With Harold C. Felder

1. Jehovah's Witnesses Origins, Beliefs and Dangers With Harold C. Felder www.GivingAnAnswer.org

2. Road Map • Disclaimer • Origins • Statistics • Practices • Beliefs • Dangers • Reaching them for Christ • Summary

3. Disclaimer • We are commanded to oppose false doctrine “An elder must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.” (Titus 1:9) “You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1) “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Tim. 4:16)

4. Statistics for 2005 • Membership at 6,613,829 in 235 countries • There are 98,269 congregations • Conducted an average of 6,061,546 Bible studies

5. Charles Taze Russell Born February 16, 1852 and raised Presbyterian Russell meet N.H. Barbour who was associated with the Adventist who taught that Christ returned spiritually in 1874 Russell provided Barbour with financial backing in exchange for serving on the staff of the The Herald of the Morning as an assistant editor Russell and Barbour split over theological differences so they parted ways with a number of Adventist leaving with Russell The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society was founded in 1896 Died October 31, 1916 Origins

6. Practices • Door-to-door witnessing is necessary for salvation • They are governed by the “Governing Body” in Brooklyn NY • Members meet in Kingdom Halls five times a week • Reject celebration of religious, national, or cultural holidays as pagan and idolatrous

7. Practices • Members who disobey the rules can be disfellowshipped • They are not allowed to read any material other than the Watch Tower’s • Reading the Bible without the help of Watch Tower literature is forbidden

8. Beliefs • God • The name Jehovah • God is only to be referred to as Jehovah • Superstitious scribes removed the name • Calling on the name of Jehovah is necessary for salvation • God is not a trinity “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 to me to generation after generation” (Exodus 3:15 NWT) “Everyone who calls on the name of the Jehovah will be saved.” (Romans 10:13 NWT) “The origin of the [Trinity] is entirely pagan.” (Should You Believe in the Trinity, pg. 3)

9. Beliefs • Response • The name Jehovah • Ex. 3:15 actually contains the tetragram YHWH which most scholars actually pronounced Yahweh • In thousands of Greek NT manuscripts the tetragram does not appear even once • Jehovah is a man made term and does not appear once in Scripture • It is a combination of vowels with Adonai and the constants YHWH • YaHoWaH or Jehovah

10. Beliefs • Response • Pagan Roots • Babylonians and Assyrians believed in polytheism

11. Beliefs • The Holy Spirit • An impersonal force like electricity • Being filled, baptized, and anointed by the Holy Spirit would make no sense if it were a person • Passages that refer to the Holy Spirit as a person are merely personifications The Holy Spirit “is not a person but is a powerful force that God causes to emanate from himself to accomplish his holy will” (Reasoning from the Scriptures)

12. Beliefs • Response • The Holy Spirit has all the attributes of personhood • Mind • Emotions • Will • Refers to Himself as a person “And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will” (Rom. 8:27) “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills” (NASB 1 Cor. 12:11) “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” (Eph. 4:20) “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’” (Acts 13:2)

13. Beliefs • Response • Being Filled with the Holy Spirit does not mean He cannot be a person • The Holy Spirit is God “That you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Eph. 3:19) “Then Peter said, ‘Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God.’” (Acts 5:3-4)

14. Beliefs • Jesus • Jesus was not God • He was the first of God’s creation, through which God created everything else • He existed for billions of years in his prehuman state as Michael the Archangel • He gave up his spiritual existence when his life force was transferred into Mary’s womb “By means of him all [other] things were created in the heavens, and upon the earth, the things visible and the things invisible, no matter whether they are thrones or lordships or governments or authorities. All [other] things have been created through him and for him. Also he is before all [other] things and by means of him all [other] things were made to exists” (Col. 1:16 NWT, emphasis added) “there is Scriptural evidence for concluding that Michael was the name of Jesus Christ before he left heaven and after his return” (The Watchtower, May 15, 1960) “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” (1 Thes. 4:16)

15. Beliefs • Jesus • He was resurrected a spirit creature • Jesus resumed his identity as Michael the Archangel after the resurrection “It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual one.” (1 Cor. 15:44 NWT) His earthly body “was disposed of by Jehovah God, dissolved into its constituent elements or atoms” (Watchtower, Sep. 1, 1953)

16. Beliefs • Response • All things, not all other things were created “by Him and for Him” (Col. 1:16) • Christ cannot be the Archangel Michael • 1 Thes. 4:16 simply means that Michael will return with Christ • Jesus rebuked Satan (Mt. 4:10; 16:23; Mk.: 8:33) but Michael could not (Jude 9) “the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire” (2 Thes. 1:7 NASB) “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first”

