Examining Watchtower basic Teaching - #4 Who is Jesus Christ?

What Does the Bible Really Teach?

Chapter 4 -- Who is Jesus Christ?
The book says: 

It is important to know Jesus Christ and whether he was just a man, or a prophet, or God, as some say. Why? Quoting the Bible the book says “This means everlasting life, their coming to know you, the only true God and the one whom you sent Jesus Christ”. Then, in the very next sentence, the Watchtower writers say this promises “everlasting life on a paradise earth”.  

The Bible foretold the coming of a Messiah or Christ -- the “anointed one”. According to the NT accounts, the disciples of Jesus recognised him as the Christ, promised by God in the OT. 

While baptising Jesus, John saw a sign from heaven, indicating that this was the Messiah. The booklet says that, on “that day, Jesus became the Messiah”. 

Jesus came from heaven. “He is called “the firstborn of all creation” for he was God’s first creation”. “Jesus is also the only one whom God used when He created all other things”. Jesus is called “the Word”. 

Jesus is not equal to God because he was created. The Son is “the image of the invisible God”. The heavenly Son’s life was transferred into the womb of a Jewish virgin named Mary and he was born as a human on earth. The Gospels tell us about Jesus, his teachings and his works on earth. “Under the power of God’s spirit”, he performed miracles of healing.  

Jesus died “nailed to a stake…… on the third day after Jesus died, his heavenly Father resurrected him back to spirit life”. Jesus’ death opened the way for us to have eternal life on a paradise earth.

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My response:

There are some serious differences from Christian teaching in this chapter, but a newcomer to the Bible would not know that. If you had actually read the NT, you would perceive some of the error of Jehovah’s Witnesses. I shall direct you to several passages which will let you decide for yourself who is telling the truth. 

You will have to make up your own mind whether the prophecies concerning Jesus are true. By reading the Gospels alone, you will probably see that this Jesus is a very special and unusual character. If the testimony of many witnesses is true about his teaching and the miracles he performed, even raising the dead, he is certainly the promised Christ - even God in the flesh - and not “just a man” as the Watchtower teaches.  

I have shown you one example already of the Watchtower adding to the Bible’s message. It also changes the Bible, as you will now see.  

The Watchtower Society publishes its own version of the Bible, the New World Translation, to fit in with its doctrines. As we saw earlier, the “name” Jehovah has been added to the NT 237 times, replacing the Greek word for “Lord”.  

Look at Matthew’s gospel and read the first few complete chapters. These tell the story of Jesus’ birth.
Notice especially Matthew 1:23 (I am using the Watchtower’s own literal Greek to English version again):  

“Look! The virgin in belly will have and will give birth to son and they will call the name of him Immanuel; which is being translated With us the God”.   (this is a prophecy from Isaiah 7:14).

 

Now look at Luke’s version and read the first few chapters. You will see that Jesus’ birth is announced by angels to shepherds. Notice in chapter 2 v11 it says,  

“because was born to you today Saviour who is Christ Lord in city of David” .

 

So, on the day of his birth, Jesus was the Christ and not, as the Watchtower teaches, 30 years later, on the day of his baptism. 

If that is not bad enough, the next few paragraphs completely change what the Bible says (“God‘s Word“ say the Watchtower leaders).  

Look at Colossians. Read Chapter 1 especially from verses 13-20.
In the Watchtower’s New World Translation, there are brackets around the word “other”, indicating a “clarification” (change!), but in their latest, Revised edition, these brackets have been removed, leaving the added word “other” in the text. 

Reading from verse 15:

 

“who is image of the God the invisible firstborn of all creation [16] because in him it was created all in the heavens and upon the earth the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or lordships or governments or authorities; the all through him and into him it has been created; [17] and he is before all and the all in him it has stood together”.

 

So, ALL things were created by Jesus, not just “all [other] things”. And he WAS (he existed) "before all".

 

Notice another important point: the word “firstborn” is a title referring to inheritance. It does not mean “the first child born”. We know this because several Bible characters who were definitely not the oldest child were called “the firstborn”, King David, Jacob and Joseph among them. So, why do the Watchtower leaders link “firstborn” and “first creation”? 

Now look at John’s gospel, the very first verse. Here is another example of deliberate mistranslation by Watchtower leaders. Their version of John 1:1 reads “the Word was a god”. Compare the literal text:

 

“In beginning was the Word and the Word was toward the God and God was the Word”.

