JEHOVAH WITNESSES

The Jehovah's Witnesses are a zealous organization that claim that God himself started the Watchtower Society as his physical visible representative of him on earth.  They claim that only through their organization, God teaches the Bible to humanity today.  No one can know the true meaning of scripture except through the Watchtower Society and its vast amounts of literature.  They are a highly organized organization as evident by their zealous door-to-door evangelism.  They are very committed to what they do and I wish many Christians were the same.  But are their beliefs in accordance to the scriptures?  Do they preach a doctrine that is contrary to historical Christianity?  Any such organization that does this is called a "cult."  Lets look into the history of the Jehovah Witnesses and then examine their claims and doctrine in light of scripture!

HISTORY OF JEHOVAH WITNESSES

Charles Taze Russell was the founder of the Jehovah Witnesses.  Russell at the age of eighteen started a Bible class in Pittsburgh in 1870.  He was elected to be pastor by his Bible class in 1876.  In 1879, Charles Taze Russell founded the periodical The Herald of the Morning, which eventually came to be named The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah's Kingdom.  He also founded another periodical called Awake!.  In 1884, he founded Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society at Pittsburgh.  Today, it is known as The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society headquartered in Brooklyn.  The Society published the first in a series of seven book titled The Millennial Dawn (now titled Studies in the Scriptures) in 1886.  The seventh book, The Finished Mystery, caused a split in the organization.  The larger group followed Joseph F. Rutherford, who took control of the Watchtower Society while the smaller group became "The Dawn Bible Students Association" or known as "Russellites."  The larger group that followed Rutherford didn't believe that Russell was the faithful and discreet slave of Matthew 24:45-47 because Russell never made a claim of that of himself.  They believe the faithful and discreet slave refers to the organization of the Society, which is God's chosen instrument.  The smaller group however believe that Russell was the faithful and discreet slave.  They have since gone their separate ways.  Under Joseph F. Rutherford the Society became known by its present name - the Jehovah's Witnesses.  Rutherford rose in power greatly and considered himself to be the mouthpiece of Jehovah.  Anyone who crossed him or left the Society were threatened that they will suffer destruction unless they repent and "recognize Jehovah's will as expressed through the society" (Martin, 47).  He became known as the Judge and had full theocratic power in the Society.  He wrote prolifically a great amount of books exceeding that of Russell and made the Society more powerful.  Rutherford's successor was Nathan Homer Knorr.  He was elected president of the Society soon after Rutherford's death.  Under Knorr's leadership, the Society grew tremendously in membership.  In 1961, the Watchtower Society produced its own English translation of the Bible called The New World Translation of Holy Scriptures.  In 1977 the leadership of the society went to Frederick W. Franz (VP of the Society) upon Knorr's death.  Franz is still in leadership over the Society even unto today in 2001.  Now lets get into the doctrines of the Jehovah's Witnesses.

THE DIVINE NAME OF GOD

Jehovah Witnesses believe that the divine name of God is Jehovah.  Watchtower publications themselves confirm this.  They are taught that superstitious Jewish scribes removed it from the Bible long ago but now the Society's New World Translation had restored the divine name Jehovah in the Old Testament wherever YHWH appears.  New World translators have gone so far as to place the name Jehovah in the New Testament where they believe the text is referring to the Father.  However the fact is that this goes against the thousands of Greek manuscripts that only use the words Lord (kurios) and God (theos).  They never use Jehovah not even when the New Testament  quotes from the Old Testament.  The Jehovah Witnesses believe that anyone who calls on the name Jehovah will be saved based on the New World Translation's rendering of Romans 10:13 and Ezekiel 39:6.  They also believe that they are the only group that refers to God by His true name so because of this they are the true followers of God on the earth.  Lets look into the origin of the supposed divine name - Jehovah.  

The supposed divine name - Jehovah is not found in any of the Hebrew or Greek manuscripts from which the Bible is translated into English.  In the Old Testament, the word Yahweh is found.  The more correct spelling of Yahweh is YHWH for the original Hebrew had no vowels, only consonants.  The ancient Jews had a superstition of the name YHWH and they were afraid to even say it or pronounce it lest they break the commandment of Exodus 20:7, which is taking the Lord's name in vain.  Therefore they substituted YHWH with the name Adonai, which means Lord.  When the Hebrew language incorporated vowels the scribes placed the vowel points of Adonai under YHWH so that readers would see that Adonai was supposed to be used.  Eventually Hebrew scribes decided to insert the vowels a-o-a from Adonai within YHWH, which resulted in Yahowah, or the English term Jehovah.  Basically Jehovah is a combination of the consonants from YHWH and the vowels from Adonai.  Therefore Jehovah has a man-made origin.  The Jehovah Witness might argue that Jehovah is used in Bible Translations like the King James Version (Exodus 6:3; Psalm 83:18; Isaiah 12:2; 26:4), the American Standard Version, or the New English Bible (Exodus 3:15 and 6:3).  The way to counter this is to explain that scholars are not precisely clear as to the correct way to pronounce YHWH even though most of them agree that Yahweh is the correct way.  There is also nothing wrong in inserting Jehovah where YHWH is in the Old Testament.  Many Christians use the term Jehovah to refer to God and its evident in some English Bible translations.  The criticism is not with the term Jehovah itself but how the Jehovah Witnesses use this term in their theology and interpretation of the Bible.  It is in this area that we prove the Jehovah Witnesses to be heretical.  

