History Of The Watch Tower
One of the most aggressive and fastest growing cults is the Jehovahs Witnesses. Today they have a worldwide organization that numbers about 3.5 million members operating in 205 countries. Several factors account for this rapid growth. The first is their zealous door-to-door evangelism. Second, we Christians have failed to make a solid defense of our faith against their attacks when they have come to our door. The result is the Witnesses continue unchallenged in the propagation of their organization and deceive many. Third, the rise of the cults are a fulfillment of the prophetic warnings given by Jesus and the Apostles.
In this essay I want to look at the beliefs of the Witnesses and then give the reader practical witnessing strategies. The history of the Jehovahs Witnesses begins with the founder of the organization Charles Taze Russell. He was a member of the Congregational Church who came to reject the doctrine of hell and eternal punishment. In 1870, with no formal education, he began a Bible society which eventually named him pastor. In 1884, he founded Zions Watchtower and Tract Society in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which is now the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. Since then they have mushroomed into an organization which produces more literature in one year than the Christian and Catholic churches combined. And, of all the cults, their missionary forces are the most well trained in evangelism.
When Were The Jehovahs Witnesses Founded
Jehovahs Witnesses got their start in 1870 when a man named Charles Taze Russell started leading Bible studies in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Jehovahs Witnesses movement came out of the Bible Student movement, which was also founded by Taze. When Taze began disputing some of the traditional views within Christianity, the Jehovahs Witnesses were born.
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Death Heaven And Hell
Jehovahs Witnesses believe that when a person dies, their existence completely stops.
This is because the Bible makes it clear that human beings do not have an immortal soul that survives when the body dies.
The living are conscious that they will die but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all for there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in , the place to which you are going.
Ecclesiastes 9: 5, 10
Witnesses believe that Hell does not exist. There is no place where sinners are tormented after death since their existence is over, nothing can be done to them or for them. Witnesses also argue that it would be completely against Gods nature to torture humans for eternity.
However, death is not the end of everything: each person can be remembered by God and eventually be resurrected.
Witnesses say that this is clearly stated by Jesus:
The hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear voice and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment.
John 5:28-29
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How Different Is The Jehovah Witness Bible
Christian Bible vs Jehovah Witness Bible The difference between Christian Bible and Jehovahs Witness Bible is that the latter uses New World Translation to define God, which is not the case with the Christian Bible. Jehovahs Witness Bible is inspired by the New World Translation.
Do Jehovah Witnesses use KJV Bible?
The sanctified substance of the Witnesses of Jehovah is the NWT of the Holy Scriptures, a Christian Bible interpretation. The NWT is used only by the Witnesses of Jehovah. Under the reign of King James I, the King James Version was commissioned and circulated.
Have Jehovahs Witnesses Changed The Bible To Fit Their Beliefs
No, we havent. On the contrary, when we have discovered that our beliefs were not completely in line with the Bible, we have changed our beliefs.
Long before we started producing the New World Translationof the Holy Scriptures in 1950, we examined the Bible. We used whatever translation was available and formed our beliefs accordingly. Consider a few examples of long-standing beliefs of Jehovahs Witnesses, and decide for yourself whether they match what the Bible really teaches.
What we believe: God is not a Trinity. The July 1882 issue of Zions Watch Tower said: Our readers are aware that while we believe in Jehovah and Jesus, and the holy Spirit, we reject as totally unscriptural, the teaching that these are three Gods in one person or, as some put it, one God in three persons.
What the Bible says: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah. There is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we unto him and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. Jesus himself stated: The Father is greater than I.John 14:28, Douay-Rheims Version.
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Do Jehovah Witnesses Have A Separate Bible
Jehovahs Witnesses believe the Bible was inspired by God and is historically accurate. The Witnesses have their own translation of the Bible the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. They refer to the New Testament as the Christian Greek Scriptures, and they call the Old Testament the Hebrew Scriptures.
Who does the Jehovah Witness worship?
Witnesses use the name Jehovah rather than God, and they focus their worship on Jehovah rather than on Jesus, whom they believe was Jehovahs only direct creation. The Holy Spirit is believed to be a force rather than a person.
Is Jehovahs Witness a true religion?
Jehovahs Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in evangelism and an annual Memorial attendance of over 17 million.
Do Jehovah Witnesses have funerals?
The Jehovahs Witnesses funeral service is similar to other Christian faiths but lasts only 15 or 30 minutes. The funeral usually takes place within a week after death. Services take place in a funeral home or Kingdom Hall, the Jehovahs Witnesses place of worship. There may or may not be an open casket.
Four Examples Of Where The New World Translation Gets It Wrong
December 21, 2015 By Rob Phillips
This is the last in a three-part series on Jehovahs Witnesses
Jehovahs Witnesses regard The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures as an accurate, easy-to-read translation of the Bible . What many dont realize is that four of the five men on the translation committee producing the complete 1961 edition had no Hebrew or Greek training whatsoever.
The fifth, who claimed to know both languages, failed a simple Hebrew test while under oath in a Scottish court.
