JW.ORG's Online Bible Study Lesson 2.1 "Who is Jesus?"

I decided to take the WT up on their offer at JW.ORG and go through their short lessons to “Learn what the Bible teaches.” WT speak is in RED, my comments are in BLACK, anything else is in BLUE. I logged in to JW.ORG, and under "Online Bible Study Lessons" I clicked on "Get Started" or it may say "Pick a Lesson Now," OR for Bible Study Lesson 2.1 simply click here.

Before you begin reading, I strongly suggest you have, at the ready, the WT’s Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures. You can download a free PDF copy here.

In Lesson 2.1 the WT states: We’ll consider two main points in this lesson:
1. Jesus was a prophet and a miracle worker. I did not have a problem with this section.
2. Jesus is God’s Son
Here the WT goes immediately into their, "The Bible teaches that Jesus was God’s first creation," and they cite Colossians 1:15,16 as proof for this doctrine. I have blogged about this heresy here. The word at Colossians 15 that is the center of dispute is PROTOTOKOS which actually means "Preeminent" and is telling us that Jesus is "Preeminent over all creation," and the reason he is Preeminent is explained in Colossians 1:16, 17. The WT is saying that Jesus was "first created" which requires a different Greek word, PROTOPLASTOS. If Paul wanted to say that Jesus was "first created", he had a Greek word that would have done just that. However, by using PROTOTOKOS, Paul is saying that Christ is the head, the ruler, the creator, the Preeminent One over all creation. He was not first created (PROTOPLASTOS).

At Colossians 1:16 the WT's New World Translation states, "because by means of him ALL OTHER THINGS were created in the heavens and on the earth." What the WT doesn't tell you is that they have altered v. 16. Look at the KIT (below), and verse 16, on the Greek (Left) side and you will see that it reads,"by means of him all things were created." The original Greek, the God breathed scripture, states that Jesus created ALL THINGS, not "all other things." The WT has altered this verse to go along with their doctrine instead of altering their doctrine to go along with the God breathed scriptures and as a result they have the WRONG JESUS.

I progressed through the remaining slides for Lesson 2.1 and I wanted to comment on two points the WT attempts to make. (1) John 14:28. The phrase “the Father is greater than I” was spoken by Jesus during the upper room discourse, and the greater context is the promising of the Holy Spirit to the disciples after Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus says repeatedly that He is doing the Father’s will, thereby implying that He is somehow subservient to the Father. The question then becomes how can Jesus be equal to God when by His own admission He is subservient to the will of God? The answer to this question lies within the nature of the incarnation. 

During the incarnation, Jesus was temporarily “made lower than the angels” (Hebrews 2:9), which refers to Jesus’ status. The doctrine of the incarnation says that the second Person of the Trinity took on human flesh. Therefore, for all intents and purposes, Jesus was fully human and “made lower than the angels.” However, Jesus is fully divine, too. By taking on human nature, Jesus did not relinquish His divine nature—God cannot stop being God. How do we reconcile the fact that the second Person of the Trinity is fully divine yet fully human and by definition “lower than the angels”? The answer to that question can be found in Philippians 2:5-11. When the second Person of the Trinity took on human form, something amazing occurred. Christ “made himself nothing.” This phrase has generated more ink than almost any other phrase in the Bible. In essence, what it means is that Jesus voluntarily relinquished the prerogative of freely exercising His divine attributes and subjected Himself to the will of the Father while on earth.

Another thing to consider is the fact that subservience in role does not equate to subservience in essence. For example, consider an employer/employee relationship. The employer has the right to make demands of the employee, and the employee has the obligation to serve the employer. The roles clearly define a subservient relationship. However, both people are still human beings and share in the same human nature. There is no difference between the two as to their essence; they stand as equals. The fact that one is an employer and the other is an employee does nothing to alter the essential equality of these two individuals as human beings. The same can be said of the members of the Trinity. All three members (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) are essentially equal; i.e., they are all divine in nature. However, in the grand plan of redemption, they play certain roles, and these roles define authority and subservience. The Father commands the Son, and the Father and the Son command the Holy Spirit. 

Therefore, the fact that the Son took on a human nature and made Himself subservient to the Father in no way denies the deity of the Son, nor does it diminish His essential equality with the Father. The “greatness” spoken of in this verse, then, relates to role, not to essence.  

Thanks to GotQuestions.org for the insight into John 14:28--a good resource for any and all questions related to the Bible.

(2) The WT makes the statement that Jehovah resurrected Jesus. This statement is partially true. My blog "Who raised Jesus? The Trinity affirmed in the Resurrection!" is here and shows that Scripture teaches God raised Jesus, the Father raised Jesus, Jesus raised Jesus and the Holy Spirit raised Jesus.

