.:FACTS
THE WATCHTOWER SOCIETY DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW
NOTE: You can purchase the photocopied
documentation of everything quoted and referenced in this “Facts”
report (over 100 pages of photo copies), by ordering the FACTS
THE WATCH TOWER SOCIETY DOESN’T WANT YOU TO KNOW —DOCUMENTATION
PACKET. (www.4witness.org)
As of 1997, there are over
5 million active Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide, spending
approximately one billion hours each year serving the Watchtower
organization. The Jehovah’s Witnesses are active in over
230 countries and are the fastest growing religion in the former
USSR.
Claiming that people must “come to Jehovah’s
organization for salvation,” 1. the Watch Tower Society places great pressure on Jehovah’s
Witnesses to perform according to their guidelines. In addition
to attending five meetings each week, Jehovah’s Witnesses
are required to spend several hours each month distributing Watchtower articles, conducting Watchtower “Bible studies,” and
researching various topics in Watchtower literature for discussion
during their meetings. Witnesses are forbidden to serve in the
military, salute the flag, say the pledge of allegiance, vote
in elections, take blood transfusions, celebrate birthdays and
holidays including Thanksgiving, Easter, and Christmas, and are
forbidden to read literature critical of the organization. Over
the years, Jehovah’s Witnesses have also been discouraged
from associating with non-Jehovah’s Witness friends, participating
in after school activities such as sports, and furthering their
education by going to college.2.
All these restrictions and demands placed on
Jehovah’s Witnesses tend to isolate them from the rest of
Society with the result that the organization becomes the “life”
of the Jehovah’s Witnesses who actively serve it. If a certain
Jehovah’s Witness fails to follow the guidelines set up
by the organization, he is then subject to “disfellowshipping”
in which the individual is shunned by all his friends and relatives
in the organization.3. For many, this is a painful experience which leaves former Jehovah’s
Witnesses feeling hopeless and empty. Because of these policies
and the overwhelming control this organization has over the physical
and spiritual lives of so many people, it is of paramount importance
that a person thoroughly examine the Society’s claims and
history before becoming involved with this organization.
“We need to examine,
not only what we personally believe, but also what is taught
by any religious organization with which we
may be associated. Are its teachings in full harmony with God’s
Word, or are they based on the traditions of men? If
we are lovers of the truth, there is nothing to fear from such
an examination.” —The Truth
that Leads to Eternal Life, Watch Tower Bible & Tract
Society, 1968, p. 13
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
In 1879, at the age of 27, Charles Taze Russell,
founder of the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, began publishing Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence.
Born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania in 1852, he was raised a Presbyterian
but later joined a liberal Congregational Church because he preferred
its views. For 10 years, prior to publishing his Watch Tower articles, Russell studied with a splinter group off of Second
Adventists and was greatly influenced by their teachings against
the bodily return of Christ and the immortality of the human soul.4. Russell taught and published many doctrines that the current Watch
Tower Society totally rejects and engaged in practices regarded
by current Jehovah’s Witnesses to be of pagan origin. In
fact, if Russell were a Jehovah’s Witness in the current
Watchtower organization, he would have been disfellowshipped for
his beliefs and practices! Among these are the following:
- Using the symbol of the sun god Ra on the
cover of his books.5.
- Using the Masonic Knights Templar logo of
the Cross and Crown on his issues of Zion’s Watch
Tower.6.
- Teaching that he was the “Faithful and Wise Servant”
of Matt. 24:45-51, which resulted in many of his followers actually worshipping him.7.
- Teaching that “the forming of a visible organization...would
be out of harmony with the spirit of the divine plan.”
“Beware of ‘organization.’ It is wholly unnecessary.”8.
- Teaching that Christians “are divine beings
-- hence all such are Gods, thus we have a family of
God....in the resurrection we will rise in our true character
as Gods.”9.
- Teaching that “the whole body of Christ the
‘Mighty God’...shall share in the work
of restoring the life lost in Adam, and therefore be members
of that company which as a whole will be the Everlasting
Father to the restored race.”10.
- Teaching that the Lord Jesus should be worshipped and that he is not Michael the archangel.11.