All scriptural references from here on out are in the Jehovah Witnesses New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (NWT) or the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted!

Exodus 3:15 says, "This is what you are to say to the sons of Israel, 'Jehovah the God of your forefathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.'  This is my name to time indefinite, and this is the memorial of me to generation after generation" (NWT).  Jehovah Witnesses affirm that Jehovah is God's eternal name and that they are the true followers of God because of their usage of the name Jehovah.  All other Christians are outside of Jehovah's kingdom.  But Jehovah Witnesses fail to see that Jehovah is not the only name of God.  There are many other names that God is identified with.  One example is in their very own translation - the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.  This is an expression that occurs many times in scripture like in Genesis 28:13,21.  Jesus never addressed the Father as Jehovah.  Many times when Jesus prayed, He used the name Father (Matthew 6:9; 11:25; 26:39-42; Mark 14:36; Luke 10:21; 22:42; 23:34).  Christians can address God as Abba Father (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6).  We see here that we can refer to God as Father so this rules out the interpretation of Exodus 3:15 of Jehovah being the only name that God can be addressed as.  We see in the New Testament (I mentioned this earlier) that the word Jehovah doesn't occur a single time.  This is evident in the Greek manuscripts.  This is significant because if Jehovah was to be the only name for God then Jehovah would have made its appearance in the New Testament.  The fact is that it didn't.  Lets look at the real meaning of Exodus 3:15.  Exodus 3:15 says, "God, furthermore, said to Moses, 'Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.'  This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations'" (NASB).   In verse 14, we see that God referred to himself as I AM THAT I AM.  Both I AM and YAHWEH are derivatives of the verb "to be."  God used I AM THAT I AM to express His eternal nature.  This expression was shortened in verse 15 to YAHWEH.  Back then names were not a label but the equivalent to whomever bore it.  I'll give you a biblical example.  Look at Jacob.  Jacob's name, which meant one who takes by the heel or supplants, indicated his deceitful nature by tricking Esau into giving him the birthright (Genesis 25:29-34) and pretending to be Esau to receive the blessing (Genesis 27:18-30).  But God changed Jacob's name to Israel, which means he who strives with God or God strives.  Now Jacob's name being Israel is indicative of his character to strive after God.  Look at the following verses: Psalm 18:49; 68:4; 74:18; 86:12.  They show that the name and being of God are inseparable.  So Yahweh denotes self-existence.  God always existed.  He was never created.  He was never born and he will never die.  He simply always was, is, and will be - God.  So we see that Jehovah is not the eternal name of God but is indicative of the nature expressed by the name, God is eternal.  

Summary:

  1. The word Jehovah is man made - a combination of the consonants of YHWH with the vowels of Adonai.

  2. God is known by Jehovah but He is not known by that name only.

  3. God is identified by other names in Scripture.

  4. Jesus never referred to God as Jehovah but Father.

  5. Christians can refer to God as Father.

  6. According to the Greek manuscripts, Jehovah never appears as a name of God in the New Testament.

  7. In Exodus 3:15 the correct interpretation is not that the name of God is eternal but that the name reveals the eternal nature of God.

Matthew 6:9 says, "Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified" (NWT).  Jehovah's Witnesses claim that the only way God's name can be "sanctified" is by calling Him Jehovah.  They claim that superstitious Jewish scribes purposely stripped the Bible of the name Jehovah.  But they have no evidence to back it up.  The fact is that Jehovah is not in the New Testament at all.  Ron Rhodes in Reasoning from the Scriptures with the Jehovah's Witnesses says, "Marian Bodine, an expert in Watchtower theology - says that the Watchtower's insertion of the name Jehovah in the New Testament (against all manuscript evidence) 'is just another attempt on the part of the Jehovah Witnesses to cloud the truth - that is, that the name the New Testament consistently uplifts is Jesus, not Jehovah'" (Rhodes, 59).  Look at the following:

Yes JESUS CHRIST.  This is evidence that Jesus is the name that true believers of God should be identified.  Philippians 2:9-11 says, "For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (NASB).  Paul quoted from Isaiah 45:22-24.  Acts 1:8 says, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth" (NASB).  This verse clearly says we are to be WITNESSES OF JESUS CHRIST not witnesses of Jehovah.  Matthew 6:9 is more correctly translated: "Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name" (NASB).  I said earlier that God's name is a reflection of who He is, His eternal nature.  So Matthew 6:9 not involves honoring God's name but honoring the Person the name represents.