The next Lesson 2.1 "Who is Jesus? Want More on the Subject" is here.

JW.ORG's Online Bible Study Lesson 1.1 & 1.2 "Can the Bible Help You?" and "Who is God?"

I decided to take the WT up on their offer at JW.ORG and go through their short lessons to “Learn what the Bible Teaches.” WT speak is in RED, my comments are in BLACK, anything else is in BLUE. I logged in to JW.ORG, and under "Online Bible Study Lessons" I clicked on "Get Started" or it may say "Pick a Lesson Now," OR for Bible Study Lesson 1.1 simply click here.

Before you begin reading, I strongly suggest you have, at the ready, the WT's Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures. You can download a free PDF copy here.

Lesson 1.1 About the Bible—Can the Bible Help You? I found nothing wrong with this Lesson. All the information was general in nature and pretty innocuous. I would like to point out one interesting fact concerning  Point #3 Accurate Prophecy. I agree that the Bible contains many accurate prophecies, the Bible also condemns False Prophets--those not speaking for God and their punishment--death. The WT has a history of False Prophecies and I have blogged about four of the biggest and most infamous. 

#1--Prophecy of 1878--The End of the Harvest, here 
#2--Prophecy of 1914--The Destruction of Christendom and the End of Human 
        Rulership here
#3--Prophecy of 1925--Resurrection of the Patriarchs here 
#4--Prophecy of 1975--Armageddon Promised! here

Lesson 1.2 Who is God, the Creator? Point 1 God the Creator has a name. The Bible teaches that God created all things. (Genesis 1:1; Revelation 4:11).

To show that God is the creator of “all things” the WT cites Genesis and Revelation which do indeed show that God created “all things.” However, what the WT leaves out is just as important as what they put in. They have left out two key verses on the creation of "all things"—John 1:3 and Colossians 1:16-17.

Why did they leave these out? The WT teaches that Jesus DID NOT create “all things.” John and Colossians prove that Jesus did create “all things.” Thus, the WT has the wrong Jesus. To prevent the Bible Student from finding this out they make sure the student does not read these two verses. The student is taking the WT’s guided tour of the Bible where the WT carefully guides the student away from any verses that contradict WT doctrine (as in the case of John 1:3) or the WT will change the verse to align with their doctrine instead of changing their doctrine to align with God's word (as in the case of Colossians 1:16-17).

John 1:3. The WT teaches that Jehovah created Jesus and Jesus then created “all other things.” The apostle John in John 1:3 states in two ways, positively and negatively, that Jesus is the Creator. First positively: that by Jesus “all things came into existence through him.” Pretty clear, Jesus created “all things” that have been created. The WT teaches that one thing was created without Jesus and that one thing was Jesus himself, who was created by Jehovah.

In order to drive home the point that Jesus created "all things," John puts it negatively this way, “apart from him (Jesus) not even one thing came into existence.” The WT teaches that one thing did come into existence without Jesus and that one thing was Jesus himself, who was created by Jehovah.

Choose you this day whom you will believe, Holy Scripture OR the Watch Tower. I have blogged extensively about John 1:3 here.

Colossians 1:16-17 (from the KIT's Greek side) you see that Paul wrote four times that Jesus created “all things.” The WT recognizes that these verses contradict their “Jehovah created Jesus then Jesus created all other things,” doctrine, therefore, they add the word “other” in front of “all things” and now, after the insertion, the verse reads “all other things” and nicely goes along with their doctrine.

Choose you this day whom you will believe, Holy Scripture OR the Watch Tower. I have blogged extensively about Colossians 1:16-17 here.

After the WT has shown that God is the Creator of "all things," they then launch into "God has a name." They ask, "Let’s start by getting your view. When you introduce yourself to someone new, what’s the first piece of personal information that you share?" They want you to answer "Your Name." If you do, this pops up: "Most people would agree. Often, the first piece of information we share with someone is our name. This is the first step in building a relationship. But does God have a name?"

In Lesson 1.2 the WT is endeavoring to drive home two points: (1) God is loving and is interested in your well-being. I have no problem with this. (2) God's name is Jehovah. In one of their slides the WT quotes Psalm 83:18, “Many people know that you, whose name is Jehovah, you alone are the Most High over all the earth.” Two slides later you are given a multiple choice question about God's name. If you answer "Jehovah", the WT acknowledges, "“Jehovah” is the most common spelling of God’s name in English. “Yahweh” is another common spelling. Here is where I begin to have a problem with the WT.  I have blogged extensively about this here and here. 