- Celebrating birthdays and holidays such
as Christmas.12.
- Teaching that one can join the military as long as he did “not shoot anybody.”13.
- Teaching that white skin is better than black skin and that
“the white race exhibits some qualities
of superiority over any other.”14.
- Teaching that the shape of one’s brain determines his responsiveness to God.15.
- Teaching that Jehovah “governs his universe”
from the star “Alcyone” in the Pleiades constellation.16.
- Teaching that the “Great Pyramid of Gizeh” was “God’s stone witness” which
proved Russell’s claims that “the time of the end”
embraced a period from 1799-1914, with Jesus’ invisible
presence beginning in 1874, and the destruction of present government
in 1914.17.
In the 1954 Douglas Walsh Trial in Scotland,
Fred Franz, who was Watchtower president from 1977-1992, was asked
about the Society’s changes in doctrine. Here is how he
answered:
Q. So
that what is published as the truth today by the Society may
have to be admitted to be wrong in a few years?
A. We have to
wait and see.
Q. And in the meantime
the body of Jehovah’s Witnesses have been following
error?
A. They have
been following misconstructions on the Scriptures.
Q. Error?
A. Well, error.
— Douglas Walsh Trial, Pursuer’s
Proof, 1954, p. 114
“Satan attempted to use his influence in a
subtle way, and in this he was successful. How so?
By insinuation and falsehood. He put forth error,
under cover of a lie, as a substitute for truth. In other
words, he put darkness for light.” —The
Watchtower, May 15, 1976, p. 304
“If we were following a man undoubtedly it would be different with us; undoubtedly one human
idea would contradict another and that which was light
one or two or six years ago would be regarded as darkness now: But with God there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning, and so it is with truth; any knowledge or light
coming from God must be like its author. A new view of truth
never can contradict a former truth. ‘New light’ never extinguished older ‘light,’ but adds
to it.... So is it with the light of truth; the true
increase is by adding to, not by substituting one for another.”
— Zion’s Watch Tower, February 1881, p.
3
THE
NEW WORLD TRANSLATION:
In 1950, the Watch Tower Society came out with
their own translation of the Bible, the New World Translation.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are told that this translation is the
most accurate, unbiased translation available. The Society claims
that the New World Translation Committee was made up
of highly trained Greek scholars who did their best to “transmit
his [God’s] thoughts and declarations as accurately as possible.”18. However, when one endeavors to check into the credentials of these
translators, one finds that the Society is unwilling to release
this information, stating that the Committee desires that all
the glory for this translation go to Jehovah God and therefore
the translators desire to remain anonymous.
On the surface, this may sound quite
noble and honorable; but one may wonder, is this the
real reason why they desire to remain anonymous? Over
the years, further investigation has revealed who the
translators of the New World Translation were,
and the facts show that they were totally unqualified
for the task of translation. Five of the six Watchtower
Governing Body members who were on the Translation Committee
had no formal training whatsoever in the Biblical languages.
The fifth one, Fred Franz, (former Governing Body member
and Watchtower president from 1977-1992) claimed to
have some education, but in the Douglas Walsh Trial in Scotland, he gave this testimony under oath:
Tuesday, 23rd November, 1954:
Frederick William Franz, Examined:
Q. Have
you also made yourself familiar with Hebrew?
A. Yes....
Q. So
that you have a substantial linguistic apparatus at your command?
A. Yes,
for use in my biblical work.
Q. I think you are able
to read and follow the Bible in Hebrew, Greek, Latin,
Spanish, Portuguese, German, and French?
A. Yes.
Q. It is the case,
is it not, that in 1950 there was prepared and issued what is
called the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures?
A. Yes....
Q. I think that it was
your duty, was it not, before the issue of that New World Translation
by your Society to check that translation for accuracy?
A. That is true.
Q. In light of
your studies and in light of your knowledge?
A. That is true.
Q. And did you
do so?
A. I did so....
Q. And
was it your duty on behalf of the Society to check the translation
into English from the original Hebrew of that first volume of
the Old Testament Scriptures?