DID JESUS RESURRECT AS A SPIRIT CREATURE?  PART I

The Jehovah Witnesses deny the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.  They believe that Jesus resurrected as a spirit creature.  They use 1 Peter 3:18 to prove their point.  1 Peter 3:18 says, "Why, even Christ died once for all time concerning sins, a righteous [person] for unrighteous ones, that he might lead you to God, he being put to death in the flesh, but being made alive in the spirit" (NWT).  They use this to support he was raised in the spirit.  A Watchtower book Let Your Name Be Sanctified says, "Jesus was raised to life as an invisible spirit.  He did not take up again that body in which he had been killed as a human sacrifice to God" (quoted in Rhodes, 186).  This argument doesn't hold water.  1 Peter 3:18 in the NIV says, "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.  He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit."  We see that this verse is referring to Jesus and His physical resurrection by the Holy Spirit.  See also the King James Version.  The KJV will attest to that also.  This is not to say that the Father and Jesus didn't have key roles in the resurrection because they did.  Acts 2:32; 13:30; Romans 6:4; Ephesians 1:19,20 state the God the Father had a key role in the resurrection also.  Finally Jesus Christ is said to have raised himself when He said in John 10:17,18, "For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again.  No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative.  I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.  This commandment I received from My Father" (NASB).  We see that the Trinity was involved in Christ's resurrection.  1 Peter 3:18 cannot refer to a Jesus resurrecting in a spiritual body for Jesus says in Luke 24:39, "See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have" (NASB).  This is proof that Jesus didn't resurrect as a spirit creature for he has flesh and bones.  The Jehovah Witnesses' own translation of the Bible attests to the bodily physical resurrection of Jesus.  John 2:19-21 says, "In answer Jesus said to them: 'Break down this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.'  Therefore the Jews said: 'This temple was built in forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?'  But he was talking about the temple of his body" (NWT).  This verse in their own translation contradicts the Society's belief that Jesus was raised as a spirit creature.  In fact Jesus was raised bodily.  Here are some more proofs that Jesus was raised from the dead not as a spirit creature but bodily:

  1. Jesus after His resurrection ate with His disciples (Luke 24:30; 24:42,43; John 21:12,13; Acts 1:4).  A fleshly body can eat food not a spirit.

  2. Jesus after His resurrection was touched by Thomas (John 20:27), Mary (John 20:17), and by some women (Matthew 28:9).  He showed His wounds to the disciples and challenged them to touch Him (Luke 24:39).  A fleshly material body can be touched not a spirit.

  3. Colossians 2:9 says, "For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form" (NASB).  Note it says bodily form not spirit form.

  4. The word body in the Greek is soma.  This is always used to refer to a physical body.  

  5. 1 Timothy 2:5 says, "For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (NASB).  Jesus is a man not a spirit.

  6. Matthew 26:64 affirms that when Jesus returns, He will return as the "Son of Man."  This is a Messianic title (Daniel 7:13-14) that points to the humanity of Jesus.

In conclusion we see that Jesus did not raise from the dead as a spirit creature but His resurrection was a physical one.  Jesus had a physical body, which can be touched and He ate with His followers.  It is clear that the Jehovah Witness doctrine that Jesus was raised as a spirit creature and leaving His humanity forever behind is WRONG!

DID JESUS RESURRECT AS A SPIRIT CREATURE?  PART II

The Jehovah Witnesses turn to 1 Corinthians 15:44-50 to prove that the resurrection of Jesus was a nonphysical one.  1 Corinthians 15:44 says, "It is sown a physical body, it is raised up a spiritual body.  If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual one" (NWT).  Verse 50 says, "Flesh and blood cannot inherit God's kingdom, neither does corruption inherit incorruption" (NWT).  Based on this, the JWs (For the sake of space I'm going to refer to Jehovah Witnesses as JWs) affirm that Jesus had a nonphysical, spiritual resurrection.  However the JWs misinterpreted the verse.  The meaning of spiritual body doesn't mean a spirit, immaterial body but a supernatural, spirit dominated body.  Ron Rhodes quotes, "The Greek words soma pneumatikos (translated 'spiritual body' here) means a body directed by the spirit, as opposed to one under the dominion of the flesh" (quoted in Rhodes, 190).  The Greek word soma always denotes a physical body.  It is important to understand that Paul's use of the word spiritual refers to supernatural not to the immateriality or nonphysicality of a spirit.  Note the contrasts in 1 Corinthians 14:40-50: 

  1. Heavenly vs. Earthly (verse 40)

  2. Imperishable vs. Perishable (verse 42)

  3. Glory vs. Dishonor (verse 43)

  4. Power vs. Weakness (verse 43)

  5. Spiritual [Supernatural] vs. Natural (verse 44)

  6. Immortality vs. Mortal (verse 53)

Look at 1 Corinthians 2:15.  Paul uses the same Greek word for spiritual as in 1 Corinthians 15:44-50.  Looking at the context of 1 Corinthians 2:15 we see Paul is explaining a natural man of flesh and blood who is in some sense spiritual.  We see that the JWs argument of the word spiritual in 1 Corinthians 15:44 is WRONG!  As regard to the argument of flesh and blood cannot enter heaven as stated in 1 Corinthians 15:50 is misunderstood.  This verse is best understood by the fact that there is a difference between a earthly body and a heavenly body.  Look at the contrasts above of 1 Corinthians 15:40-53.  Verse 50 is stating the mortal humanity cannot inherit the kingdom of God.  It is only when that mortal body is raised up immortal in the resurrection of all Church believers.  Paul is speaking of perishable flesh but flesh, which is raised up imperishable will inherit the kingdom.  1 Corinthians 15:53 isn't saying that we humans at the resurrection stop being human, give up our physical bodies and become spirits.  The verse is stating that our mortal bodies put on immortality.  We see that the JWs argument doesn't hold water and is a misunderstanding of I Corinthians 15:44-50.  Jesus was raised up in an immortal physical body that is sown in glory.  The same will happen to Christians, dead or alive at the rapture.

IS JESUS CHRIST, MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL?

