Not only do they not cease to exist, but Revelation 20:10 informs us that they reside in the Lake of Fire "for ever and ever." They will never cease to exist throughout all eternity, which is the greek meaning, which is "into perpetuity."
    Therefore, not only are the Jehovah's Witnesses wrong on the first statement of their "What is false religion," in that God Himself "meddled" in war and politics, and we should also vote to keep and renew our christians rights and priveledges, but the Jehovah's Witnesses are also wrong on the second statement of the "What is false religion," since the soul does not die, but continues to exist, and when properly defined proves that the Jehovah's Witnesses mistake the body for the spirit, and also mistake that the Bible teaches In Ecclesiastes 12:7 that the spirit does continue to exist, both in heaven, and in hell and finally the Lake of Fire. I do agree with the Jehovah's Witnesses that praying for the spirit of a departed person I do agree is false, since the Bible does not teach this, but this is the belief of the Roman Catholics, and is not the belief of mainstream non-cult protestant denominations.
    The third thrust of the Jehovah's Witnesses statement of "What is false religion," is their claim that false religions tolerate immoral sex. This also will be proven to be somewhat false. The direct quote from the pamplet is, "In Western lands, church groups ordain gay and lesbian members of the clergy and urge governments to recognize same sex marriages. Even churches that condemn immorality have tolerated religious leaders who have sexually abused children. What, though, does the Bible teach? It plainly states: 'Do not be misled. Neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor men kept for unnatural purposes, nor men who lie with men...will inherit God's Kingdom.' (1 Corinthians 6:9,10. Do you know of religions that condone immoral sex?"
    Once again, the Jehovah's Witnesses have targeted two specific christian denominations here and have made it seem like all churches do the same. The two targeted churches are the Presbyterian church, which recently began allowing gay men and women to be ordained; and the Roman Catholic church, which condoned, and covered up evidence of sexaul abuse by the priests with young children. Are both of these churches within the teachings of the Bible to do such things? No, they are not. In the Old Testament, homosexuality was an abomination in the sight of God, and in the New Testament the homosexual lifestyle remains an abomination in the sight of God (Romans 1). Therefore, any church that teaches that practising homosexuals should be ordained is a false teaching. Also, any church like the Roman Catholics which cover up the pedaphilic practices of it's priests is also a shame to them. However, mainstream protestant non-cult denominations with the exception obviously of some of the Presbyterian churches simply do not condone these practices. The second problem with the Jehovah's Witnesses statement is that they did not fully or correctly quote the passage in 1st Corinthians 6 because they did not quote verse 11....

1Co 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 1Co 6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 1Co 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

    Such were some of us also, which are those of us who have repented of the above sins, and have been forgiven by God are no longer doing such things on a regular basis. This is the part that the Jehovah's witnesses left out, the forgiveness of God to those who truly repent, along with targeting two specific denominations and making it seem that all denominations do so by the use of vagueness. So this third thrust of the first statement of "What is false religion?" is also incorrect for mainstream non-cult protestants other than the presbyterian denomination. Therefore, their whole house of cards on the first thrust of "What is False Religion," rings patently false in those mainstream protestant denominations who follow the correct teachings of the Bible, and the Jehovah's Witnessess claims of what is a false religion comes crashing to the ground.
    The Second statement of the pamphlet is "How will false religion end?" As we know by now, all mainstream protestant non-cult denominations are not false, with the exception SOME of the Presbyterian denomination which allow gay men and women to be ordained as reverends. By "gay men and women, " the specification is of those homosexuals who are STILL PRACTICING their homosexual sex, which is an abomination in the sight of God. If a person is or was gay, but no longer practices the lifestyle, then there is nothing different than a former fornicator, adulterer, or whatever who has repented and gained forgiveness from God. So we are specifically speaking here of those who still practise the homosexual lifestyle, which is not only sin, but an abomination in God's sight.
    According to the pamplet, the main focus of this second thrust is that the Jehovah Witnesses believe that all other Judeo-Christian denominations are riding on the back of the beast in Revelation 17:10-13. They see us all as riding on the Beast, as the Harlot. The Beast is made up of the Kingdoms of the world during the Tribulation, which makes the harlot one who "meddles with politics." As I have already shown, God Himself "meddled" into politics when the Children of Israel moved into the promised land; and we as Christians should be involved in politics to ensure the continuation of our christian rights as well as to attempt to win back those which are lost to us because of a lacadaisial attitude. This of course proves that this claim of the Jehovah's Witnesses is also false. Of course, this belief comes from their own skewed beliefs, which is an us vs. them mentality. Since they only consider themselves to be right, then in their own eyes, everyone else must be wrong. Proverbs 21:2 disabuses them of this notion.....

