A. Introduction
Jehovah's Witnesses (JW's) is one of the fastest growing religious organizations in the world. The organization was founded by Charles Taze Russell, who began publishing the magazine Zion's Watchtower and Herald of Christ's Presence in 1879. By the end of 1992, there were approximately 4.5 million active, baptized JW's in the world, compared to just 95,327 in 1940.
JW's are distinguished for their extremely active house-to-house evangelism in which all members are strongly encouraged to participate. They have their own translation of the Bible, called the New World Translation (NWT), which differs significantly from other translations. Most of their false teaching--particularly about the deity of Jesus Christ--stem from distortions that have been introduced into their translation. For example, a key JW teaching is that all true believers must used God's correct name, Jehovah (Exodus 3:15; Matthew 6:9). Accordingly, the NWT inserts the name "Jehovah" in the New Testament whenever the text is believed to refer to God the Father. They then claim that other translations have hidden the correct name of God in order to mislead their readers. Yet the truth is that the name "Jehovah" NEVER appears in the original Greek text. The New Testament ALWAYS uses the words "Lord" [Greek: kurios] or "God" [Greek: theos] in referring to God the Father. Thus, the statement that other translations deliberately disguise the true name of God is absolutely false.
Amongst the major deviant doctrines taught by JW's is that (i) Jesus Christ invisibly returned to earth in 1914; (ii) Jesus Christ is currently directing his kingdom through the exclusive agency of the Watchtower Society--the governing body of the JW's, and that the Watchtower Society is the sole arbiter of what is God's truth; (iii) the end of the world will occur before the last person alive in 1914 dies; (iv) there will only be 144,000 people allowed in heaven, and since that number was achieved in 1935, nobody who believes in Jehovah today can enter heaven; (v) true believers are forbidden from accepting blood transfusions and celebrating special days, like birthdays and Christmas; and (vi) there is no hell and no afterlife for those who have rejected God.
Probably the most heretical doctrine of the JW's is that Jesus Christ was the archangel Michael, who gave up his spiritual being to become the mortal man Jesus Christ. Upon his sacrificial death on the cross, the body of Christ was disposed of by Jehovah and Christ was recreated into the angelic being Michael. Thus the JW's reject the notion of the equality of Jesus Christ and God the Father, and absolutely reject the notion that men should worship Jesus Christ as God.
B. Is the Watchtower Society God's Representative on Earth?
As God's representative on earth, the Watchtower makes claim to be the prophetic voice of God. In fact, JW's have made a number of prophecies in the twentieth century that have been extremely damaging to the credibility of the organization. For example, the JW's predicted that world would end in 1914; later, that the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would physically return from the dead in 1925 (in fact, the JW's built an estate in San Diego, California known as Beth-Sarim that was to house the resurrected saints); and more recently, that the world would end and the thousand-year reign of Christ would being in 1975. The JW's now acknowledge that these prophecies were "mistakes," but state that this does not discredit them as being God's true prophetic voice.
In addition, the JW's have changed a number of doctrinal positions over the years. For example, in the early 1930s the JW's forbade vaccinations, but then reversed their position in the 1950s and subsequently allowed them. Likewise, the JW's prohibited organ transplants in 1967 but then reversed their position in 1980 to allow them. A key doctrinal reversal concerns the date when Jesus Christ invisibly returned to earth in his second coming. Originally, the JW's believed that Christ had returned in 1874. For example, Charles Russell, the founder of the JW's, stated in Volume 4 of Studies in the Scriptures, "Our Lord, the appointed King, is now present, since October 1874 A.D....;" and a 1922 issue of The Watchtower magazine said, "No one can properly understand the work of God at this time who does not realize that since 1874, the time of the Lord's return in power [italics added], there was has been a complete change in God's operations." However, later on the organization claimed that Christ actually returned in 1914, a position still held by the JW's.
Do these failed prophecies and doctrinal reversals discredit the statement that God is using the Watchtower Society as His sole prophetic voice? The JW's say no, that they are mere mortal men, and thus prone to error. The problem with this position is that unlike most religious organizations, the Watchtower Society claims exclusive authority to interpret the Scriptures. In fact, they demand nothing less than blind obedience from their followers. The following quotes are taken directly from official Watchtower Society publications:
"God has not arranged for [His] Word to speak independently or to shine forth life-giving truths by itself. It is through his organization God provides this light."
"Avoid independent thinking...[and] questioning the counsel that is provided by God's visible organization."
"Fight against independent thinking."
"If we have love for Jehovah and for the organization of his people we shall not be suspicious, but shall, as the Bible says, 'believe all things,' all the things that The Watchtower brings out."
"He does not impart his holy spirit and an understanding and appreciation of his Word apart from his visible organization."
C. Evidence for the Divinity of Christ
A full investigation of the biblical claims for the divinity of Christ lies beyond the purview of this short essay. However, this section will give a flavor of how the JW's distort this key doctrine of Christianity. For example, a major prophecy about Jesus Christ is found in the Old Testament book of Isaiah:
Another verse that the JW's distort is Hebrews 1:6, where it says, "And again, when God brings his firstborn [i.e., Jesus Christ] into the world, he says: "And let all God's angels worship him." This verse is significant, because here one has Jehovah, God the Father, calling upon the angels to worship Jesus Christ, God the Son. Yet, worship of anything or anyone other than God is clearly prohibited in the Bible (Exodus 34:14 states, "For you shall not worship any other god, for the Lord...is a jealous God"). So this verse is further evidence for the unity of Jehovah and Jesus Christ.
How do the JW's deal with this verse? Interestingly, the NWT translates this verse: "But when he again brings his First-born into the inhabited earth, he says: "And let all God's angels do obeisance to him." That is, the JW's translate this verse so that Jesus Christ is honored, but not worshipped. However, the Greek word that the JW's translate "obeisance" [proskuneo] is everywhere else translated "worship" in the NWT. Furthermore, prior to 1971, the NWT also translated this word as "worship" in this verse. Belatedly recognizing the doctrinal inconsistency this raised, all editions of the NWT since 1971 have changed "worship" to "do obeisance."
The Bible consistently teaches the equality of God the Son with God the Father. Though the concept of the "trinity" is difficult to understand, it is clearly revealed in the scriptures. For example, Christ is recorded in John 10:30 as saying, "I and the Father are one." And in John 5:22f., Jesus says, "...the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father...[italics added]."
Lastly, Philippians 2:6, in speaking of Jesus Christ, states, "...Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped..." Theologian Robert Reymond writes of this verse, "we have here as bold and unqualified an assertion of both the preexistence and the full and unabridged deity of Jesus Christ as one could ever hope to find in the pages of the New Testament."
As any straightforward reading of the New Testament will show, Jesus Christ is the centerpiece of God's new covenant with man. He is the God-Man--fully equal and one with God the Father. While the concept of the Trinity cannot be fully understood, it can be clearly identified in the revelation of the Bible. The exaltation and worship of Jesus Christ is fundamental to Christianity. By teaching against this truth, JW's are a stumbling block to earnest seekers of truth who wish to know the true God.
Bowman, Robert. Why You Should Believe in the Trinity: An Answer to Jehovah's Witnesses. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1989. ISBN: 0-8010-0981-2.
Reed, David. Jehovah's Witnesses: Answered Verse By Verse. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1986. ISBN: 0-8010-7739-7.
Rhodes, Ron. Reasoning from the Scriptures with the Jehovah's Witnesses. Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 1993. ISBN: 1-56507-106-9.
Bob Reed
Associate Professor
Economics
If you have any questions or comments you can E-Mail me at BREED@OU.EDU