According to JWs Jesus Christ is Michael the Archangel.  Therefore Jesus is an angel - the first being that Jehovah created in the whole universe.  Michael then was used of God to create the rest of the universe.  Michael existed for billions of years before he willingly became Jesus Christ, a perfect human being to redeem the world.  By dying on the cross, Jesus forever gave up his body as a ransom and could never become a human again.  At the resurrection, he was raised a spirit creature (it was a re-creation of Michael the Archangel) and the man Jesus was dead forever.  However Jesus materialized in different bodies to the disciples to prove his resurrection to the disciples.  Jesus' body either materialized, was disposed or preserved somewhere  So in essence Michael (Jesus) was an angel then became a human then became an angel again.  The JWs deny the bodily resurrection of Jesus (which we already covered) and they believe Jesus was Michael.  I believe that the scriptures confirm that Jesus is in fact not Michael the Archangel but someone greater.

The JWs use three verses in Daniel to prove that Jesus is in fact Michael the Archangel.  Daniel 10:13 states that Michael is one of the chief princes.  Daniel 10:21 refers to Michael as "your prince" meaning Daniel's prince.  This means since Daniel is a Israelite then Michael is the prince of Israel, God's people.  Daniel 12:1 says, "Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise" (NASB).  Many JWs believe Daniel 12:1 refers to when Michael (Jesus) was enthroned as king in 1914 and now stands at the right hand of God.  Their position is clearly not scriptural because where in Daniel 10 and 12 does it say Michael is Jesus.  There is none.  Michael is called one of the chief princes.  This implies that there are other chief princes and if there are then Michael is one among a group a chief princes.  Since Michael is one among equals shows that he is not unique.  Jesus on the otherhand is unique.  The Greek word monogenes is used to describe Jesus in John 3:16.  It means unique or one of a kind.  The JWs belief that Michael will arise meaning he will be king in 1914 has no basis in scripture.  In Daniel 12:1 Michael is the Guardian angel so to speak of Israel.  He will arise and guard Israel and fight for them.  This is evident in Revelation 12:7 where Michael and his forces are fighting Satan in heaven.  That is a misinterpretation of that verse.  Just Michael arises in Daniel 12:1 doesn't mean he becomes king so to speak.  If I arose from this chair then I'm not going to become king.  The context is clear that Michael arose to stand guard over God's people.  The context doesn't allow Michael to be king just because he arose.  The fact that Jesus is unique is through his title - Kings of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16).  This title indicates a higher authority than someone who is just one of the chief princes.  Jesus has absolute authority while Michael has limited, shared authority.  Hebrews 1:6 says, "And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, 'And let all the angels of God worship Him'" (NASB).  We see that Jesus Christ is worshipped by the angels.  How can Jesus be an angel if He is worshipped by the angels.  Only God is to be worshipped.  Therefore Jesus must be God.  Hebrews 1:5 automatically proves that Jesus isn't an angel.  Hebrews 1:5 says, "For to which of the angels did He ever say, 'You are My Son, today I have begotten you"? (NASB).  This disproves the statement in Aid to Bible Understanding, "Scriptural evidence indicates that the name Michael applied to God's Son before he left heaven to become Jesus Christ and also after his return" (1152).  I guess the JWs are wrong for there is no scriptural evidence that Michael is the Son of God for he is an angel and God's Son clearly in Hebrews 1:5 is not an angel.  The Son of God is God.  Jesus Christ is God.  Mark 3:11 shows that even demons (fallen angels) fell down at Jesus and addressed him as the Son of God.  Hebrews 2:5 says, "For He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking" (NASB).  This verse indicates that no angel can at anytime rule the world.  This discounts Michael.  Clearly Jesus is not an angel for all things are subject to him and all things were placed under his feet (Hebrews 2:8).  Here are other verses that show that Jesus will be the ruler of God's kingdom (Genesis 49:10; 2 Samuel 7:16; Psalm 2:6; Daniel 7:13-14; Matthew 2:1,2; 9:35; 13ff.; Luke 1:32,33; Revelation 19:16).  Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (NASB).  This means that Jesus always was, is, and will be the same as He always been.  This means that He is unchanging.  This is contradiction to the JWs belief that Jesus was an angel, became a human, then finally became an angel again.  It is worthy to note that while historical Christianity teaches that God (Jesus Christ) became man, Jesus Christ was still God.  Hebrews 1:10-12 also affirms Jesus is unchangeable and unchanging.  Here are some conclusions:

  1. Jesus is not an angel for the Son of God can't be one (Hebrews 1:5).

  2. Jesus is not an angel for He is worshipped (Hebrews 1:6).

  3. Jesus is not an angel for an angel can't rule the world (Hebrews 2:5).

  4. Jesus is not an angel for Michael an angel is one of the chief princes indicating limited authority while Jesus has absolute authority (Compare Daniel 10:13 to Revelation 19:16)

  5. Jesus is unchanging (Hebrews 13:8) in contrast to JWs doctrine that Jesus was an angel then a human then an angel.

1 Thessalonians 4:16 says, The Lord himself will descend from heaven with a commanding call, with an archangel's voice and with God's trumpet, and those who are dead in union with Christ will rise first" (NWT).  The JWs believe that this verse supports that Jesus is Michael because they say that Michael is the only one in the Bible to be called the archangel.  They also say that the voice of Jesus is being described as an archangel since he gives the commanding call.  But as you will see their argument is wrong.  They assume that since Michael is the only archangel mentioned in the Bible that there is only one archangel.  However Daniel 10:13 says that Michael is one of the chief princes.  This means that there must be more archangels for if Michael is one among equals then archangels must be the angelic group that Michael is under.  It is worthy to note that Jewish tradition holds that there are seven archangels.  We saw in the previous arguments that Jesus is superior to the angels (Hebrews 1) and that He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16).  This means that He has absolute authority not limited authority that Michael has.  They fail to miss that if the Lord uses an archangel's voice and that makes him an archangel then having God's trumpet would make him God.  The JWs use only a portion of the verse to support their view and disregard the other half.  Besides the verse never explicitly says that Jesus himself speaks with the voice of the archangel.  It is better to interpret this verse as saying that when Jesus comes to rapture His church that He will accompanied by an archangel whose voice (distinct from Jesus) issues the shout.  Their argument only looks at a portion of the verse.  If they looked at the whole verse it will contradict that Jesus is a god for if Jesus uses God's Trumpet then He must be God Almighty not a god.  