A. Yes....
Q. In
so far as translation of the Bible itself is undertaken, are
you responsible for that?
A. I have
been authorised to examine a translation and determine its accuracy
and recommend its acceptance in the form in which it is submitted.
Q. Are the translators
members of the Editorial Committee?
A. That is a question
which I, as a member of the Board of Directors, am not authorised
to disclose....
Q. When did you
go to the University?....
Q. Did
you graduate?
A. No,
I did not....
Q. Had
you done any Hebrew in the course of your University work?
A. No,
I had not, but in the course of my editorial work, my special
research work for the president of the Society, I found it was
very necessary to have knowledge of Hebrew, and so I undertook
a personal study of that.
ADJOURNED
Wednesday, 24th November, 1954:
Frederick William Franz, Cross Continued:
Q. You,
yourself, read and speak Hebrew, do you?
A. I do
not speak Hebrew.
Q. You do not?
A. No.
Q. Can
you, yourself, translate that into Hebrew?
A. Which?
Q. That fourth
verse of the Second Chapter of Genesis? A. You mean here?
Q. Yes?
A. No,
I won’t attempt to do that.
— Douglas Walsh Trial, Pursuer’s
Proof, 1954, pp. 7-9, 88, 91-92, 102-103
This exercise which Franz was unable to do is
something which the average first or second year Hebrew student
could have accomplished without any difficulty. Is it any wonder
the Society refuses to publicly reveal the people who were involved
in the translation of their Bible? Would you put your trust in
a doctor who refused to give his credentials? Yet, this is what
many Jehovah’s Witnesses are doing when it comes to vital
Bible truth.
THE NEW WORLD TRANSLATION compared with
THE KINGDOM INTERLINEAR TRANSLATION OF THE GREEK SCRIPTURES:
In 1969, the Watch Tower Society produced The
Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures, “Presenting
a literal word-for-word translation into English under the Greek
text as set out in ‘The New Testament in the Original Greek
-- The Text Revised by Brooke Foss Westcott D.D. and Fenton John
Anthony Hort D.D.’ ” --Title page of 1969 ed. The
Watch Tower Society states:
“The purpose behind the publishing of The
Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures is to aid such seekers of truth and life. Its literal
interlinear English translation is specially designed
to open up to the student of the Sacred Scriptures what
the original koi-ne’ Greek basically or literally
says....The word-for-word interlinear translation and
the New World Translation are arranged in parallel
on the page, so that comparisons can be made between the two
readings. Thus, the accuracy of any modern translation
can be determined....We offer no paraphrase of the Scriptures....To each major word we have assigned
one meaning and have held to that meaning as far as
the context permitted.” —The Kingdom
Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures, 1985 edition,
pp. 5, 9-10
The following is a comparison between the rendering
of the Society’s Kingdom Interlinear Translation and the New World Translation:
| Verse |
Interlinear Translation |
New World Translation |
| Col. 2:9 |
“all the fullness of the divinity”
dwells in Christ. |
“all the fullness of divine quality” dwells in Christ. |
Note: Greek scholar Joseph Henry Thayer states
that the Greek word used here “Theotes” literally means “deity i.e. the state of being God, Godhead” —The New Thayer’s Greek English Lexicon
of the New Testament, 1974 p. 288
| Verse |
Interlinear Translation |
New World Translation |
| Col. 1:16-17 |
Christ created “all (things).” |
Christ created “all [other] Things.” |
Note: The Watch Tower Society inserts the word
“other” four times into this passage, in order to
make it compatible with their doctrine of Christ having been
created. However, in John 1:3, we read that Christ created “all
things” —not all other things.
| Verse |
Interlinear Translation |
New World Translation |
| Gal. 2:20 & 2 Cor. 13:5 |
Christ is living “in me.” |
Christ is living “in union with me.” |
| Phil. 3:9 |
“be found in him” |
“be found in union with him” |
Note: To be found “in Christ” means
that one is trusting in Christ alone for his righteousness and
is therefore positionally “in Christ.” Thus, when
God looks at this person who is “in Christ,” He
sees this person in the context of Christ's righteousness instead
of his own (see Col. 3:3). There is a big difference between
being “in union” with Christ and actually being
positionally “in Christ.”