 

Why have they changed this? 

Watchtower leaders teach that Jesus died on a “torture stake”, not a cross. We shall return to this later, but if you are still asking questions and using Google, it should be easy for you to find out about the Romans’ preferred method of execution of criminals. 

Jesus was resurrected. This is a key teaching of Christianity. But who resurrected him? Look at John chapter 2. Read the whole chapter, but especially verses 19-21:

 

“Answered Jesus and said to them, Loose you the divine habitation this, and in three days I shall raise up it. [20] Said therefore the Jews, Forty and six to years was built the divine habitation this, and you in three days will raise up it? [21] That but was saying about the divine habitation of the body of him”.

 

So, Jesus raised himself, his own body, from the dead which isn’t really difficult to understand, if we accept that he is more than “just a man” or in fact, God in man, Immanuel. This also helps us understand how Jesus could perform miracles. 

Again, the Chapter ends with the promise of life on a paradise earth, but there are conditions attached to this Watchtower promise.


Further reading:
A Very Short Introduction: Jesus by Richard Baukham (Oxford University Press)

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Examinng Watchtower Basic Teaching - #3 What is God's Purpose for the Earth?

What Does the Bible Really Teach?  (according to Jehovah's Witnesses)

Chapter 3 -- What is God’s Purpose for the Earth?
The book says:

God wants the whole earth to be like the Garden of Eden, filled with happy, healthy people. That was God’s purpose from the beginning. If you doubt that, be assured it is promised in the Bible.  

The earth is not perfect today because an angel, Satan, rebelled against God. God did not make the Devil. He became the Devil by his defiance of God. Satan is the serpent person who talked to Eve. As a result of disobeying God, Adam and Eve died, but not before having children who were born into sin, passing on death and imperfection. 

Satan started a rebellion in heaven, but God did not kill the rebels at once. He wanted everyone to see that life without God’s rule can only be unhappy. So, in His perfect justice and wisdom, He has allowed Satan to rule the earth these last 6,000 years. That’s why we have disease, wars, injustice, death, crime, violence, poverty, starvation, global disasters and so on. It’s all about “God’s name” being vindicated. 

You have a choice now; you can take “Jehovah’s side in answer to Satan‘s challenge” showing that you prefer His rule.   

Satan is “the ruler of the world”. That’s why it is full of evil. If he was not, how could he offer Jesus all its kingdoms in return for an act of worship? 

The world is getting more wicked every day. It is beyond reform. “The time is near when God will eliminate the wicked world during his war of Armageddon. This will make way for a righteous new world” ruled by Jesus. “Soon, God’s kingdom will remove all the governments of this world”, then there will be a paradise. 

We have to “qualify” for life in the “new earth”, which is a society of Jehovah’s worshippers. Everything will be wonderful - all the horrors of this world will be gone and there will be an abundance of food and peace between all people and animals. There will be a resurrection to life of our dead loved ones. You will be there too, if “you choose to learn about Jehovah”.  

“It was to the coming paradise on earth that Jesus pointed when he promised the criminal who died alongside him, “You will be with me in Paradise” , so “it is vital that we learn more about Jesus”.

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If the Genesis account is literally true, then we have answers to our origins. We also have someone to blame for all the problems of this world. That gives us a convenient, black and white explanation for everything. The Genesis account has also given men throughout history “permission” to treat women as inferior because Eve was deceived. 

Many people question why a loving, all-powerful, all-wise, just God would allow humankind to suffer, as it has done for thousands of years. This is “the problem of evil”, a huge philosophical question which it is impossible to answer satisfactorily. 

Some people would say it’s okay - God made us, so He can do as He pleases, but Christian philosophers and thinkers ask, “How can any reasoning, compassionate person justify 6,000 years of “short, brutish life” on earth?” If they were told by Jehovah’s Witnesses that it’s about vindicating God’s name, would they consider that a satisfactory answer? 

As proof that Satan rules this world, the Watchtower says that he offered Jesus Christ the kingdoms of this world. Satan was a liar in the beginning. So, were the kingdoms his to offer? 

All the problems of the world will be solved “soon” at Armageddon. Jehovah’s Witnesses have been preaching “Armageddon soon” for over 130 years. They instil in their followers a sense of urgency, keeping them busy, attending meetings, studying, preaching. Time passes and the promised end does not come.  