Jude 9 says, "But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, 'The Lord rebuke you'" (NASB)!  Here we see that Michael couldn't rebuke the devil on his own authority but said THE LORD rebuke you not I rebuke you.  Jesus, by contrast, rebuked the devil on a number of occasions in HIS OWN AUTHORITY (Matthew 4:10; 16:23; Mark 8:33).  Clearly Jesus and Michael aren't the same person.  When Satan used to be an angel in heaven (Lucifer), he was over Michael.  He was over everybody in heaven except God.  Out of respect for this departed evil angel, Michael relied on the Lord to cast away Satan by saying "The Lord rebuke you."  God forbid that the JWs believe that Satan is over Jesus since he is allegedly Michael.  The JWs don't believe that but if they believe that Michael is Jesus then Jude 9 is a stumbling block to their argument.  It goes both ways.  Look:

  1. If Jesus is Michael then according to Jude 9, Jesus is lower than Satan, which is a contradiction of their belief that Jesus was the first thing created and God put him over everything except God himself.  

  2. If they see that Jude 9 shows that Satan is higher than Michael, then they have to admit that Jesus is not Michael and he is GOD!

So the JWs have to admit that either Jesus is lower than Satan or that JESUS IS GOD since we have shown that Jesus cannot be Michael.  The fact is that the JWs don't want to admit Jesus is God.  What a wrenching choice to be made here?  The Greek word for LORD in Jude 9 is kurios.  Jesus is called kurios in Philippians 2:9-11.  Michael is never in the Bible called kurios but Jesus is called that many times in the New Testament.  The conclusion is that Jesus IS NOT Michael the archangel. 

IS THE HOLY SPIRIT AN ACTIVE FORCE OR A PERSON?

The JWs in order to reject the biblical doctrine of the Trinity (which we will discussing later) have to reject Jesus as being God Almighty (we will also discuss this later) and reject that the Holy Spirit is God and that he is only an active force.  Is the Holy Spirit a person or is he an active force?  Lets look into the reasons why the JWs believe that the Holy Spirit is not a person:

  1. Personification does not mean personality - The JWs believe that wisdom, death, and sin are not persons but yet they are personified in scripture (Matthew 11:19; Luke 7:35; Romans 5:14, 17, 21; 6:12; 7:8-11).  In the same way, the Holy Spirit is not a person.

  2. Lacks personal identification - The JWs believe that the Holy Spirit isn't a person because he doesn't have a name in contrast to God the Father and Jesus Christ.  If he was a person then he would have a name to distinguish him from the other spirit persons.

  3. Spirit Filling? - The Holy Spirit can't be a person because how can a person fill thousands of other people at one and the same time.  A person cannot be split up in this way. 

  4. Association - The Holy Spirit cannot be a person because he is associated with other impersonal things like water and fire (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8).  Christians are urged to be filled with the spirit instead of wine (Ephesians 5:18) and filled with the spirit along with faith, wisdom, and joy (Acts 6:3, 5; 11:24; 13:52).

  5. Holy Spirit speaking? - The JWs believe that the Bible makes it clear that the spirit spoke through people (Matthew 10:19,20; Acts 4:24,25; 19:2-6; 21:4; 28:25; Hebrews 2:2; 3:7; 10:15-17).  

In Aid to Bible Understanding, it says, "It may thus be compared to radio waves that can receive a message from a person speaking to into a microphone and transmit the message to persons a distance away, in effect, 'speaking' the message by a radio loudspeaker.  God, by his spirit, transmits his messages and communicates his will to the minds and hearts of his servants on earth, who, in turn, may convey that message to yet others" (1543).  

The JWs also state, "To a certain extent it (the Holy Spirit) can be likened to electricity, a force that can be adapted to perform a great variety of operations" (Should You Believe in the Trinity, p. 20).  Genesis 1:1,2 says, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  Now the earth proved to be formless and waste and there was darkness upon the surface of the watery deep; and God's active force was moving to and fro over the surface of the waters" (NWT).  The JWs use this verse to prove that the Holy Spirit is an active force.  They believe that the Hebrew word ruach is translated as "spirit" and "wind" many times in the Old Testament.  Wind is an invisible force so the rendering of "active force" in Genesis 1:2 is correct.  The fact is that while ruach has several meanings (air, breath, breeze, courage, temper, spirit, wind, strength, and Spirit [Holy Spirit]), it doesn't give the JWs license to render ruach as active force.  You will see that the Holy Spirit does have all the attributes of personality thus disproving that the Holy Spirit is an active force.

  1. The Holy Spirit has a mind - 1 Corinthians 2:10 says, "For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God" (NASB).  If the Jews are instructed to search the scriptures, and they are persons and have minds, then the Holy Spirit used his mind to search all things (John 5:39).  