| Verse |
Interlinear Translation |
New World Translation |
| Phil. 2:9 |
God gave Christ the name “over every name.” |
God gave Christ the name “above every [other] name.” |
Note: The Watch Tower Society teaches that
Jehovah God has the name above every name and therefore, they
had to insert the word “other” to justify their
doctrine. However, according to John 17:11, Jesus has Jehovah’s
Name!
| Verse |
Interlinear Translation |
New World Translation |
| John 1:1 |
“god was the Word.” |
“the Word was a god.” |
Note: The Society argues that because the definite
article “the” doesn’t appear before God in
this half of the verse, that justifies their insertion of the
article “a” in their translation. However, the Society
is inconsistent with their “rule” for if they were
consistent, they would have to translate John 1:6 as, “there
arose a man that was sent forth as a representative of a God.” Since this translation wouldn’t make
sense, the Society picks and chooses how it wants to apply its
“rule” in accord with its doctrine.
| Verse |
Interlinear Translation |
New World Translation |
| John 8:58 |
“Before Abraham to become I am.” |
“Before Abraham came into existence, I have
been.” |
Note: The Greek words for “I am”
are “ego eimi” . In every place where these
words appear in the text of the Bible, the Society correctly
translates them as “I am,” EXCEPT in this verse.19. Why the inconsistency in translation? Jesus was identifying
Himself with the “I am” of Exodus 3:14 who is Jehovah
God, and this is why the Jews tried to stone Him for blasphemy
(see verse 59, compare with Leviticus 24:16). The Society mistranslated
this verse because its correct translation contradicts their
doctrine.
| Verse |
Interlinear Translation |
New World Translation |
| John 14:10 |
“Not you are believing that I in the Father and the Father in me is?” |
“I am in union with the Father and
the Father is in union with me?” |
| John 14:14 |
“If ever anything you should ask me....” |
If you ask anything....” |
Note: Because the Society teaches that Jesus
isn’t God, they teach that one should not pray to Jesus.
Since prayer is a form of worship, Jesus shouldn’t be
prayed to unless, of course, He is God (see Exodus 23:13). As
one can clearly see, since Jesus asked his followers to request
things of Him in prayer, the Society had to omit the words “ask
Me” in their translation so that this verse would be compatible
with their doctrine.
Does the Society’s New World Translation pass the test of accuracy when measured by the Society’s Kingdom Interlinear Translation? Could this be why no
recognized Greek scholars support the Watch Tower Society’s New World Translation, and instead affirm along with
Dr. Julius Mantey that the Society’s translation is “a
grossly misleading translation"? 20.
THE
WATCHTOWER PROPHET:
“So, does Jehovah have a prophet to help
them, to warn them of dangers and to declare things to come? These
questions can be answered in the affirmative. Who is this prophet?...This
‘prophet’ was not one man, but was a body of men and
women. It was the small group of footstep followers of Jesus Christ,
known at that time as International Bible Students. Today they
are know as Jehovah’s Christian witnesses....Of course,
it is easy to say that this group acts as a ‘prophet’
of God. It is another thing to prove it. The only way
that this can be done is to review the record. What does it show?” —The Watchtower, April 1, 1972, p. 197
-
1914: “...the ‘battle of the great day of God Almighty’
(Rev. 16:14), which will end in A.D. 1914 with
the complete overthrow of earth’s present rulership,
is already commenced.” —The Time
Is At Hand, 1886, p. 101
-
1915: “...the ‘battle of the great day of God Almighty’
(Rev. 16:14), which will end in A.D. 1915,
with the complete overthrow of earth’s present rulership,
is already commenced.” —The Time
Is At Hand, 1915 edition, p. 101
-
1918: “Also, in the year 1918, when God destroys the
churches wholesale and the church members by millions, it shall be that any that escape shall come to the works of
Pastor Russell to learn the meaning of the downfall of ‘Christianity.’