It is a carrot on a stick and the carrot has been offered to you already. IF you keep learning, you will survive Armageddon with Jehovah’s Witnesses. Only “Jehovah’s worshippers” will be there. 

This “paradise earth” comes at a price which is glossed over somewhat by the Watchtower teachers. As a new disciple, you are not quite ready for the whole, brutal truth.  

If you are to enjoy a wonderful life on a paradise earth, how will that be achieved exactly? Well, ask yourself, how many of “Jehovah’s worshippers” are there on earth today? And what is the population of our planet? So, what will happen to seven billion people so that you can have your paradise? It would appear that the “loving God” will massacre them to “save his people”, just as he slaughtered millions of people and animals in “a global flood”, if Genesis is literally true. 

Finally, another scripture is quoted as a proof text, but notice what the Bible actually says in Luke 23:42-43 (reading from the literal Greek) –

“And he was saying Jesus remember me whenever you might come into the kingdom of you [43] And he said to him Amen to you I am saying today with me you will be in the paradise”.

 

“Amen to you” is written “Truly I tell you” in modern language Bibles. This expression is used many times by Jesus. In every case in the New World Translation, there is a comma after “you”, but in this one instance, they do not insert the comma until after “today“, so that it is included in the phrase i.e. “Truly I tell you today (comma).....”. Why?  

If you remove the comma (which would not be in Greek text) how does it change the meaning? Ask yourself “Where was Jesus that very day, when he died?”. You will find out more of this in our discussion of Chapter 4.

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Examing Watchtower Basic Teaching - #2 The Bible - a Book from God

What Does the Bible Really Teach? (according to Jehovah's Witnesses)

Chapter  2 -- The Bible -- a Book from God -- tells us: 

The Bible is a gift from God and is the world’s best-selling book. It tells us things we could not otherwise know. Although it was written by men, they were inspired by God to write the things they did. The Bible is harmonious, historically reliable, scientifically accurate and full of practical wisdom for work, family life and other relationships. It is full of prophecy, “many of which have already been fulfilled”. Examples are given. “Show your gratitude for this divine gift by continuing to peer into it“.

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Firstly, I do not recommend any particular Bible translation, but an excellent resource is www.biblegateway.com which provides many translations. This allows for comparison. You will notice that the Watchtower's New World Translation is not included because it is not recognized as a Bible, but rather, a version of the Bible, written to promote the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses. Before their NWT was published in the 1950s, the Watchtower used the New American Version and the King James Version for most of their quotations.
Looking now at the teaching book, it is a matter of opinion and faith whether the Bible is from God. Many people would disagree. Since we cannot know about certain things, we have to take the Bible writers’ word for it. 

While the Bible mentions the fall of Babylon and Jerusalem, many other accounts which Jehovah’s Witnesses call “historical” cannot be verified. In this case, Jehovah’s Witnesses (and some Christians) prefer to believe the Bible in preference to historians, scientists or archaeologists. However, when “worldly scholars“ agree with them, confirming their biases, the Watchtower leaders will gladly quote them. 

Bible accounts, particularly in the OT, are sketchy, repetitive and have the sound of folklore, rather than historical fact. The Witnesses accept the Bible as literal truth, whereas many Christians believe that some accounts are clearly allegorical or myths. This does not diminish the truth of the Bible for Christians or its usefulness for teaching us many important things, just as we can find many useful lessons in fiction or fables. 

After reading the OT, decide for yourself if the stories of Genesis and Exodus are intended to be read literally.

As for its scientific accuracy, many people would question the Creation account and the possibility of a flood and its survival, as described in Genesis. The Witnesses insist that this flood was not local, but global. Notice that there are several flood accounts which pre-date the biblical flood of Genesis – e.g. the Gilgamesh Epic.

The fact that Jesus Christ referred to these, does not prove that they literally happened. It simply means that he knew the stories. He understood that lessons could be learned from them. While reading these stories yourself, it would be a good place to ask questions! 

As for Bible prophecies, many people question their veracity. Predictions of the future are usually obscure and ambiguous and sometimes, prophecy is written after the event, which is a convenient way to guarantee accuracy! 

Most of the OT was written hundreds of years after the events while the Jews were in captive exile in Babylon and the NT was written about 50 years after the events described.