The WT's goal is two fold: First, to have you (just like all JW's) believe that God's name is actually Jehovah. Secondly, that "true" worshipers honor God's name, Jehovah. Consider the WT publication, Good News from God! The title of Chapter 10 on page 20 reads, “How Can You Recognize True Worship?Further down on page 20, “Question 3. How can you recognize true worshippers? Consider these five identifying marks:” Mark #2 on page 21 reads, “Jesus’ true followers honor God’s Name, Jehovah. Where you live, which religion makes God’s name known? And what would be the answer to this question? Why, Jehovah's Witnesses of course!

Finally, in an effort to 'toot their own horn,' the WT in “What Does the Bible Really Teach?,” page 195, states “Clearly, God’s name is of the UTMOST importance,” and who treats it as such. Why, Jehovah's Witnesses of course! Once they have declared using Jehovah is of the UTMOST (greatest, highest) importance, they now must defend the use of Jehovah as God's personal name, untenable as it is, as I have shown. But stuck they are and so they dig in their heals and you read in their various publications some form of: "Jehovah is God's personal name," and they down play (i.e. you must look far and wide to find) "Yahweh is the name agreed on by Hebrew scholars" and "Jehovah was first used in 1270 C.E. by a Catholic Monk."

In Conclusion: In Lessons 1.1 and 1.2, the WT wants you to believe that God's personal name is actually Jehovah. IT IS NOT, as I have shown in this blog and here. AND they want you to believe that God created "all things." God did create all things (Isaiah 40:28), however, the Bible also teaches that Jesus created "all things." Thus Jesus is God. However, the WT teaches that Jesus is not God and therefore any verse that says Jesus created "all things" must be changed or explained away, which the WT does.

The next Lesson 2.1 is here.

5 AMAZING REASONS THE WATCH TOWER IS IN DECLINE!

ALARMING FACT #1. Dramatic DECREASE in WT & Awake! Issues Per Year and a DECREASE in # of Pages (from 32 to 16) Per Issue. 

Watchtower, Public Edition. Number of Issues Each Year.

AWAKE! Magazine. Number of Issues Each Year.

WHY REDUCE THE NUMBER OF ISSUES PRINTED EACH YEAR?

TO CUT COSTS! JWs have Little or No Growth in High Income Countries but Experience Growth in Low Income Countries.

WHY INCOME IS IMPORTANT. Witnesses appear to increase in poorer nations where personal computers, smartphones and other devices cost more and internet access is problematic. WT increases are offset by little or no increase in Canada, the United States, Europe, Australia and Japan where income is high and most people own computers, etc. and have reliable internet access.

WHY COMPUTERS AND INTERNET ACCESS IS IMPORTANT. The world is changing with new technology. The internet has been a challenge for the JWs who knock on doors globally BUT seek to isolate its members from outside information as much as possible. Former members organize online to bring reform and shed a BRIGHT LIGHT on doctrinal inconsistencies, false prophecies and the many government investigations into policies relating to sexual assault. THE WATCH TOWER CAN NO LONGER HIDE FROM THE WORLD!

JWs STATED REASON FOR REDUCING THE NUMBER OF PAGES PRINTED “FEWER PAGES MORE LANGUAGES, IT’S NOT TO CUT COSTS” or IS IT?

Just Looking at the AWAKE! Magazine—How much money did the WT Save?

MY CALCULATIONS: The WT is very secretive about its Income and Expenses. Therefore, I had to rely on 3^rd Party resources, like GOOGLE, for this information.

ALERT: A Sure sign of a CULT is secrecy involving ‘INCOME’ and ‘EXPENCES’.

Number of PAGES Printed in a Typical Month & Year (I chose 1984) [Source: Google “how many the awake! magazines were printed in 1984”] 

20 Million Magazines Printed Per Month X 32 Pages Per Magazine = 640 Million Pages Printed Per Month X 12 = 7.68 Billion Pages Printed in 1 Year

TODAY’s AWAKE! Is Printed Once a Year. In all Languages 31.46 Million Magazines Printed X 16 Pages Per Magazine ≈ 503 Million Pages in 1 Year [Source: Google: “AWAKE! Magazine Wikipedia”]

SAVINGS TO THE WT due to “FEWER PAGES PRINTED” 7.68 Billion Printed (1984) – 503.36 Million Printed (Today) ≈ 7.177 Billion Fewer Pages Printed each Year

7.177 Billion Fewer Pages Printed ÷ by 16 (# of Pages in 1 AWAKE!) ≈ 449 Million, the # of AWAKE!s NOT PRINTED X 10¢ (“In the US the suggested donation to COVER COSTS per issue was 5¢ in 1950, gradually increasing to 25¢ in 1989”—I USED 10¢ as an Average)  [Source: Google: “AWAKE! Magazine Wikipedia] ≈ MONEY SAVED by Reducing the # of AWAKE! Magazines Equals $44,900,000

THE COST TO TRANSLATE an Issue of the AWAKE! Magazine (or any publication) into hundreds of languages is surprisingly LOW due to:

(1) VOLUNTEERS (a person who freely, Zero Cost, offers to take part in an enterprise or a task) to work in remote translation offices (RTOs) around the world.