Pro 21:2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.

    As to whom the Harlot represents, the Bible is clear in Revelation that the Harlot represents the false religions that go into the Tribulation. Since once again, the Jehovah's Witnesses think they are the only one who are right, then all other Judeo-Christian denominations are the Harlot, according to them. Of course, wishing it to be so because you believe incorrectly that you and fellow Jehovah's Witnesses are the only ones right does not in any way make it true. This is patently false because Jesus said to render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and unto God what is God's. This means that we are to follow man's laws until they contradict God's laws. So part of every real christian's responsibility is to vote to assure that God's laws will be upheld over man's. For these two reasons, their whole "other religions are the Harlot" house of cards comes crashing down.
    Ironically, the Harlot does represent false churches which go into the Tribulation and eventually form a one-world religion. Revelation also speaks of the Beast warring against the Harlot, making her naked. The Jehovah's Witnesses mistakenly believe believe that God will turn on false religion and destroy her. They are of course deluded and do not rightly divide the word of God.
    What is actually going on here is that at the midpoint three and one half years of Tribulation, the one-world ecumenical religion will be destroyed, but only because the Beast will be assassinated, rise from the dead, and then in the temple in Jerusalem will proclaim himself God, which is the Abomination of Desolation spoken of in the Book of Daniel, and which Jesus mentioned.
    So you see, it will not be God who destroy's this one-world religion, but it will be the Antichrist who destroys it, according to scripture. Also, false religion will not end there, but the Antichrist will, after rising from the dead and proclaiming himself God, will then set up another false religion which has him as the only diety. This false religion will remain until the end of the Great Tribulation.
    The Antichrist will then institute a loyalty system whereby those who wish to buy or sell must take a mark on the forehead or right arm and bow to the image of the Beast in worship. This bowing before the image in worship will be enforced, and those found not bowing to the idol will be killed.
    This event of the Abomination of Desolation at the midpoint of the Tribulation signals the beginning of the second exodus of the Jews from Israel, this time to Petra, where they will stay for the remaining three and one half years protected by God. There they will eat manna three times a day, and their clothes will not wear out.
    This directly from the Bible proves that once again the Jehovah's Witnesses are completely mistaken, and wrong. The pamplet points out that to keep from being caught up in the false religion during Tribulation, one must "come out of her."

Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

    The third thrust of the pamphlet answers, "How to identify true religion." (Revelation 18:4). What the Jehovah's Witnesses don't know is that they themselves will be one of the false religions which will get sucked into the one-world ecumenical religion if they do not leave their false religion behind. There are three key points that the Jehovah's Witnesses make to know how to identify true religion. As I've already stated earlier in this article, the object is to have a personal relationship with God through Jesus, not to have a relgion. Therefore, no religion can be true, except in the sense that a group of beliefs closely follows the teaching of the Bible and is Judeo-Christian. But not all claimants closely follow the teachings of the Bible.
    The first key point in identifying true religion, according to the Jehovah's Witnesses, is that true religion practices love. They state that 'True worshippers are not part of the world, are not divided by race or culture, and display love among themselves. Rather than killing one another, they are willing to die for one another. This is absolutely true, but whether the Jehovah's Witnesses actually practise this or not is another thing. It is also true of most of the mainstream non-cult protestant churches I know of.
    I have a saying that bears repeating here. The saying is, "There are two kinds of people in the world. Those who read the Bible and are deternmined to mold their life to fit the Bible, and those who read the Bible and determine to mold their beliefs about the Bible around the life and belief sytem they choose to live." Most mainstream non-cult protestant churches qualify for the former, while all of the false and/or cult religions do not qualify, including the Jehovah's Witnesses, but then that will be dealt with in the latter section of this article.
    There are three verses about love and an entire chapter which I believe quantify who is and is not a real christian, and there is another verse that quantifies who is really of the world or not. The book is 1st Corinthians 13, which the true christian strives to be. However, none of us are perfect this side of heaven, so we strive for perfection, but will not gain perfection until glorification. Here are the verses....