Jehovah’s Witnesses have had an unfortunate record of predicting the “end of the world” on several occasions. As you will have observed, “the end” did not come. 

This matter of false predictions by Jehovah’s Witnesses is one of those details that you might never learn about, until you are well along in your relationship with the Watchtower organisation. 

You will see a serious example of deceit in Chapter 4.


Further reading:
The Bible -- a Biography and A Short History of Myth : both by Karen Armstrong

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Examining Watchtower Basic Teachings - #1 What is the Truth about God?

Before reading this series, read my article “If you Study the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses”. That article helped many people decide against further contact with Jehovah’s Witnesses.

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Examining “What does the Bible Really Teach?” (according to Jehovah's Witnesses) 

The Introduction 

The introduction begins in the same way that Jehovah’s Witnesses are trained to start conversations; by mentioning doom and gloom and all the troubles of our planet. After agreeing that this world is a terrible place, we are told that all life’s ailments - death, illness, disabilities, sickness, poverty - will be removed from the human condition. The Bible has the answers to all our problems.  

The “question and answer” teaching method is introduced.  

There is encouragement to “get to know your Bible” by reading its 66 books and letters.

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For many years, the Watchtower organisation had a scrolling message on its Brooklyn headquarters; “Read God’s Word, the Bible, Daily”. That is commendable, but in practice, Jehovah’s Witnesses advise against reading the Bible unless the Watchtower Society’s publications are used to interpret it.

 If you read the Bible, you will probably become a Christian. This happened to some Jehovah’s Witnesses, who began reading the Bible, instead of “The Watchtower”, after being challenged to do so by Christians. It is impossible to read the Bible alone and adopt the beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses. 

If you read Watchtower publications, you will become a Jehovah’s Witness. No surprise really.

 Notice the number of times in the booklet that isolated verses are used to “prove” a point. Critics of the Bible say that one can find a verse to prove anything - e.g. much of the justification for slavery in the Americas came from Bible texts.  

The Bible is not the only source of wisdom. Even works of fiction have wise sayings in them - e.g “There are no conditions of life to which a man cannot get accustomed, especially if he sees them accepted by everyone about him”. That is a wise and useful saying, is it not? It comes from Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina”.  Or “Uneasy is the head that wears a crown” (Henry IV part 2 - Shakespeare). There are many more. 

So, rather than use the Bible as a means to confirm your own biases, read it like a book or letter and its message will come through to you. Start with the NT which tells us about Jesus Christ.

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Chapter 1 - What is the Truth about God? (according to Jehovah's Witnesses)
The book says;

We are encouraged to ask questions, like a child does. All the answers we need are in the Bible. We are assured that God cares for us, despite all the problems in this world. Although He allows terrible things to happen, they are not caused by God.  

An illustration is used of a father and a “rebellious” son who wants to leave home. “If he pursues a bad way of life and gets into trouble, is the father the cause of his son‘s problems? No!“ Similarly, God has not prevented humankind from pursuing its own bad course, but it would be unfair to blame God for the bad outcomes. God is all-wise and all-powerful, so he does not need to explain himself to us, but He does, out of love. God hates things as they are on earth. He cares for us because He is a loving God.  

God wants us to know Him, so he tells us his name is Jehovah. He is the Almighty King of Eternity and the Creator. We know this because the Bible tells us so. Although he is indeed awesome, we can get to know God intimately as a loving, wonderful Father and friend who wants the very best for us. 

Do not let anyone discourage you from your studies. Be like a little child. Ask lots of questions. Be eager to examine the Bible.

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Indeed, it is essential to ask questions when we are presented with new ideas, but they have to be the right questions. If we ask questions which confirm our own beliefs or biases, then we are not really examining our subject.  

Try making a Google Search for these questions; “How we know God exists“ and “Is there a God?”. You will find very different answers!  

As you continue studying with Jehovah’s Witnesses, you will find them asking you leading questions more and more, so that there is really only one answer to the question. That will mean agreeing with your Watchtower teacher. It is a subtle form of mind control. If you say “Yes” to a salesman often enough, you will buy the product. 

The illustration of the father and son is unsound. Comparing one human relationship is not at all comparable with God’s relationship to humankind. A father may do his best for his children within his human limitations and resources, but we are told that God is almighty, all-knowing, all-powerful. Therefore, God must bear greater responsibility for the disastrous conditions of this world during the last few thousand years. This is “the problem of evil” that philosophers raise when asking if God exists.  

