Divine Name

Did the Hebrew writers of the New Testament call Jesus YHWH (Jehovah)? – Chapter 10 – Yes, You Should Believe in the Trinity

Throughout the years, Hebrew translations of the Christian Greek New Testament Scriptures have been made. Some of the earliest Hebrew translations that we possess today are DuTillet’s Matthew confiscated from the Jews in Rome in 1553 A.D. and Shem Tob’s Matthew transcribed in approximately 1380 A.D. Other Hebrew manuscripts include The Old Syriac Gospels, The Peshitta New Testament which may have come into existence at the time of Josephus, and The Crawford Aramaic version of Revelation purchased by Earl of Crawford around 1860. 1. The Watchtower refers to these Hebrew translations as “J” manuscripts and these documents provide most of the manuscript support for the Watchtower’s insertion of God’s name “Jehovah” into the New Testament portion of their New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.2. Continue reading “Did the Hebrew writers of the New Testament call Jesus YHWH (Jehovah)? – Chapter 10 – Yes, You Should Believe in the Trinity”

Should the Name Jehovah Be Used in Scripture to Refer to God?

heavenlysunset

SHOULD THE NAME JEHOVAH BE USED IN SCRIPTURE TO REFER TO GOD? —16 Questions for Jehovah’s Witnesses on the Use of God’s Name in the NWT

1. Do you believe that Bibles that translate God’s name as “LORD” or “GOD” instead of “Jehovah” keep people from becoming close to God because they portray Him as “remote and impersonal”?

“IN YOUR copy of the bible, how is Psalm 83:18 translated? The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures renders this verse: ‘That people may know that you, whose name is Jehovah, You alone are the Most High over all the earth.’ …many translations leave out the name Jehovah, replacing it with such titles as ‘Lord’ or ‘Eternal.’ What belongs in this verse? A title or the name Jehovah? …In the original Hebrew in which much of the bible was written, a unique personal name appears here. It is spelled יהוה YHWH) in Hebrew letters. …It appears in the original text of the Hebrew Scriptures nearly 7,000 times! …Ancient Hebrew was written without vowels. Therefore, no one today can say for sure exactly how people of Bible times pronounced YHWH. …In replacing God’s name with titles, Bible translators make a serious mistake. They make God seem remote and impersonal, whereas the Bible urges humans to cultivate ‘intimacy with Jehovah.’ (Psalm 25:14) Think of an intimate friend of yours. How close would you really be if you never learned your friend’s name? Similarly, when people are kept in ignorance about God’s name, Jehovah, how can they become truly close to God?” —WHAT DOES THE BIBLE Really TEACH?, 2005, pp. 195-196 Continue reading “Should the Name Jehovah Be Used in Scripture to Refer to God?”

Do the Beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses Prove they are the Only True Religion?

Only True Religion

DO THE BELIEFS OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES PROVE THEY ARE THE ONLY TRUE RELIGION? – 10 Questions for Jehovah’s Witnesses on How to Determine the True Religion

A common tactic used by those who oppose the beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses is to present photocopied documentation from Watchtower literature that demonstrates how the Watchtower Society has changed its beliefs and practices over the years. Examples of these changes that are often discussed are given on pages 200-201 of the Watchtower Society’s 1993 history book entitled Jehovah’s Witnesses — Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom. On these pages, the Watchtower Society admits that in the 1920’s Jehovah’s Witnesses celebrated the holidays, including Christmas and birthdays, wore a cross and crown as a badge of identification and even used the cross as a symbol on the front cover of the “Watch Tower” from 1891 to 1931. Continue reading “Do the Beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses Prove they are the Only True Religion?”

Renee – Ex-Jehovah’s Witness

.:RENEE – Growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness was not easy for her

Growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness was not easy for Renee as she was hated by her small town peers and had no friends. Marrying a Jehovah’s Witness man and engaging in full-time door-to-door activity, Renee worked hard for Jehovah God’s approval only to find her dreams dashed to pieces when her Jehovah’s Witness husband left her for another man and the Watchtower responded by disfellowshipping her along with her ex-husband on “hearsay” accusations alone! “How could You do this to me?” Renee cried out to God. His answer came in the most unexpected way. She now glorifies God for the marvelous way He freed her in Christ!

Continue reading “Renee – Ex-Jehovah’s Witness”

Jehovah’s Witness Bible Translation Examined

.:IS THE JEHOVAH’S WITNESS BIBLE, THE NEW WORLD TRANSLATION, A GOOD TRANSLATION?

It is a well-known fact that the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses denies the Deity of Jesus Christ. To this end, when they produced their own translation of the Bible (The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures), they went to great lengths to make it appear that the Scriptures do not support the idea that Jesus Christ is God (Jehovah). In an attempt to shift the emphasis off of Jesus Christ as God, they inserted the derivation “Jehovah” (an adaptation from the original Hebrew “YHWH” for God’s Name) in place of theos (God) and Kurios (Lord) in multiple verses in the Christian Greek Scriptures (New Testament). Thus, they created a distinction between Jehovah God and Jesus Christ that is not warranted in the text. In addition to inserting God’s Name where it is not supported by the text, they have also mistranslated many verses that support the Deity of Jesus Christ to justify their own anti-Trinitarian dogma. The following list (prepared by Chris Stire of Life After Watchtower Support Ministries) provides a record of the verses where the Watchtower Society’s anti-Trinitarian bias can be seen in their New World Translation. We encourage readers to verify these errors with any Greek/English Interlinear, including the Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures published by the Watchtower Society. NOTE: All references to brackets in the list below are from the 1984 edition of the New World Translation because in 2006, the Watchtower Society updated their version of the New World Translation Bible to remove the brackets that they used to have around words that they inserted that are not found in the Greek text. Thus, all editions of the New World Translation except the ones between 1984 and 2006 have words deceptively added without the brackets to make it seem as if these words are found in the original Greek text even though they are not in the text. Continue reading “Jehovah’s Witness Bible Translation Examined”

Questions to Ask Jehovah’s Witnesses When they Knock on Your Door

A Step-by-Step Guide for Christians Witnessing to Jehovah’s Witnesses

WHO ARE JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES?