Joh 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; Mat 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Joh 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

    Anyone who truly strives to live these verses and the 13th chapter of 1st Corinthians is a true chistian.

    The second key point of how to identify true religion is a religion which trusts God's word. Those who trust the Bible, and mold their lives around the teachings of the Bible are true christians, and those who twist the Bible to make their beliefs seem plausible are not. Once again, the Jehovah's Witnesses do not trust God's word, the Holy Bible, and instead try to twist their way around the Bible in order to make their beliefs seem plausible. This will be proven in the second half of this article.
    The Jehovah's Witnesses believe that we should trust God's word instead of the "traditions of men" and the "commandments of men." What they really mean here is that they use philosophy to formulate their beliefs, but they put a bad connotation on philosophy when we do the same. What they are referring to as tradition and the commandments of men are in reality most of the epistles of Paul the Apostle. They have a real beef with Paul and therefore do not trust Paul's epistles. Therefore, how can they trust the entire word of God?
    The third key point to identifying true religion is that true religion strengthens families and upholds high moral values. Of course this is true, but once again, most protestant non-cult mainstream churches can claim the same. This is the main problem with the Jehovah's Witnesses, is that they target a few bad denominations, and then vaguely forget to mention that this is not rampant in all Judeo Christian denominations, because to them, their us vs. them mentality shows them to be the only ones who are right, and therefore, the others MUST THEREFORE all be wrong. I will now deal with the problems of the Jehovah's Witnesses, and why specifically they are considered a false religion and a cult.

    On the pamplet was a website, so I decided to go to it and see what they believe, and what I already know they believe from debating them on message boards for the last five years. I will attempt to compilate the two to give you an accurate picture of what they believe, and why this not only differs from the Bible, but why their false beliefs are directly contradicted by the Bible.

According to the website, "JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES believe in Almighty God, Jehovah, Creator of the heavens and the earth. " What they are not telling you is that they believe in a one person God. The person of the trinity that we call the Father is basically whom they believe in, although they refer to him as Jehovah. What does the Bible have to say about that? First of all, since they do not believe that the Holy Spirit is a person, they instead believe that the Holy Spirit is a force. The bible contradicts them on that....

Heb 10:15 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,

    Clearly then, according to the Bible, the Holy Ghost (AKA Holy Spirit) is a witness, and therefore a person, and not a force. They also do not believe that Jesus is a person of the Triune God as well. Their actual belief is that the archangel Michael left heaven as Jesus, and then returned to heaven as Michael. In debating the Jehovah's Witnesses, I never found out if they believe Michael can interchange with the persona of Jesus and back to Michael after his supposed return to heaven. Is this true according to the Bible? Absolutely not!

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

    Remember earlier in this article that I stated that the word "kai" is also used in John 1:1 for was? The correct interpretation of John 1:1 is not that Jesus is God all by himself, but rather the correct translation would be, "was with God and was ALSO God." This should be the only proof of Jesus' divinity that I should have to point out, but to those skeptics out there, I will go beyond a shadow of a doubt. There are many references to Jesus' divinity and diety in the Bible, but the best example would have to be Collosians 2:8,9.....

Col 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. Col 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

    This pretty much states clearly that Jesus is a member of the eternal Godhead, along with the Father and Holy Spirit. When you look up the greek word "thiotes" for "Godhead" in Colossians 2:9, the definition in the greek NT lexicon is, "diety; in the state of being God." Therefore, this proves two things. The first is that in Jesus dwells the fulness of diety; in the state of being God bodily, and secondly, that those who do not agree with this are those in verse eight who have been spoiled through philosophy and vain deceit, after the traditions of men, and not after Christ. The Jehovah's Witnesses would definitely be in that group, since they believe that Jesus is not a person of God in contradiction to what the Bible actually states.