  2. The Holy Spirit has emotions - Ephesians 4:30 says, "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption" (NASB).  You can only grieve a person.  You can't grieve an impersonal force like the wind or electricity.

  3. The Holy Spirit has a Will - 1 Corinthians 12:11 says, "But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills" (NASB).  The Holy Spirit distributes spiritual gifts to each Christian as he wills.  Electricity or wind don't have a will.  The Holy Spirit does.

  4. The Holy Spirit Testifies - John 15:26 says, "When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me" (NASB).  If the disciples, who are persons, can testify (Look at John 15:27), then the Holy Spirit can testify as well.  Only a person can testify not electricity or wind.  Also the Holy Spirit is SENT.  Only a person can be sent to accomplish a specific task.  

  5. The Holy Spirit Issues Commands - Acts 8:29 says, "Then the Spirit said to Philip, 'Go up and join this chariot'" (NASB).  Only a person can speak or issue commands to another person.  I don't remember the wind or even electricity commanding me to do anything.  Only a person can do that.  The Spirit commanded Paul and Barnabas to be set apart to be missionaries in Acts 13:2-4 and in Acts 16:6 the Spirit prohibited Paul and Silas from preaching in Asia (Turkey).  A force cannot command people to go to certain places and then forbid them to go to others.  Only a person can do that - the Holy Spirit.  

  6. The Holy Spirit Prays for Believers - Romans 8:26 says, "In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words" (NASB).  Only a person can intercede for us and pray for us.  A force cannot do this.  Electricity or wind never prayed for me.  

  7. The Holy Spirit Can Be Blasphemed - Matthew 12:32 says, "Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come" (NASB).  Can you blaspheme a force?  Why did Jesus emphasize that if you blaspheme the Holy Spirit that you can't be forgiven for that?  Obviously the Holy Spirit is not a force but a person but we will see that he is more than just a person.

Acts 5:3 says, "But Peter said, 'Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?" (NASB).  We see that Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit and he paid the price.  Look at Acts 5:4,5.  It says, "'While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own?  And after it was sold, was it not under your control?  Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart?  You have not lied to men but to God.'  And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it" (NASB).  We see also that Ananias lied to God.  If Peter said that Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3) and at the same breath said that Ananias lied to God (Acts 5:4) then we must conclude that the Holy Spirit is GOD!  Why would Ananias (Acts 5:5) and his wife, Sapphira (Acts 5:10) die because they lied to a force?  A force cannot be lied to.  If the JWs admit that in light of this evidence that the Holy Spirit is a person but not God, then why blaspheming the Spirit is a unforgivable sin and how come this couple died for lying to the Holy Spirit.  Obviously the Holy Spirit is more than just a person but he is God.  He is GOD with a capital G.  He is not a god like the JWs try to have us believe with Jesus (John 1:1 in the NWT) BUT GOD.  The JWs believe that God the Father is GOD.  But I have proven from the scriptures that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are GOD!

Here are some more points:

  1. Mark 3:29,30 says, "'But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin' - because they were saying, 'He has an unclean spirit'" (NASB).  Here we see that the Holy Spirit is contrasted with the unclean spirits.  If the unclean spirits are persons according to the JWs (Why You Should Believe In The Trinity, p. 117-118), then the Holy Spirit has to be a person.  

  2. 1 Timothy 4:1 contrasts the Holy Spirit with deceitful spirits.  In 1 John 4:1-6 we see the Spirit of Truth (the Holy Spirit) is contrasted with the Spirit of Error (evil spirits).  

  3. Just because the Holy Spirit is lacking a personal name doesn't mean he is not a person.  Indeed, we have just proven that the Holy Spirit has all the characteristics that only a person not a force would have.  Spiritual beings are not always named in scripture.  Unclean spirits are rarely named in scripture but they are identified by their character - their uncleanness, wickedness, and sinfulness.  That is why they are referred to as "evil spirit" or "unclean spirit" or "wicked spirit."  The Holy Spirit is identified by His character - his holiness.  That is why He is called THE HOLY SPIRIT.

  4. Ron Rhodes says, "The Watchtower Society often cites various Greek scholars in apparent support of their interpretation of the Holy Spirit.  For the record, however, let us note that although the following Greek authorities are cited in Watchtower literature, all of them believe that the Holy Spirit is a person: F.F. Bruce, A.T. Robertson, John N. Darby, R.C. Trench, J.H. Thayer, Marvin R. Vincent, W.E. Vine, and R. Young.  The Watchtower Society is utterly deceptive in citing such individuals in support of their view" (204). 

  5. The JWs believe that in Matthew 3:11 spirit and water is a direct parallel so the Holy Spirit must be an impersonal entity like water.  This goes against the evidence that the Holy Spirit is a person.  Also according to this faulty logic, Jesus is not a person.  Romans 6:3 says that those Christians who were baptized into Jesus were baptized into his death.  Since death is not a person, then Jesus Christ cannot be a person either.  That of course is WRONG!