What all this means is that the Watch Towers official version of the Bible is an incredibly biased translation, writes Ron Rhodes in Reasoning from the Scriptures with Jehovahs Witnesses.
British scholar H.H. Rowley calls it a shining example of how the Bible should not be translated, classifying the text as an insult to the Word of God.
Revisions in 1984 and 2013 have not improved the translation.
So, whats wrong with the NWT? In a phrase, the translators consistently have sought to conform the text to Watch Tower theology, particularly with respect to the person and work of Christ.
A few examples should make this clear.
Jesus as a godJohn 1:1
In truth, as the late professor and dean Charles L. Feinberg noted, I can assure you that the rendering which the Jehovahs Witnesses give John 1:1 is not held by any reputable Greek scholar.
Jesus not eternalJohn 8:58
Compare the KJV: Jesus said to them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
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Things Everyone Should Know About Jehovahs Witnesses And Their Beliefs
1. When were the Jehovahs Witnesses founded?
Jehovahs Witnesses got their start in 1870 when a man named Charles Taze Russell started leading Bible studies in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Jehovahs Witnesses movement came out of the Bible Student movement, which was also founded by Taze. When Taze began disputing some of the traditional views within Christianity, the Jehovahs Witnesses were born.
2. Where did Jehovahs Witnesses get their name?
Jehovahs Witnesses focus on God the Father, so their name is taken from the Tetragrammaton, written as YHWH or JHVH and articulated either as Yahweh or Jehovah. The group was originally called the Watch Tower Society because founder Charles Taze Russell published a magazine called Zions Watch Tower and Herald of Christs Presence.
3. Do Jehovahs Witnesses use the same Bible as Christians?
Jehovahs Witnesses use a Bible translation called the New World Translation. Before this translation was released specifically by and for Jehovahs Witnesses, most relied on the King James Version. According to TowerWatch.com:
The New World Translation of the Bible is Jehovahs Witnesses own translation, no other religious group uses this Bible and Jehovahs Witnesses make very little use of other Bibles.
The translators of The New World Translation were: Nathan Knorr, Albert Schroeder, George Gangas, Fred Franz, M. Henschel.
4. Do Jehovahs Witnesses believe in the Trinity?
5. What do Jehovahs Witnesses teach about Jesus?
What Is Jehovah Witness Bible
Jehovah is believed to be Gods other name by the believers. It is said that this name has appeared more than 7,000 times in the Old Testaments.
Jehovah is considered the father of Jesus, who was later helped by his son, to create a world of biodiversity over a long duration.
According to this Bible, Jesus Christ, the Earths savior, now sits on the right hand of his father in heaven. When it comes to Satan and the existence of demons, witnesses think that once the Satan himself was an angel.
Overshadowed by the darkness, Satan rebelled against Jehovah with support from other angels, who are now considered demons.
According to the Witnesses, the world will be turned into a global garden of Eden soon. From the perspective of Witnesses, life is a sacred gift from their God, Jehovah.
He is presumed to restore the world to a place that will lie in peace and fraternity. Witnesses also believe that as soon as a living body dies, its soul is sent to Gods memory.
They also assume that if a person dies under unordinary circumstances, he/she gets reincarnated to eternal life in a paradise.
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Are Jehovahs Witnesses The True Religion
Jehovahs Witnesses identify as Christians, but their beliefs are different from other Christians in some ways. And most Jehovahs Witnesses say their religion is the one true faith leading to eternal life only about three-in-ten U.S. Christians believe this about their own religious faith.
What Bible do the Jehovah Witnesses use?
Jehovahs Witnesses use a Bible translation called the New World Translation. Before this translation was released specifically by and for Jehovahs Witnesses, most relied on the King James Version.
What Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Teach About Jesus
Jehovah‘s Witnesses believe that Jesus is not equal with God. They teach that Jesus was created by God and not coexistent wth Him. This, of course, is a major diversion from orthodox Christianity. JW.org explains, “e take Jesus at his word when he said: ‘The Father is greater than I am.’ So we do not worship Jesus, as we do not believe that he is Almighty God.”
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Is The Jehovahs Witness Bible Accurate
The Bible. Jehovahs Witnesses believe the Bible was inspired by God and is historically accurate. They see the Bible as the main way in which God communicates his will to human beings, and they interpret it literally .
Do Jehovahs Witnesses have their own Bible?
Jehovahs Witnesses might have their own bible but its not altogether accurate, Jehovah is inserted more often than it is found in ancient manuscripts, its no more clear than many other bibles, and its distribution as being free of charge is a recent phenomenon.
Excerpts From An Email Exchange I Had With A Jehovah’s Witness Over A Period Of Severalmonths
Watchtower Society interchange: Recently a member of the Jehovah’sWitnesses initiated an exchange of email messages about beliefs and doctrines. Here arequestions he asked and responses I gave. These pages are like a blog of our conversations.