    Again from the website, "Because they (Adam and Eve) became disobedient, this couple failed to fill the earth with righteous families who would lovingly care for the earth and its plants and animals. But their failure does not make Jehovah's purpose fail. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the earth will remain forever and that all people, living and dead, who will fit in with Jehovah's purpose for a beautified, inhabited earth may live on it forever." They base this belief in Isaih 45:18 and Ecclesiastes 1:4....

Isa 45:18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.

Ecc 1:4 One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.

    The truth in these two verses is that the LORD did establish the earth, and that the earth will abide forever. What is interesting to note is that LORD all in caps like that refers to the Tetragrammon, or YHWH. From the Tetragrammon we get both Jehovah, and Yahweh. Jesus claimed to be the great I AM in John 8:58. What becomes a problem for the Jehovah's Witnesses here is that in Revelation another truth from the word of God contradicts this false belief of theirs....

Rev 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

    The truth is that while God established the earth, and while the earth endures forever, the old, flawed earth that Adam and Eve and their descendents did not keep up because of the fall will not endure forever. God's word clearly states that a new earth and new heaven will be created, because the old flawed earth and heaven will be done away with. When speaking about "heaven" here, we are not referring to God's dwelling place. The greek word for "heaven" is "ouranos" and means, "air, heaven ([-ly]), sky."
    A new earth replaces the old flawed earth, and a new atmosphere replaces the flawed old one. The reason why the earth is replaced is already explained, but the reason the atmosphere is replaced is not generally known. Here is the source....

Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

    What this means is that those who think Satan is the King of Hell are mistaken. Satan is actually the Prince and Power of the Air, and his abode is in earth's atmosphere. Think about that the next time you fly in an airplane.... So once again, this belief of the Jehovah's Witnesses is contradicted by the word of God.

    The Jehovah's Witnesses also believe that Christ is inferior to the Father. This belief comes from several verses which show Jesus as in submission to the Father, and yet other verses show the true diety of Christ. The previous proof about the true diety of Christ in this article proves that once again, the Jehovah's Witnesses are contradicted by the word of God. To bolster this belief, they believe that Christ was the first of God's creations. They back this up with the following verses.....

Col 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

Rev 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

    The problem with these two verses is that they do not state what the Jehovah's Witnesses believe...for example, they fail apparently to read the next two verses after Collosians 1:15.....

Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

    What this failure does is it skews their beliefs. Jesus is the image of the Invisable God; another proof of the diety of Christ. The greek word for "firstborn" is "prototokos", which means, "first born (usually as noun, literally or figuratively): - firstbegotten." What this means is that Jesus was begotten by the Father before anything else happened. What this does not mean is that Jesus was created. There is massive proof in the Old Testament that Jesus existed before He came to earth. 1 Timothy 6:16 proves that the Father cannot ever be seen of men....

1Ti 6:16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

    The reason that the Father cannot ever be seen of men is because of the Shekinah Glory that surrounds him. The third person of the Trinity also cannot ever be seen of men, as explained by Jesus Himself in John 3:8. Since neither the Father nor the Holy Spirit can be seen of men at any time, who is the LORD in the Old Testament who appears before several persons? This occurs in Genesis 3 when the LORD walks in the cool of the garden of Eden and talks to Adam and Eve, in Genesis 19 when the LORD appears to Abraham and Sarah in the plains of Mamre and walks, talks, and eats; and in Genesis 32 when the LORD wrestels with Jacob, and Jacob proclaims, "I have seen God and lived."
    There are other places when this occurs also. Since this cannot be the person of the Father, nor the person of the Holy Spirit, WHO is being seen in the Old Testament as the LORD (YHWH, or Jehovah, or Yahweh)??? Obviously the only person of the Trinity who can be seen of men is Jesus. So the person of God being seen in the Old Testament is the preincarnate Jesus, who existed before the foundation of the world, and who was begotten as the Son of God when He came to earth to dwell for 33 years as the Theanthropos, or God-Man. Once again, the Jehovah's Witnesses are contradicted by the word of God yet once again.
    What is also evident in Colossians 1:16 and 17 is that all things were created by Jesus, obviously more proof of the diety of Christ! Therefore, Jesus is the beginning of the creation of God, since Jesus as a person of the eternal Godhead even before his incarnation as Jesus created everything! Because of this, Jesus also has to be a person of God, and therefore more proof of the diety of Jesus Hebrews 1:1,2 also reveals that Jesus is the express image of God, more proof of Jesus' diety, and explaining more closely what is meant by the similar statement in Colossians 1:15.