17. Beliefs • Response • Jesus rose in the same body that was crucified • The empty tomb indicated that the body which vacated is the same one that occupied it. (Matt. 28) • The crucifixion scars on the resurrection body shows it was the same one that died. (Jn. 20:27) • Jesus said that he would raise his body (temple) in three days (Jn. 2:19) • 1 Cor. 15:44 was referring to a Spirit controlled body

18. Beliefs • Response • Jesus is 100% man and 100% God “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!’ At this, they picked up stones to stone him” (Jn. 8:58-59) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn. 1:1) “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Col. 1:16-17)

19. Beliefs • Salvation • Works based • Christ’s death only wiped out Adam’s sin and allows us the opportunity to work out our own salvation • Only available to Jehovah’s Witnesses “to get one’s name written in that Book of Life will depend upon one’s works” (Watchtower, Mar 15, 1962) “To Receive everlasting life in the earthly Paradise we must identify that organization and server God as part of it” (Watchtower, Feb 15, 1983)

20. Beliefs • Response • Salvation is by Grace alone • In Christ alone “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Eph. 2:8,9) “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” (Jn. 5:24)

21. Beliefs • The After Life • The anointed class • This is made up of the 144,000 people who will inhabit heaven • This number was sealed in 1935 • They will receive a recreated spirit body • The earthly class • The remainder of Jehovah’s followers • They will live here on earth, ruled by the anointed class • They will receive a recreated body and personality from the memory of God “Only a little flock of 144,000 go to heaven and rule with Christ . . . . The 144, 000 are born again as spiritual sons of God” (Jehovah’s Witnesses in the 20th Century) “And I heard the number of those who were sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the sons of Israel” (Rev. 7:4, NWT)

22. Beliefs • The After Life • Soul sleep • All men, even the righteous remain unconscious and inactive in the grave until the resurrection • Annihilation • Hell does not exists. God simply destroys those who are not JW’s “when a person is dead he is completely out of existence. He is not conscious of anything” (You can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth, Watchtower) “Imperfect man does not torture even a mad dog, but kills it. And yet the clergymen attribute to God, who is love, the wicked crime of torturing human creatures merely because they had the misfortune to be born sinners” (Let God Be True, Watchtower)

23. Beliefs • Response • Regarding 144,000 • Inconsistent interpretation • Indicates only men would be in heaven • Heaven is classless • No where in Scripture does it say that heaven is limited to 144,000 • All believers will receive a bodily resurrection “No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. These are those who did not defile themselves with women” (Rev. 14:3, NIV) “the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” (Phil. 3:20-21) “And I heard the number of those who were sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the sons of Israel” (Rev. 7:4, NWT) “If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also” (Jn. 12:26, NASB)

24. Beliefs • Response • The soul does exists after death • Hell does exists • Jesus taught it (Lk. 16) • God’s love demands a hell • God’s justice demands a hell • The Cross implies hell “Jesus answered him, ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise’” (Lk. 23:43) “Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’” (Lk. 23:46)

25. Beliefs • Response • Annihilation is unbiblical • The rich man in hell was in conscious torment (Lk. 16) • Punishment can only be experience by those who are conscious • There are no degrees of annihilation yet the Bible talks about degrees of punishment (Rev. 20:12-14, Mt. 5:22)

26. Dangers • Physical considerations • Organ transplants • Blood transfusions • Spiritual • There is no salvation in the Watchtower organization

27. Reaching them for Christ • Discredit the Watchtower organization • False prophecies • 1925 – The Return of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the Prophets • 1975 – End of Human History • Discredit their Translation • Not recognized by any legitimate scholars as a reliable translation • Credentials of the translators are non existent • Emphasize your relationship with God “We may expect 1925 to witness the return of these faithfrul men of Isarel from the condition of death, being resurrected …. 1925 will mark the return of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the faithful prophets of old” (Millions Now Living will Never Die, Watchtwer) “There are only about ninety months [7 and ½ years] left before 6,000 years of man’s existence on earth is completed. … The majority of people living today will probably be alive when Armageddon breaks out” (Our Kingdom Ministry, Watchtower)

28. Summary • Jehovah’s Witness teachings are cultic • Distorted view of Christ • Distorted view of God • Jehovah’s Witness teachings are unbiblical • Jehovah’s Witness teachings are dangerous

29. The End