” —The Finished Mystery, 1917, p. 485
-
1925: “... 1925 shall mark the resurrection
of the faithful worthies of old.... based upon the
promises set forth in the divine Word, we must reach
the positive and indisputable conclusion that
millions now living will never die.” —Millions
Now Living Will Never Die, 1920, p. 97
-
1940’s: “It would therefore appear that there is no reasonable
or Scriptural injunction to bring children into the world
immediately before Armageddon, where we now are.” —The Watchtower, November 1, 1938,
p. 324
-
1975: “Reports are heard of brothers selling their homes and
property and planning to finish out the rest of their days
in this old system in the pioneer service. Certainly this is a fine way to spend the short time remaining before
the wicked world’s end.” —Kingdom
Ministry, May 1974, p. 3
Most people who are familiar with the history
of this organization realize that since the first Watchtower in 1879, it has had a history of proclaiming the end of the world
on several dates: 1914, 1915, 1918, 1925, 1940’s, 1975.
But, does this mean that the Watch Tower Society is a false prophet?
Let’s examine what the Society says “False Prophets”
are:
“Individuals and organizations proclaiming
messages that they attribute to a super human source but that
do not originate with the true God and are not in harmony
with his revealed will.” —Reasoning from
the Scriptures, 1985, 1989, p. 132
Deuteronomy 18:20-22 states:
“But the prophet who shall speak
a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded
him to speak, or which he shall speak in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die. And you may say in your heart,
‘How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?’
When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the
thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which
the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it
presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.”
Under the section, “Have not Jehovah’s
Witnesses made errors in their teachings?” on page 136 of
the Society’s Reasoning from the Scriptures book,
they state:
“Jehovah’s Witnesses do
not claim to be inspired prophets. They have made mistakes.”
Is it true that the Society doesn’t claim
to be an “inspired” prophet? Let’s examine the
following statements from various Watchtower publications:
“What is here meant by the word
‘inspired’? It means that God, the Creator
of heaven and earth, moved these men by his spirit or invisible empowering force, putting into their minds what
they should write down as his ‘word,’ or message,
for mankind.” —Good News, 1976,
p. 14
“The Source of all true prophecy is Jehovah
God. He transmits it by means of his holy spirit or,
occasionally, by spirit-directed angelic messengers.” —Insight on the Scriptures, vol. 2,
1988, p. 691
“Consider, too, the fact that Jehovah’s
organization alone, in all the earth, is directed by
God’s holy spirit or active force.... That same
holy spirit and angelic direction still affect
the preaching activities of Christian ministers.” —The
Watchtower, July 1, 1973, pp. 402, 405
“These angels are invisible
to human eyes and are there to carry out the orders of the Lord.
Not doubt they first hear the instruction which the Lord issues
to his remnant and then these invisible messengers pass
such instruction on to the remnant. The facts show
that the angels of the Lord with him at his temple have been
thus rendering service unto the remnant since 1919.” —Vindication
III, 1932, p. 250
“There Ezekiel is definitely told that
he is henceforth to serve as a prophet. He is commissioned
to speak in the divine name.... He was thus, in an
outstanding way, made a witness of Jehovah. Not alone were the
inspired words of Ezekiel prophetic, but he himself was a prophetic
figure in his action....Who is Ezekiel’s present-day
counterpart, whose message and conduct correspond with
that of that ancient prophet of Jehovah?… So it
is with the modern-day counterpart of Ezekiel: it is, not one
person’s body, but a composite body, made up of many members.... were commissioned to serve as the mouthpiece and active agent
of Jehovah....Why, though, are all these facts of history brought
to our attention? It is to show the fulfillment of prophecy. Jehovah has found and commissioned his modern-day ‘Ezekiel.’ ” —“The Nations Shall Know THAT I AM JEHOVAH
—How?”, 1971, pp. 56, 58-59, 66
“The scroll was doubtless delivered to
Ezekiel by the hand of one of the cherubs in the vision. This
would indicate that Jehovah’s witnesses today make their
declaration of the good news of the Kingdom under angelic direction
and support. (Rev. 14:6,7; Matt. 25:31, 32) And since no word or work of Jehovah can fail, for he is God
Almighty, the nations will see the fulfillment of what these
witnesses say as directed from heaven. Yes, the time
must come shortly that the nations will have to know that really
a ‘prophet’ of Jehovah was among them.” —The
Watchtower, April 1, 1972, p. 200
As can be clearly seen, although the Society
declares that they “do not claim to be inspired prophets,”
they claim to get their information the same way inspired prophets do (through angels and the Holy Spirit), and
they claim to be on par with “inspired” prophets such
as Ezekiel. Just like Ezekiel was a spokesman for God, the Society
also claims to be Jehovah’s “mouthpiece,” and
thus, they claim that they are speaking the very words of Jehovah.