One of the sad things about our email conversation is that my Jehovah’sWitness friend rarely asked me a follow-up question. He would ask me a question and I wouldanswer. Without responding to what I wrote either to ask for clarification or rebut what I wrote,he would then ask a question on a different topic. Thus, we had very few real “conversations” inwhich we discussed anything in-depth. I felt like he was trying to find a question that I could noanswer and therefore would have to admit that the Jehovah’s Witnesses are right and every otherChrist-follower is wrong. Winning an argument seemed more important than followingJesus.
“As usual, Paul entered there and . . . discussed the Scriptures with them.” –Acts 17:2
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A History Of Persecution
Jehovahs Witnesses have no political affiliations, and they renounce violence. However, they make an easy target for governments looking for internal enemies, as they refuse to bow down to government symbols. Many nationalists call them enemies of the state.
As a result, they have often suffered persecution throughout history in many parts of the world.
Jehovahs Witnesses were jailed as draft evaders in the U.S. during both world wars. In a Supreme Court ruling in 1940, school districts were allowed to expel Jehovahs Witnesses who refused to salute the American flag. Through subsequent legal battles in the 1940s and 1950s, Jehovah Witnesses helped expand safeguards for religious liberty and freedom of conscience both in the United States and Europe.
In Nazi Germany, Jehovahs Witnesses were killed in concentration camps a purple triangle was used by the Nazis to mark them. In the 1960s and 70s, scores of African Jehovahs Witnesses were slaughtered by members of The Youth League of the Malawi Congress Party for refusing to support dictator Hastings Banda. Many Witnesses fled to neighboring Mozambique, where they were held in internment camps.
Now it is Russia.
The Russian Supreme Court maintains that the country needs to be protected from disloyal religious fanatics.
Their memories of persecution have not faded with time.
Is The Jehovah Witness Bible The Same As The King James Version
The King James Bible is the Church of Englands view of the Holy Bible. The sanctified substance of the Witnesses of Jehovah is the NWT of the Holy Scriptures, a Christian Bible interpretation. The NWT is used only by the Witnesses of Jehovah.
Which Bible version do Jehovah Witnesses use?
The New Testament portion was released in 1950, as The New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures, with the complete Bible released in 1961 it is used and distributed by Jehovahs Witnesses.
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What Version Of The Bible Do Jw Use
the New World TranslationDo Jehovahs Witnesses use the same Bible as Christians? Jehovahs Witnesses use a Bible translation called the New World Translation. Before this translation was released specifically by and for Jehovahs Witnesses, most relied on the King James Version.
What version of the Bible do the Jehovah Witnesses use?
What does the Bible say about Jehovahs Witness?
The Jehovahs Witnesses say eating blood is wrong under any circumstances, even in emergency situations. 1 Samuel 14:31-35. Blood has symbolic meaning in the Bible and represents life. The Bible says that Gods people could kill animals for food but they were not to eat the blood.
Do Jehovah Witness have a different Bible?
Jehovahs Witnesses have used many different translations in their study of the Bible. In languages where it is available, though, we especially appreciate the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures for its use of Gods name, for its accuracy, and for its clarity.
What are the duties of a Jehovahs Witness?
Jehovahs Witnesses are best known for their door-to-door preaching, distributing literature such as The Watchtowerand Awake!, and for refusing military serviceand blood transfusions. They consider the use of Gods namevital for proper worship.
How Did The Jehovahs Witnesses Begin
Jehovahs Witnesses originated in the United States in the latter half of the 19th century with the teachings of Charles Taze Russell . In the early 1870s, Russell established a Bible study movement which heralded the International Bible Students Association in his home town of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
This was a Bible study group in the Adventist tradition, although Russell claimed never to have been an Adventist and was not a part of Ellen G. Whites Seventh-day Adventist tradition.
In 1879, Russell published the magazine Zions Watch Tower and Herald of Christs Presence, which would become the Jehovahs Witnesses main publication, The Watchtower. In the early 1880s, Russell established the Zions Watch Tower Tract Society.
In 1909, the headquarters moved from Pittsburgh to Brooklyn, New York, where it remained until it moved to Warwick, New York, in 2017.
Russell was succeeded by a lawyer, Joseph Franklin Rutherford , who became the second president of the Watch Tower Society and who coined the name Jehovahs Witnesses in 1931. Rutherford introduced many of the distinctive features of JWs including the acceleration of house-to-house evangelism, not participating in politics and military service, and not celebrating Christmas.
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What Bible Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Use
Jehovah’s Witnesses prefer to use the New World Translation of the Bible…. read more
The New Testament portion was released in 1950, as The New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures, with the complete Bible released in 1961 it is used and distributed by Jehovah’s Witnesses…. read more
The Witnesses have their own translation of the Bible – the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. They refer to the ‘New Testament’ as the Christian Greek Scriptures, and they call the ‘Old Testament’ the Hebrew Scriptures…. continue reading
The story of Jehovah’s Witnesses begins in the late 19th century near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with a group of students studying the Bible. The group was led by Charles Taze Russell, a religious seeker from a Presbyterian background…. continue reading