Jehovah’s Witnesses are known for their door-to-door proselytizing efforts and the Watchtower and Awake! magazines that they distribute to private homes, public facilities, and individuals on street corners. Although they claim strict adherence to the Bible and do not regard any other book as “Scripture,” they rely on their own version of the Bible called The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures and additional publications of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society that they use to interpret the Bible. While Jehovah’s Witnesses claim to be “Christians,” their true authority is the Watchtower organization that demands full devotion to its teachings and policies. Their denial of key Christian beliefs, such as the Trinity, heaven for all believers, hell fire for unbelievers, immortality of the soul, and the cross, has caused many Christian churches to denounce this group as a heretical movement. Likewise, counter-cult experts criticize this group for its prohibition against blood transfusions and critical literature, and its strict “shunning” policy against those who leave the group. 1.

Although every Jehovah’s Witness is expected to “publish” their message by consistently engaging in “field service” (proselytizing door-to door and conducting “bible studies” with potential converts), most spend between 10 to 70 hours per month in these activities depending upon the level of “publisher” they have committed to perform. Each month, they are expected to report their field service time and studies to the local Kingdom Hall (Jehovah’s Witness meeting place). Weekly meetings and semi-annual assemblies constantly emphasize the need to increase field service activity and to be faithful in meeting preparation and attendance.

A strong motivating factor for Jehovah’s Witnesses is the belief that at any time, Jehovah God will unleash His vengeance against wicked mankind through the prophesied “Battle of Armageddon” that will destroy earthly governments and establish the 1,000-year reign of Jesus Christ upon the earth. Jehovah’s Witnesses are told that when this battle occurs, Jehovah God will reward or condemn them based upon their faithfulness to perform consistent field service and their loyalty to the beliefs and practices of the Watchtower Society. Therefore, throughout the history of the organization, when false dates for the “end” of the world have been speculated, many lives of Jehovah’s Witnesses have been ruined because they sold their homes, gave up the pursuit of higher education, marriage and children in order to prepare for the end. While Jehovah’s Witnesses today still hold to the idea that Jehovah God will destroy this world at any time, they do not attach a date to this belief, but work to maintain a perpetual state of readiness for the “end” to come at any time. Continue reading “Questions to Ask Jehovah’s Witnesses When they Knock on Your Door”

Dialogue 2b: Should Christians use the divine name “Jehovah” in prayer? Part 2

ccjw-en-ad — **Click Here to Learn More about the Book** of Photocopied Documentation

CHRISTIAN CONVERSATIONS WITH JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES—Biblical Answers To Questions Jehovah’s Witnesses Ask

(WDGR Lesson 7: “Drawing Close to God in Prayer”)

(CONTINUED FROM A PREVIOUS DIALOGUE)

KAREN: Hello, Cindy, have you done any research on what we talked about last week? We had discussed how the Watchtower Bible inserts the divine name in their New Testament translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures even though there is not a single Greek manuscript of the Christian Scriptures that contain the name Jehovah. I had asked you why the Watchtower Society argues that we must use Jehovah’s name in our prayers based on verses that do not even contain His name in the original language.

CINDY: Yes, Karen, the Watchtower brochure The DIVINE NAME That Will Endure Forever discusses this very issue. They admit that apart from partial abbreviated forms of Jehovah’s name—such as “Jah” in “Hallelujah”— that “…no ancient Greek manuscript that we possess today of the books from Matthew to Revelation contains God’s name in full.”1. But since most of the manuscripts of the Christian Greek Scriptures in existence today “were made during or after the fourth century” the Society argues that “something” happened “to the text of the Christian Greek Scriptures before the fourth century that resulted in the omission of God’s name.”2.

Continue reading “Dialogue 2b: Should Christians use the divine name “Jehovah” in prayer? Part 2″

Dialogue 2a: Should Christians use the divine name “Jehovah” in prayer? Part 1

CHRISTIAN CONVERSATIONS WITH JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES—Biblical Answers To Questions Jehovah’s Witnesses Ask

(WDGR Lesson 7: “Drawing Close to God in Prayer”)

Why do many Christians address Almighty God in prayer by the titles “Lord” or “God” instead of calling Him by His personal name “Jehovah” or “Yahweh”? Is there any evidence for the use of the Divine Name in the original Christian Greek (NT) Scriptures? In what way do true Christians today “sanctify” God’s Name?

CINDY: Hi Karen, what are you reading in your Bible?

KAREN: Oh Cindy, I was reading over the model prayer that Jesus gave us in
Matthew 6:9. I was thinking about this in light of the next lesson we’ll be studying in the Watchtower brochure What Does God Require of Us? I think it’s wonderful that God has provided a way for us to be able to approach Him in prayer.

Continue reading “Dialogue 2a: Should Christians use the divine name “Jehovah” in prayer? Part 1″