We ourselves would do something about terrible conditions if we had the power, so it is an evasion of the issue to say that “God has his reasons”. Later, your Jehovah’s Witness teacher will tell you some very selfish reasons why God has done nothing! 

The Witnesses and the Watchtower like the name “Jehovah” and use it all the time. They have made "adjustments" to their New World Translation Bible to include “the name” in the Old Testament and the New. While inclusion may be justified in the OT, it is a deliberate mistranslation to change the Greek word KYRIOS (Lord) and insert “Jehovah”, 237 times in the NT.  

The word “Jehovah” is an anglicised, made-up name. It might be acceptable to call God “Yahweh”, but even that is incorrect. Hebrew was written without vowels, so we cannot know the correct pronunciation. 

Jehovah’s Witnesses say that it is more important to use “the name”, but their insistence is based on superstition and a desire to separate themselves from main-stream Christianity (Christendom).

As they themselves say, “If someone comes to you, talking about “Jehovah”, with what religion would you identify them?” Now, let me ask you, “If someone talks to you about Jesus, what would you call them?”

In the penultimate paragraph, you are warned not to let people prevent you studying with Jehovah’s Witnesses. This one sentence will start a separation of you from your friends and loved ones, who will be rightly concerned by your involvement with this religion. This is cult, “them and us”, mentality.

 If you continue studying, without asking Jehovah’s Witnesses penetrating questions about everything you are taught, in a few months’ time, you will not be talking to your present friends and you will become alienated from your family.

Further Reading:   A History of God -- Karen Armstrong

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Examining Watchtower Basic Teachings -- Introducing the Series

This series of articles is written to help anyone studying the Bible with Jehovah's Witnesses to "read between the lines" of what their Watchtower teachers tell them, as they study the book "What Does the Bible Really Teach?"
When I was raised by my Jehovah's Witness parent, I was indoctrinated from the age of five. There was virtually no opposing view to what I was learning, since I was separated from religious instruction at school and social contact with non-Witnesses was minimised. Everything I knew about religion and God, I learned from my "Bible studies" with my parent and at Kingdom Halls of Jehovah's Witnesses.
One day, when I was about 12 years old, I found a book called "Thirty Years a Watchtower Slave", by Peter Snell, in the public library. I borrowed it, but found it quite dull. My mother discouraged me from reading it because it was written by "one of the Evil Slave Class". That book was one of the very few resources available as a criticism or examination of the Watchtower religion.
Thirty-five years later, when I finally left the religion, I typed two words and pressed a button and found dozens of websites and books and hundreds of articles about the history, policies, doctrines and failed prophecies of Jehovah's Witnesses.
The message Jehovah's Witnesses bring is very attractive. It offers answers to all life's questions and a sure, certain hope for the future as well as a guide for living a satisfying, happy, purposeful, moral life now. They teach by using questions and answers, leading you to certain conclusions which are confirmed by their use of proof texts from the Bible.
However, for any thinking person, it should be obvious that there are no certainties in life, "except death and taxes", as one wit said. Also, there are many people who have fulfilling, happy, moral lives in other, less restrictive religions or indeed, without religion.
Unfortunately, many people are mentally lazy. They want the answers to life's dilemmas to be spoon-fed to them. They want a package deal religion. They want a religion which guarantees them salvation and certainty, in return for paying their dues by following a set of rules made by someone else, who takes responsibility for their future. By following this path, they probably get the religion they deserve -- Jehovah's Witnesses.
The following articles are not intended to be an exhaustive discussion of the teaching book's chapters. Rather, my aim is to highlight glaring errors and to encourage the student to ask pertinent questions and do research, which is so easy with Google and Wikipedia available. There is really no excuse for you being misinformed today.
I have tried to avoid giving the reader my own belief system. Make up your own mind! But you can use the ideas in these articles and apply them to other religions or philosophies. You may find that you will change your mind often and that is O.K. When hypotheses are  disproved, it is quite alright to change one's mind and make an adjustment. Knowledge is not cut and dried, but a continuing search.
If after reading these articles, you continue to accept the Watchtower teachings and choose their way of life, so be it. You have made a choice and you have been very lucky because, despite making a wrong choice, in my opinion, it will at least be an informed choice, which was not a favour granted to me and millions of my contemporaries.