    Jehovah's Witnesses also mistakenly believe that Jesus died on a stake, and not a cross. They back this belief up with Galatians 3:13 and Acts 5:30.....

Gal 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

Act 5:30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.

    While it is true that the greek word for "tree" (which is xulon) means "timber (as fuel or material); by implication a stick, club or tree or other wooden article or substance: - staff, stocks, tree, wood;" As I stated, this is true, but stake is not one of the definitions. What it does signify is that Jesus was not literally hung on a living tree, but was hung from something made of wood; and again stake is not one of the definitions. When we look further into the Bible, we discover other references....
    In the biblical references to "cross" in the Bible, the greek word for "cross" (which is stauros) also means wood, and does have a definition of stake (stake or post, a pole or cross). While this particular greek word does have stake as part of it's definition, this alone is not enough to suggest that Christ died on a stake instead of the cross. Even with the evidence of Galatians 3:13 and Acts 5:30, there simpy is not enough evidence to suggest anything, let alone any proof. When lack of biblical proof is not evident, then we must look to history to show us what form of capital punishment the Roman's used in crucifixion.
    In what remains of Roman history recorded in ancient times, we have evidence of crucifixions. According to the account of the Servile Rebellions (when Spartacus began a slave revolt) the slaves were crucified on what resembles exactly the cross of Christ all along the Appian way from the defeat of the slaves all the way to Rome. A book entitled, "Crime and Punishment in Ancient Rome," by Richard A. Bauman, roman crucifixions also resembled those to the cross of Christ.
    So, in actuality, whether you call the vertical wood a pole or a stake, the crossbeam that forms the cross is where the victim's hands were nailed to, making it a cross, regardless of whether the verticle wood is called a pole or a stake. Thus this also contradicts from history that Jesus was not crucified on a single pole called a stake. Once again, the Jehovah's Witnesses are contradicted, this time by ancient Roman history!

    The Jehovah's Witnesses also mistakenly believe that Christ was raised from the dead as a spirit person, and not with a body of glorified flesh and bone. They use 1 Peter 3:18, Romans 6:9, and Revelation 1:17,18 to supposedly back up this mistaken belief. Let's examine these verses one by one to see if this belief holds water.....

1Pe 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

    The only thing that this verse states is that Jesus was put to death in the flesh (while His spirit lived on in Paradise for three hebrew days) and that he was quickened (raised) by the Spirit. This does not signify that Jesus was raised AS a Spirt, but rather that Jesus was raised BY the Spirit of God. Not the Holy Spirit this time, but the Spirit of God, who is identified as the Father. See Romans 6:4 and Galatians 1:1 for biblical proof that the Father raised Christ from the dead....

Rom 6:9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

    Notice that this does not state that Christ was raised as a Spirit, but rather the statement here is that Christ being raised from the dead will die no more, since death has no dominion over Him. Why? Because He was raised as a Spirit? Ridiculous! Rather because Christ as a person of the eternal Godhead died only physically, and once being raised was given a body of glorified flesh and blood, and therefore cannot die any more again than any christian raised from the dead. Apparently the Jehovah's Witnesses believe that if Christ was raised from the dead with a body, this means to them that He would have to apparently die again because of the body. This of course is totally and patently absurd!

Rev 1:17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: Rev 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

    These verses state the same case as Romans 6:9, that Christ will die no more. It has nothing to do with whether or not Christ has a body or not. So far, the proof I've biblically shown is that these three sets of verses do not in any way state that Christ has no body. Rather, they are abused and twisted by the Jehovah's Witnesses to seem to make the case for Jesus not having a body, which is patently false. Is there evidence in the Bible of Jesus having a body after His resurrection? Absolutely!