  6. The JWs believe that Acts 2:4 supports that the Holy Spirit is a force because how can one person fill 120 disciples at the same time.  Only a force can do this.  This is wrong because in Ephesians 3:19, God fills people and in Ephesians 4:10 says that Jesus Christ fills all things.  Just because Jesus fills people doesn't mean that Jesus is not a person.  The JWs want to side step the issue of the Holy Spirit is God by saying that he is an active force.  But if they accept this faulty logic then Jesus cannot be a person as well.  They fall into trouble just because they don't want to admit that the Holy Spirit is God.  If God fills people in Ephesians 3:19 and the Holy Spirit does this in Acts 2:4 then THE HOLY SPIRIT IS GOD!  Isn't God Omnipresent (Psalm 139:7-12; Proverbs 15:3)?

  7. The JWs believe that the Holy Spirit is impersonal because he is associated with impersonal items like water and wine.  This is again faulty logic for Jesus, being a person, is also associated with impersonal items like bread (John 6:35), a rock (1 Corinthians 10:4), the vine (John 15:1), the way (John 14:6), the Word (John 1:1), a door (John 10:7), a light (John 8:12), a stone (1 Peter 2:4-8), and the truth (John 14:6).  If Jesus is a person though associated with impersonal items, then the Holy Spirit must be a person too!

  8. Matthew 28:19 tells us to baptize in the name of the Father, of the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit clearly is a person for he has a name.  JWs try to say that "name" doesn't always refer to a personal name.  But onoma the Greek word for name is used 228 times in the New Testament and except for four times in the NT, "name" always refers to persons.  If the Father and Son are persons then the Holy Spirit has to be a PERSON!  They saw that name is referring to the power and authority (like STOP IN THE NAME OF THE LAW) but Scripture is clear that it is referring to the power and authority of persons.  Never does it refer to a force or a thing.   

The conclusion is that the Holy Spirit is a person and that THE HOLY SPIRIT IS GOD!

THE TRINITY

The JWs reject the Trinity and say that it is a pagan lie.  They point to the fact that the word "Trinity" is not found in the Bible.  Should You Believe in the Trinity states, "If people were to read the Bible from cover to cover without any preconceived idea of a Trinity, would they arrive at such a concept on their own?  Not at all" (12).  It also says, "that the Trinity doctrine is false, that Almighty God stands alone as a separate, eternal, and all-powerful being" (3). 

Clearly they reject the Trinity and they point to John 17:3 to prove this point.  John 17:3 says, "This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ" (NWT).  The JWs believe that Jesus is saying that God the Father is the ONLY true God.  The question I raise is: Is Jesus a true God or a false god?  The JWs already believe Jesus is a god from the New World Translation's rendering of John 1:1.  According to John 17:3 there is only ONE TRUE GOD - Jehovah.  According to this if Jesus is a true God then the JWs themselves practice polytheism.  If Jesus is not a true God then he must be a false god.  If he was a false god then the Apostle John is guilty of falsely calling Jesus a god in John 1:1.  Therefore Jesus must be a TRUE GOD.  If Jehovah is the ONLY TRUE GOD then Jesus is GOD!  This is a contradiction that the JWs have to face.  They changed John 1:1 in order to deny Christ full deity but John 17:3 contradicts their change.  John 1:1 in the NWT states, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god."  In the NASB as in other true Christian translations they say, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."  We see that John 17:3 either pushes the JWs to belief in polytheism or admit that JESUS CHRIST IS GOD, which they don't want to do.  John 17:3 doesn't contrast Jesus from the Father or take away Christ's deity.  Jesus is saying that the Father is the only true God as opposed to many false gods and idols.  John clearly presents Jesus' deity in other verses (John 1:1; 8:58; 20:28) so this verse in no way present Jesus as not god for Jesus is GOD!

The JWs argue that TRINITY is an unbiblical term for it is not found anywhere in the Bible.  I stated earlier that Jehovah isn't found in the Bible either.  It was formed by superstitious Jewish scribes who combined the consonants YHWH and the vowels from Adonai and got Jehovah.  If the word "Trinity" isn't biblical then Jehovah by the same token must be unbiblical also for it is not found in the Bible.  Another example is "theocracy."  Theocracy (government ruled by God) isn't found in the Bible but the Watchtower Society claims that they are one.  The Romans had a theocracy where the emperor was a god himself and so did the Egyptians with Pharaoh.  Just because theocracy is not found in the Bible and is found often in pagan structures doesn't mean that theocracy isn't biblical for in the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ, the government structure is that of a theocracy.  You see that the JWs contradict themselves.  They are in a rush to show that "trinity" is not biblical because the word doesn't appear in the Bible but yet they claim they are a "theocracy" which the word is not mentioned in the Bible either.  The JWs argue that the doctrine of the Trinity is wrong because God is not a God of confusion.  1 Corinthians 14:33 says, "God is [a God], not of disorder, but of peace" (NWT).  They say that the trinity is a confusing concept and it doesn't make sense and that God isn't the author of confusion so the doctrine of the trinity is false.  But what they fail to see is that we humans are finite beings while God is infinite.  Human beings can't possibly understand everything about God.  Romans 11:33 says, "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways" (NASB)!  Isaiah 55:8,9 says, "'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' declares the Lord.  'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts'" (NASB).  Our reasoning has limitations so we can't fathom all the wonderful things about God.  Just because one person can't comprehend something about God doesn't mean that you have to reject it.  

