BI 462 — Modern Day Cults

Tobias England

Jehovah’s Witness

Jehovah’s Witnesses

This group, known to many Baptists as “JWs”, are officially called the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. Charles TazeRussell was born in 1852 into a Presbyterian family. Though there were five children, only one other lived to adulthood. Charles stood out as a young man in several areas. History records that he was writing contracts with customers of his father’s clothing stores, and was given part responsibility in the business. He was also known to be fervent in his religion, and is remembered for writing verses from the Bible about judgment on the sidewalks, hoping to “save some with fear.” When Charles was thirteen, he left his parent’s church and joined the Congregationalist Church.

When Charles Russell was 16 he had a life changing conversation with a long time friend about the faults of Christianity and contradiction between denominations. This launched him in his quest for religious truth, a quest that caused him to study many of the Eastern religions, as well as Islam.

Beginning in 1870, Mr. Russell, his family, and a slowly growing group of friends endeavored to study the Bible analytically. They determined that the date of Christ’s return could be foreknown, and that it would happen on the memorial of Christ’s death, 1878. Needless to say, this did not happen, and he and his small group of followers were bitterly disappointed. There was falling away of many of his disciples, and one large fracture, but this did give him time to get married, which he did in 1879. Due largely to Charles’ zeal for his work, they agreed to a celibate marriage, a decision that contributed to its end 18 years later.

Transition

When Charles Taze Russell died in 1916, Joseph Rutherford, also known as “Judge Rutherford” was elected head of the Watch Tower organization. One of the first things Judge Rutherford did as head was to edit a book called The Finished Mystery and publish it posthumous in Russell’s name. However, the evidence was so strong that he wrote it, the US Government convicted him on espionage and imprisoned him in 1918 with a 20 year sentence. In the book he had criticized the war, but he was released in 1919. It was under his rule, in 1931, the they officially took the name “Jehovah’s Witnesses” based on Isaiah 43:10.

Doctrine

One of the characteristic of a cult is that their doctrine is in a constant state of flux. This is certainly seen with the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Some of the more major changes include:

  • The beginning of the “last days” was moved from 1878 to 1914. When this, too, failed to bring in the Kingdom, passages used were reinterpreted to refer to a heavenly event, not an earthly one.
  • Rutherford prophesied that Old Testament figures Abraham and Isaac would be resurrected in 1925. This was to coincide with the beginning of the thousand-year reign of Christ. (Attendance figures demonstrate the disappointment of this prophesy’s failure. Three years later they were just under 20% of their previous numbers.)
  • This prophecy was also made about 1975, and they again suffered a great loss of constituents.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses teach their member that because they are not part of an earthy kingdom but a heavenly, they should not have ties to the political. They will not salute the flag, stand for the national anthem, or serve in the military. They also do no celebrate specials days, including birthdays.

They believe that Jesus was created by Jehovah and is synonymous with Michael the Archangel. Except for the 144 thousand, most believe they will enjoy paradise on this earth. They obviously do not believe in the Trinity, and deny the Biblical Hell.

Jehovah’s Witnesses Today

Today, JW’s are active and committed to evangelism. Lay people provide the majority of the workfor this false teaching. Part of this is likely due to their works-based religion. They are taught that “All who by reason of faith in Jehovah God and in Christ Jesus dedicate themselves to do God’s will and then faithfully carry out their dedication will be rewardedwith everlasting life...” (Let God Be True, p. 289) The doctrine of grace has been systematically thwarted and even removed from their text.

Errors of the JW

  1. They deny the perpetuity of the New Testament Church.

Matthew 16:18 contains Christ’s promise of the perpetuity of the church. It will never become wholly apostate, it will never need to be restored. (Jude 3, I Timothy 3:15, Ephesians 3:21)

  1. Deny the existence of hell.

JW’s agree with Seventh Day Adventists that the soul becomes unconscious at death. The just will be resurrected for a reunion with God, while the wicked will be burned up with the earth, and will cease to exist.

“Early, Russell had a strong fear of hell, but he later abandoned the idea of eternal punishment when he got involved in the teachings of Seventh-Day Adventism.”[1]

  1. Don’t believe the Bible is sufficient.

Not only do Jehovah Witnesses teach that the King James Bible is corrupted, they also teach that the Bible is not sufficient for a believer. In The Watchtower, September 15, 1910 the faithful are told, “Furthermore, not only do we find that people cannot see the divine plan in studying the Bible by itself, but we see, also, that if anyone lays the SCRIPTURE STUDIES aside, even after he has used them, after he has become familiar with them, after he has read them for ten years—if he then lays them aside and ignores them and goes to the Bible alone, though he has understood his Bible for ten years, our experience shows that within two years he goes into darkness.”

Consider II Timothy 3:16, John 6:13, I Corinthians 2:12, Acts 17:11

They do not, however, teach that their publications are inspired and without error. (See appendix A)

  1. Only Begotten Doesn’t Mean Christ was Created

Jehovah Witnesses do not believe that Jesus was eternal. They would say he is birthed of God, (John 3:16) Is that what is meant by this verse? Hebrews 11:17 uses the same word to describe Isaac. “Only begotten” in John 3:16 stresses the uniqueness of Christ; it does not teach that He was created.

  1. Jesus is a created being.

How do we know that Colossians 1:15-17 does not teach that Christ was created first, then God used Him to create everything else? (Also Revelation 3:14)

  • The word for “image” means a precise copy or replica. It would be the equivalent of a picture today. Christ is a portrait or manifestation of God. (See Col. 2:9)
  • Verse 18 says He was the firstborn from the dead. Was Christ the first one who was raised from the dead? This shows us rather that Christ is the heir of the entire universe. This is in keeping with Jewish use of firstborn.
  1. Jesus is not eternal

John 8:58 is a great response to this. The Jewish reaction confirms His claim to deity.

  1. We can know when Christ will return

Not only are we told that no man knows the day nor the hour (Matthew 25:13), but are told that His return will come as a thief in the night. (I Thessalonians 5:2, II Peter 3:10) By not believe these basic truths the Jehovah Witnesses’ have set themselves up for some embarrassing failures. (See Appendix)

  1. Jesus is not Jehovah

Although the New World Translation used by JWs contains many passages that are mistranslated to reflect their doctrinal bias, it is often helpful to show them the Jeremiah 23:1-6 in their own Bible:

“Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasturage!” is the utterance of Jehovah.Therefore this is what Jehovah the God of Israel has said against the shepherds who are shepherding my people: “YOU yourselves have scattered my sheep; and YOU kept dispersing them, and YOU have not turned your attention to them.”

“Here I am turning my attention upon YOU for the badness of YOUR dealings,” is the utterance of Jehovah.

“And I myself shall collect together the remnant of my sheep out of all the lands to which I had dispersed them, and I will bring them back to their pasture ground, and they will certainly be fruitful and become many.4And I will raise up over them shepherds who will actually shepherd them; and they will be afraid no more, neither will they be struck with any terror, and none will be missing,” is the utterance of Jehovah.

“Look! There are days coming,” is the utterance of Jehovah, “and I will raise up to David a righteous sprout. And a king will certainly reign and act with discretion and execute justice and righteousness in the land.6In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel itself will reside in security. And this is his name with which he will be called, Jehovah Is Our Righteousness.”

8. The 144,000 are faithful Jehovah’s Witnesses

Revelation 7:4-8 clearly teaches that this number consists of Jews from the various tribes. That they are also unmarried is taught is Revelation 14:1-4.


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[1] Boa, K. (1990). Cults, World Religions, and the Occult (96). Canada; England: Victor Books.