Note the following statements:
“The interpretation of prophecy, therefore, is not from man, but is from
Jehovah; and Jehovah causes events to come to pass
in fulfillment of the prophecy in due time.”—The
Watchtower, May 1, 1938. p. 143
“He merely uses the ‘servant’
class to publish the interpretation after the Supreme Court
by Christ Jesus reveals it.” —The
Watchtower, July 1, 1943, p. 203
“This is not giving any credit
to the magazine’s publishers, but is due to
the great Author of the Bible with its truths and prophecies, and who now interprets its prophecies. He it is that
makes possible the material that is published in the columns
of this magazine....” —The
Watchtower, April 15, 1943, p. 127
“We see no reason for changing the figures — nor could we change them if we would.
They are, we believe, God’s dates, not ours. But
bear in mind that the end of 1914 is not the date for the beginning, but for the end of the time of trouble.” —Zion’s
Watch Tower, July 15, 1894, p. 226
Certainly humans make mistakes and even Jesus’
disciples had wrong expectations as to when the end would come.
However, remember that at the time when the Watch Tower Society
was making these prophecies about the end of the world, they were
telling their followers that these “prophecies” and
“dates” were “God’s dates, not ours.”
They were proclaiming these prophecies in Jehovah’s name.
According to the standard for testing prophets,
discussed in Deuteronomy 18:18-22 and in the Society’s Reasoning book, which category does the Watch Tower Society fall into?
Are they a true or a false prophet? Do you agree with the Society’s
statement in the May 15, 1930 p. 156 issue of The Watchtower which states that once a person discovers a “false prophet”
the “people should no longer trust them as safe guides”?
Throughout its history, each time the Watch Tower
Society set a date for the end, Jehovah’s Witnesses were
often encouraged to sell their homes, put off education, and even
put off having children, because, according to the Society, the
“end” was so very near. Instead of putting your trust
in an organization which has made substantial “mistakes”
in the past and continues to make “mistakes,” why
not put your complete trust in Jesus alone, who openly invites
each one of us to come to Him.
“Come to Me, all who
are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you
rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from
Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and YOU SHALL
FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy, and My load is
light.” —Matthew 11:28-30
Jesus also warns that in the last days, false
prophets will arise and claim that He came back when He did not:
“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is, do not believe him. For false Christs
and false prophets will arise....” —Matthew
24: 23-24
Jehovah’s Witnesses presently believe that
Jesus’ presence began in 1914 and that he has been reigning
“invisibly” in the heavens ever since. However, from
1879-1929, the Watch Tower Society proclaimed Christ’s “invisible
presence” began in 1874.21. Therefore, we see that even according to the Society’s present
position, they falsely proclaimed Christ’s presence for
50 years.
Under oath, at the Douglas Walsh Trial, Hayden Covington (former vice president of the Watch Tower Society)
gave this testimony concerning the 1874 date:
A. ...that
was the publication of a false prophesy, it was a false statement
or an erroneous statement in fulfilment of a prophesy that was
false or erroneous.
Q. If a member
of Jehovah’s Witnesses took the view himself that the
prophesy was wrong and said so he would be disfellowshipped?
A. Yes....Our
purpose is to have unity.
Q. And unity based
upon an enforced acceptance of a false prophecy?
A. That is conceded
to be true.
— Douglas Walsh Trial, 1954, pp. 346-348
Why would Jehovah appoint a false prophet to
be His representative to mankind, especially since Jesus warned
His followers not to follow prophets who would falsely prophesy
His return?