JWs also affirm against the Trinity by saying that John 17:3 (in the New World Translation) Jehovah is the "Only True God."  When they say Jehovah they mean the Father.  You can counter and saw to them that if Jesus the Son is "a god" in John 1:1 (in the New World Translation) and Jehovah is the only true God in John 17:3 then Jesus must be a false god.  The JWs will be caught by this question - Is Jesus a true god or a false god?  If Jesus is a true god then he must be Jehovah and if Jesus a false god then the Apostle John is guilty of falsely honoring Jesus as a god!  What a dilemma the JWs face.  They look at Deuteronomy 6:4 and say how can there be a Trinity when there is one God.  But that comes from the JWs misunderstanding of the Trinity.  There is ONE God but with three persons - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  There are plenty of scriptures that indicate the plurality of God, i.e. the Trinity:

  1. Genesis 1:26 says, "Then God said, 'Let US make man in OUR image, according to OUR likeness'" (NASB).  Since God created man in His own image (Genesis 1:27) then the people God was speaking to was the other two persons in the Trinity.

  2. Genesis 3:22 says, "Then the Lord God said, 'Behold, the man has become like one of US, knowing good and evil'" (NASB).  The phrase "like one of us" in Genesis 3:22 refers back to Genesis 3:5 when the Serpent said, "You will be like God, knowing good and evil."  

  3. Genesis 11:7 says, "Come let US go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand their one another's speech" (NASB).  Since the Lord or God confused the languages of the earth (Genesis 11:8-9) then verse 7 suggests the plurality of God once again.  

  4. Isaiah 6:8 says, "Then I [Isaiah] heard the voice of the Lord, saying 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for US'" (NASB)?  Once again plurality within God is shown here.

Obviously the Father is one among equals.  He has two other persons - the Messiah (Jesus Christ) and the Spirit of the Lord (the Holy Spirit) to interact with.  Each of the three persons within the Godhead are unified in their actions, which never contradict each other.  God the Father has immense love that is greater than our understanding because He has a Son whom he loves.  God is love.  His love is eternal by nature.  F.S. Copleston says, "This eternal object of God's love cannot possibly be outside the Godhead, because this would mean that God is not an independent and self-sufficient Being, but wholly dependent upon some other eternal Being for the object of His love and the reciprocation of His love.  For love is never satisfied with just loving, but always desires a response from its objects.  It would mean two independent eternal Beings in so far as neither would be dependent upon the other for existence, but each dependent on the other for the object of its love" (5).  This is the true essence of the Trinity.  The doctrine of the Trinity IS NOT polytheism because in polytheism there are many gods who are always at odds and contradicts each other for their own purposes and gain.  In the Trinity there is no room for contradiction, no hidden motive, no jealousy and no disagreement.  THEY ARE IN UNISON IN PURPOSE WITH EACH OTHER!  That is ONE God - Monotheism!

Attribute The Father The Son (Jesus Christ) The Holy Spirit
Omnipresent 1 Kings 8:27 Matthew 28:20 Psalm 139:7
Omniscience Psalm 147:5 John 16:30 1 Corinthians 2:10
Omnipotent Psalm 135:6 Matthew 28:18 Romans 15:19
Holy Revelation 15:4 Acts 3:14 Romans 1:4
Eternal Psalm 90:2 Micah 5:2; John 1:2; Revelation 1:8,17 Hebrews 9:14
Truth John 7:28 Revelation 3:7 1 John 5:6
The Lord Romans 10:12 Luke 2:11 2 Corinthians 3:17

We see here that each of the three persons in the Trinity have God-like attributes.  It is only possible that they are all God in Trinity for there is only one God (John 17:3) and the JWs would have to admit this or be forced to admit that Jesus is a false god and the Holy Spirit is false also. 

In this article on Jehovah Witnesses we looked into some of the doctrine of the Watchtower Society.  Here are the topics that I covered:

  1. THE DIVINE NAME OF GOD

  2. DID JESUS RESURRECT AS A SPIRIT CREATURE?  Part I

  3. DID JESUS RESURRECT AS A SPIRIT CREATURE?  Part II

  4. IS JESUS CHRIST, MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL?

  5. IS THE HOLY SPIRIT AN ACTIVE FORCE OR A PERSON?

  6. THE TRINITY

You can see that I covered six main areas in the JWs doctrine.  There will be in the future other articles looking into some more of the JWs doctrines.  This article is a start and to educate people on what JWs believe and how you can share and correct their faulty doctrine, which is contrary to historical Christianity.  Study this subject and maybe if some JWs come across your way, then you stand ready to offer up a steady defense for the truth that you have (The Bible says that).  My advice is to witness to them in love not in an angry tone.  If they are not responding and understanding you then don't get angry with yourself.  All we can do is lay the seed.  It is the Holy Spirit's job to convict and open up their eyes.  Just witness to them and leave the rest up to God! 

GOD BLESS!

Works Cited

Aid to Bible Understanding.  Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 1971.
Bowman, Robert M. Jr.  Why You Should Believe In The Trinity Grand Rapids: Baker Book House
    1991.
Copleston, F.S.  Jesus Christ or Mohammed?  Islam's Challenge, 1995.
Martin, Walter.  The Kingdom of the Cults.  Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 1985.
McDowell, Josh and Stewart, Don.  Understanding the Cults.  San Bernardino, Here's Life Publishers,
    Inc., 1982.
Reed, David A.  Jehovah's Witnesses Answered Verse by Verse.  Grand Rapids, Baker Book House,
    1986.
Rhodes, Ron.  Reasoning from the Scriptures with the Jehovah's Witnesses.  Eugene, Harvest House
    Publishers, 1993.

The New American Standard Bible (NASB) and the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (NWT) was used in quoting scripture!

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