Luk 24:3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.

    First of all, if the Jehovah's Witnesses are correct, and Jesus was not raised in a body, then why was the body of Jesus not found in the tomb?

Mat 28:9 And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.

    I ask you, does a spirit have feet that can be held by humans? No.

Joh 20:25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. Joh 20:26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Joh 20:27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. Joh 20:28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

    Does a Spirit have holes in His hands and a hole in his side that a person can put their fingers into? The answer is obviously no. Jesus had to have had a body after His resurrection in order for them to hold Him by the feet, in order to allow the disciples to put their fingers into the holes in His hands, and in order to put their hand in the wound at his side. There is another reference from the Bible that not only proves that Jesus was raised to a glorified body, but that we will be also...

1Co 15:42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 1Co 15:43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: 1Co 15:44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 1Co 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. 1Co 15:46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. 1Co 15:47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. 1Co 15:48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. 1Co 15:49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. 1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 1Co 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 1Co 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 1Co 15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 1Co 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 1Co 15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 1Co 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

    What this passage is stating is that while it is true that we are raised from the dead in the spirit, this is only true because our flawed bodies which contain sin returns to the dust which gave it; it is also true that we will receive glorified bodies just like Jesus' at a point after we reach heaven in the spirit (unless of course we are raptured bodily first).
    So how do I know that people will have glorified bodies in heaven?

Rev 22:1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. Rev 22:2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Rev 22:3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: Rev 22:4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. Rev 22:5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

    I simply ask you, what purpose would non-corporeal spirits have for a river to drink from, or fruits to eat from, or light to see by? Obviously then, because of the river, the fruits, and the light, we will have glorified bodies which will drink the water, eat the fruit, and see by the light of God. Once again the Jehovah's Witnesses are directly contradicted by the Bible.

    The Jehovah's Witnesses also believe that only 144,000 will actually make it to heaven and rule with God. There are two reasons why they believe this. First, they believe that the earth will last forever (the old earth, which is contradicted by the biblical verses that tell of the passing away of the old earth,and the creation of the new earth). They also believe this because they believe the 144,000 evangelists sealed in Revelation 7 will all be Jehovah's Witnesses....

Rev 7:4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

    Unfortunately for the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Bible makes it clear that the 144,000 will be exclusively the Children of Israel, or those of jewish extraction. The Bible, in continuing past Revelation 7:4, also reveals that this 144,000 will be made up of 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel. Last time I checked, most Jehovah's Witnesses are not jews, but this does not faze them; and they continue to believe that they will be one of the 144,000, even though there are far more than 144,000 Jehovah's Witnesses in the world. Again, the Bible directly contradicts their beliefs.

    The Jehovah's Witnesses also believe that hell is mankind's common grave. The reason for this is based on the definition of the word Hell. Hell is an english word, which was taken from a Danish word (hel) that means, "the grave". Unfortunately for the Jehovah's Witnesses, they take the english words far too literally. Since they use their (and other) english translations of the Holy Bible, they see Hell, define Hell by the Danish Hel, and mistakenly assume that the english word is the be all and end all for the definition of Hell.
    Taking english words literally can be very dangerous. Even taking the original greek words in the New Testament too literally can be dangerous. There are several greek words used for what the Bible states about what we have come to call Hell. Some of the greek words used for "hell" in the Bible are "Hades, Gehenna, and Tarterus." Gehenna is the greek word used for the english "hell" twelve times. Tarterus is only used once, in 2nd Peter 2:4. Hades is used used twelve times as well.
    So, if we were willing to get past the enlish definition of hell, and got stuck on taking the greek words too literally, what would we then believe Hell to be? Hades (Pluto for the Romans) is both the name of the pagan greek god of the Underworld, and the abode of the dead in Greek mythology; both the abode for the wicked and righteous dead. While this is not too far from the actual truth, Hades has many layers. One of those layers is called Tarterus, and another is called Gehenna. Of course, Hell does not literally refer to the grave anymore than Hades, Gehenna, and Tarterus point us to greek mythology for what "hell" actually is.
    To find the actual definition of what "hell" actually means, we must go to the Old Testament, and get the original Hebrew meaning. There are two hebew words used for "hell" in the Old Testament. One is almost exclusively used, while the other is only sporadically used. It is the almost exclusively used hebrew word we are looking at in this article. The hebrew word for "hell" is "sheol." Although Sheol is defined as "grave, hell, pit" in Strong's Concordance, this is a misnomer. To the jew, sheol is actually defined as the abode of the dead, both wicked and righteous. The wicked part which we call hell is the temporary abode of the wicked. The righteous part of sheol was called Paradise, and was the temporary abode of the righteous dead. Paradise is also known as Abram's Bosum. The third part of Sheol is a gulf fixed to prevent one side from crossing to the other, or vice versa.
    In Luke 16: 19-31, Jesus gives us a true glimpse of Sheol as the jews knew it to be defined. Notice that this passage is not defined as a parable, which the parables are preambled with the word parable, and neither is it a story. It is an actual glimpse into true Sheol from the person of God who created it! There is further proof of the truth of Sheol in Luke 23:39-42.....