To try to smooth over their history of false
prophecies, the Society states:
“Matters on which corrections of viewpoint
have been needed have been relatively minor when compared
with the vital Bible truths that they have discerned
and publicized. Among these are the following:…Since
1914 we have been living in the last days of the global wicked
system of things.” —Reasoning from
the Scriptures, 1985, 1989, pp. 136-137
As has already been pointed out, the Society
has made quite a substantial doctrinal change when they changed
their date for “Christ’s presence” from 1874
to 1914. When we examine the record, we also discover that their
current claim to have always taught the so-called “Bible
truth” that “Since 1914 we have been living in the
last days” has also been CHANGED. Note the following statements
in earlier Watchtower publications:
“The ‘Time of the End,’
a period of one hundred and fifteen (115) years, from A.D. 1799
to A.D. 1914, is particularly marked in the Scriptures.” —Thy Kingdom Come, (1891), 1914 edition,
p. 23
“ ‘The time of the end’
embraces a period from A.D. 1799, as above indicated,
to the time of the complete overthrow of Satan’s empire
and the establishment of the kingdom of the Messiah. The
time of the Lord’s second presence dates from 1874, as
above stated.” — The Harp
of God, (1921), 1924 ed., p. 231
On top of all this, the Society endeavors to
cover-up their history by stating in their 1993 history book, Jehovah’s Witnesses — Proclaimers of God’s
Kingdom, p. 135:
“As the years passed and they examined
and reexamined the Scriptures, their faith in the prophecies
remained strong, and they did not hold back from stating what
they expected to occur. With varying degrees of success,
they endeavored to avoid being dogmatic about details not directly
stated in the Scriptures.”
Did they really, “avoid being dogmatic
about details not directly stated in the Scriptures”?
“Surely there is not the slightest
room for doubt in the mind of a truly consecrated child
of God that the Lord Jesus is present and has been since 1874....” —The Watch Tower, January 1, 1924, p.
5
“We see not reason for changing the figures —nor could we change them if we would. They are,
we believe, God’s dates, not ours.” —Zion’s Watch Tower, July 15, 1894, p. 226
“The typical Jubilee cycles pointed out
A.D. 1874 as the date of our Lord’s return....And this
testimony was made doubly strong by proofs from two standpoints
--the Law and the Prophets....” —Thy
Kingdom Come, (1891), 1914 ed., p. 125
“In this volume we offer a chain of testimony
on the subject of God’s appointed times and seasons, each
link of which we consider Scripturally strong....therefore cannot
be of human origin.” —The
Time is at Hand, (1886), 1917 ed., p. 15
And they avoided being “dogmatic”??
“Jehovah, the God of the true prophets,
will put all false prophets to shame either by not fulfilling
the false prediction of such self-assuming prophets or by having
his own prophecies fulfilled in a way opposite to that predicted
by the false prophets. False prophets will try to hide
their reason for feeling shame by denying who they really are.”—Paradise
Restored to Mankind —By Theocracy!, Watch Tower Society,
1972, pp. 353-354
Jesus said, “and you shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make you free....If therefore the
Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” --John 8:32, 36 Why not place your complete trust in Jesus alone?
He will always reveal to you the truth because He is the truth:
“Jesus said to Him, ‘I
am the way, and the truth, and the
life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.’
” — John 14:6
“I have come as light into
the world, that everyone who believes in Me may not
remain in darkness.” —John 12:46
“You search the Scriptures, because you
think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that
bear witness of Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me, that you may have life.” —John 5:39-40
“They said therefore to Him, ‘Lord,
evermore give us this bread.’ Jesus said to them, ‘I
am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall
not hunger, and he who believe in Me shall
never thirst....All that the Father gives Me shall come
to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly
not cast out.’ ” —John
6:34-37
“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to
you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be
fearful.” —John 14:27
“Come to Me, all who
are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn
from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and YOU
SHALL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.” —Matthew
11:28-30
“If you ask Me anything
in My name, I will do it.” —John
14:14
Jesus invites people everywhere to come to Him
in prayer and to lay their burdens at His feet. You don’t
need an organization or a special “mediator class”
between you and God.22.“For
there is one God, and one mediator also
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” —1
Timothy 2:5 Jesus is the only Mediator. “…no
one comes to the Father, but through Me.” —John 14:6 Why not come to Him today? He truly
wants to be your Savior.