Luk 23:39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. Luk 23:40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? Luk 23:41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. Luk 23:42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. Luk 23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

    Jesus is telling the malefactor that he will be with Jesus that day in Paradise, the second section of Sheol. I say that Paradise was a temporary abode of the righteous dead, because one of the things that Jesus did after being raised was to lead those in Paradise up to heaven. From that point on, those who die righteous go directly to heaven.....

Eph 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. Eph 4:9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? Eph 4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

    What this passage tells us is that first of all, after Jesus rose from the dead and ascended up to heaven, He led captivity captive, or those in Paradise to heaven. What this passage also tells us is where exactly Sheol is located, since Jesus descended to the depths of the earth. Therefore Sheol is located in the depths of this earth, giving God another reason to do away with this earth and to create a new earth once those in hell end up being cast into the Lake of Fire. When the Great Tribulation is over, and after the Millenial Reign of Christ, then the Great White Throne Judgement will take place. In Revelation 20:11-15, we learn that death and hell are cast into the Lake of Fire, the permanent abode of the wicked dead.
     Hell is comprised of all those who were in hell up to this point, and Death is comprised of all those who were physically alive but spiritually dead at the end of the Millenial Reign of Christ. Both are cast into the Lake of Fire, along with the Beast, the False Prophet, and eventually Satan also. Since Sheol at that point will be abandoned, then God has no need for the old earth any more at that point in time.

    Jehovah's Witnesses believe that one must keep from worldliness. While this is true, it is also true of most mainstream non-cult protestant denominations as well. My personal passage in the Bible has this same sentiment in it, as well as my desire to live as the first verse....

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

    God's will is that we be in the world, but not of the world. We are to be aliens and strangers, forced to live in this wicked world, but not to give in to worldliness. The Jehovah's Witnesses also have a cut and paste version of the Bible. As I previously stated, they have a real problem with many of the suggestions and commandments given by Paul from God. They have a huge problem with Paul in general, and so they do not actually believe that most of the epistles written by Paul are the word of God. Instead, they view these epistles as an apostasy that crept in to the first century church. Indeed, the Jehovah's Witnesses are a Restoration church, as are all of the christian cults.
    With that said, there is a true problem with a denomination claiming to be a Restoration Church. Part of this problem is the assumption of an apostasy (most claim that the roman church is that apostasy as well as Gnosticism which crept into the second century church). The Jehovah's Witnesses believe that most of the Pauline epistles also fall into this category. If an Apostacy did occur, and a Restoration did take place, then one very important thing happened that Jesus promised would never happen!

Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

    Most mainstream Protestant non-cult denominations agree that the Rock spoken of in this verse is not Peter himself, but rather the divine revelation given to Peter by God which allowed Peter to state who Christ truly was. For an apostasy to actually have happened in the past, then the gates of hell did in fact prevailed against the church built by Jesus Christ. This of course makes Jesus a liar as well. The simple truth is that no apostacy could actually occur as long as a remnant of the faithful remained. The history of the Church that Christ built shows such a remnant during the years of the Roman Catholic's Iron Rule over Europe until the Black Plague in part enabled the Protestant Reformation.
    Therefore, once again the Jehovah's Witnesses are contradicted directly by the Bible. Let's return to the pamphlet for a summarization of who the Jehovah's Witnesses are and are not.... In the pamplet, the Jehovah's Witnesses admit that a false religion is one that spreads false doctrine. As I have shown here, they are many times directly contradicted by God's word, the Holy Bible, from their false and mistaken beliefs. Therefore, by their own words, the Jehovah's Witnesses are a false church.
    Likewise, according to them, a true religion is one which practises love. Do they practise love? Maybe. Maybe not. The point is, practising love is not the only pointer to a true religion. According to the Jehovah's Witnesses, a true religion is one which trusts God's word, the Holy Bible. As I have shown, they do not trust a large portion of the New Testament written by Paul, and are directly contradicted by the Bible in their mistaken and false beliefs. Again, by their own defintion, the Jehovah's Witnesses are indeed a false church.
     So the Jehovah's Witnesses are a false church, along with some others. But what makes the Jehovah's Witnesses a cult? What makes them also a cult is the fact that the leadership tries to exert control over their congregations. One method they exercize control is by putting out their own english translation of the Bible, which differs greatly from some of the other accepted english translations. Another method they use to exercize control is that they publish a study guide which faithful members are to have side by side with the Bible, mainly to answer questions when the Bible seems to state something that is the opposite of their own beliefs. It is very hard to convert them because of this, since they will fall back on the study guide and sometimes their own Bible; making it difficult to get them to see the truth of the Bible.
    Another exercise of control is that they force members to go out and witness door to door. While this should be encouraged since we are in part responsible for fulfilling the Great Commision, it should not be enforced. Jesus said that if we know the truth, then the truth will make us free. And, he that is free, is free indeed. The Jehovah's Witnesses attempt not only to keep members from the actual truth of the Bible by snowballing them with their study guides and bogus Bible, but also by cutting out much of the Pauline epistles. So not only do they keep members from being free, they put members into a bondage by enforcing their strict measures. Therefore, they are more than just a false religion. They are also a cult because of the undo extreme pressure put on them by the leadership in the Watchtower Society.
    I am occaisionally asked if it is possible that members of a cult could possibly be saved. My response is always that if they are saved, it is totally due to them being saved despite their false doctrine. For them to be saved, they would have to seek the truth of the word of God, and to become saved in direct contradiction to their own beliefs coming down he pike from their false leadership.
    With these things in mind, my advice for witnessing and/or debating a Jehovah's Witness is to continue to focus on the verses which prove the diety of Christ (John 1:1-3,14, Phillipians 2:6, Hebrews 1:1,2 and especially Collosians 2:9 with the proper definition of Thiotes). If you can get them to agree with you about the diety of Christ, then more than half of the battle is won in leading them to the Lord. However, what I've noticed about those in false churches and cults is that they are the second group of people who rather than finding the truth of the Bible and molding their lives around the biblical truths, they instead decide which beliefs and lifestyle they wish to live in direct contradiction to the word of God, and so even if you prove them wrong in the Bible, they will either continue to disagree, or worse, attack you the messenger because they can no longer attack the message that you have proven is true and makes their beliefs false.
    Second John 1:9-11 has an explicit warning not to allow Jehovah's Witnesses into your home, as well as other false and/or cult church members.....

2Jo 1:9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 2Jo 1:10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: 2Jo 1:11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

    Therefore, you should not let them in your house. I debate with them from my front door, and do not allow them inside the house. Jehovah's Witnesses are also notorious for saying, "Have a nice day," or something similar when they leave. This could very possibly fall under bidding them God Speed if you are not careful to not say the same thing back. When they say, "Have a nice day, " or "God bless you," or something similar upon leaving, I have been known to say in return, "I wish you the most horrible day, and pray that God turns you every which way but loose until you come to the excellent knowledge of Christ Jesus unto true salvation."
    Why am I willing to go to these lengths? Because of Ezekial 3:17-19.....

Eze 3:17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. Eze 3:18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Eze 3:19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

    That, and because someone loved me enough to lead me to the Lord despite all my flawed understanding of what the Bible was and was not. I would hope that I would love them enough to do the same.