“And the witness is this, that God has
given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does
not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things
I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of
God, in order that you may know that you have
eternal life.” —1 John 5:11-13
“...behold, now is ‘THE ACCEPTABLE
TIME,’ behold, now is ‘THE DAY OF SALVATION’.” —2 Corinthians 6:2
For more information, see:
WHAT IS "THE TRUTH"?
I'VE BEEN STUDYING WITH JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES, HAVE I BEEN DECEIVED?
I'M HURT AND CONFUSED BUT I'M AFRAID TO LEAVE THE WATCHTOWER...
OUT OF THE WATCHTOWER, INTO WHAT?
JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES AND FALSE PROPHECY—20 Questions for Jehovah’s Witnesses on False Prophecies of the Watchtower Society
===========================
1. The Watchtower, November 15, 1981, p. 21
2. United in Worship of the Only True God, 1983, pp. 166-167; Blood, Medicine and the Law of God, 1961, pp. 54-55; School and Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1983, pp. 13-21,
23; The Watchtower, March 15, 1962, pp. 178-179; The
Watchtower, March 15, 1986, pp. 12, 19
3. The Watchtower, September 15, 1981, pp. 25, 29-30
4. Jehovah’s Witnesses --Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom, 1993, pp. 45-46
5. Studies in the Scriptures, vol. 1-7
6. Jehovah’s Witnesses --Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom, 1993, p. 200
7. The Watch Tower, April 15, 1904, p. 125; The Divine
Plan of the Ages, Studies, vol. 1, 1925ed. Biography, p.
7; 1975 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses, p. 88
8. Zion’s Watch Tower, December 1, 1894, p. 384; Zion’s
Watch Tower, September 15, 1895, p. 216
9. Zion’s Watch Tower, December 1881, pp. 2-3 (Reprints
p. 301)
10. Zion’s Watch Tower, November 1881, p. 10 (Reprints
p. 298)
11. The Atonement Between God and Man, (Studies, vol. 5), 1899,
1916ed, p. 85; Watch Tower, November 1879, p. 4 (Reprints
p. 48); The Plan of the Ages, 1891, p. 178
12. Jehovah’s Witnesses--Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom, 1993, p. 201; Zion’s Watch Tower, November
15, 1907, p. 351; Zion’s Watch Tower, December
1, 1904, p. 364
13. Zion’s Watch Tower, July 1, 1898, p. 204; Zion’s
Watch Tower, August 1, 1898, p. 231
14. Zion’s Watch Tower, October 1, 1900, p. 296; Zion’s
Watch Tower, July 15, 1902, p. 216
15. The Watch Tower, March 15, 1913, p. 84; Pennsylvania
Superior Court Reports, vol. 37, p. 351
16. Thy Kingdom Come, (Studies, vol. 3) p. 327
17. Jehovah’s Witnesses--Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom, 1993, p. 201; Finished Mystery, (Studies, vol. 7)
1917, p. 60
18. New World Translation, 1984, p. 5
19. See also John 9:5, 9
20. In the 1969 edition of the Watch Tower Society’s Kingdom
Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures, pp. 1158-1159,
the Society misquoted Dana and Mantey’s A Manual Grammar
of the Greek New Testament to try to support their translation
of “a god” at John 1:1. In response, Dr. Julius Robert
Mantey, Professor of Greek and New Testament at Northern Baptist
Theological Seminary of Chicago, Illinois wrote a two page report
entitled, “A Grossly Misleading Translation.”
21. Jehovah’s Witnesses--Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom, 1993, pp. 133-134; Prophecy, 1929, p. 65
22. The Society teaches that Jesus is NOT the Mediator for “all”
mankind. See Worldwide Security Under the “Prince of
Peace”, 1986, p. 10 |