(2) TRANSLATION TOOLS such as computerized dictionaries, language tools, and research materials speed up the process of Translation but are relatively inexpensive.

(3)  MULTILANGUAGE ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING SYSTEM* (MEPS) owned by IBM, also called "Integrated Publishing System" (IPS) allows text to be entered in any number of different languages and then Published Simultaneously in hundreds of different Languages.  For example, the April 1, 1984,  issue of The Watchtower (using MEPS) became the first to BE PUBLISHED IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES SIMULTANEOUSLY (occurring at the same time).

In 1985, the number of simultaneous languages grew to 23. And by 2021, the STUDY EDITION OF THE WATCHTOWER WAS BEING PUBLISHED SIMULTANEOUSLY IN MORE THAN 390 LANGUAGES!

 

ALARMING FACT #2—IF YOU WERE RAISED A JW, CHANCES ARE YOU ARE NOT NOW A JW. JWs HAVE THE LOWEST RETENTION RATE OF ANY RELIGION.

Only 34% of All Those Who Say They Were Raised as JWs Still Identify Themselves as JWs.

ALARMING FACT #3. % Increase in JW Publishers is LESS THAN % Increase in World Population. THE WATCH TOWER IS SHRINKING!

ALARMING FACT #4. The Watch Tower sold their Iconic Brooklyn Properties for $1+ Billion Dollars*. Their New HQ (Warwick) cost $0.00 to build. WHERE DID THE $1 BILLION GO??

INTERESTING FACT: The Cost to Build the WTs Warwick HQ=$0.00*

From the Link Below*: “Richard Devine, is a spokesperson for the Jehovah’s Witnesses and one of the five-man committee that oversaw construction of the Witnesses’ massive new headquarters in Warwick, NY.”

“Once Warwick approved the site plan in 2013, an army of 28,000 volunteer Witnesses converged and, along with construction crews, finished the 1.6 million square-foot campus in just three years.”

“Devine declined to share costs, except to say ‘the Witnesses are COMPLETELY FINANCED BY DONATIONS.’”

INTERESTING CONJECTURE. What if, “The Pope announced that Vatican City  is to be put up for sale.” Would you believe the Catholic Church was facing some kind of financial crises?

*https://www.dirt-mag.com/special-spots/witnesses-fresh-new-hq-GEDM20161024161029995

ALARMING FACT #5. When someone says “it is not about the money,” be assured IT’S ABOUT THE MONEY!”

If it is not about the MONEY, what is it about? WT Speak is in BLACK, my comments are in BLUE.

“Because the magazines will contain less material, translation teams will be able to make them available in more languages.”

Having a team translate something from ENGLISH into a native tongue has been eliminated by MEPS, which simultaneously can translate ENGLISH into any one or all of 390 Languages (more are added all the time.) ‘AWAKE! is printed in over 100 Languages.’ Source at JW.ORG, “Breaking the Language Barrier​—A Look Behind the Scenes”

“In order to put more emphasis on starting Bible studies and to reduce the amount of material that our brothers must read, the Governing Body recently made a number of exciting decisions (reducing the # of issues and # of pages of AWAKE! and Watchtower Magazines plus eliminating other Publications). 

But the brothers & sisters needn't worry, this absolutely doesn’t mean that the WT is in financial difficulties! No-o-o-o, it’s not like that at all! You shouldn’t feel sad or dejected, you should be excited! The Governing Body has just lovingly decided to reduce the amount of material that the brothers & sisters must read. Great! Over Joyed! What about ceasing to publish any material whatsoever? Imagine how much time the brothers and sisters will save then!

The Governing Body reduced the number of Awake! magazines published each year because they shifted their focus to digital platforms like their official website. 

Not to mention saving $44.9 million  each year and that just from the savings in reducing the AWAKE! Magazine. It is a lot cheaper to post something on the internet than to print, package and mail that same amount of printed material. 

Remember, it is NOT ABOUT THE MONEY! By the way, Don’t forget Brothers & Sisters, “Avoid independent thinking . . . questioning the counsel that is provided by God’s visible organization (WTBTS).” WT, Jan. 15, 1983, p. 22. AND “In submitting to …[the] organization, we must be in full and complete agreement with every feature of its apostolic procedure and requirements.” WT, Oct. 1, 1967, p. 592.

Memorial of Jesus’ Death—Is the WT Celebration Biblical?

How would you feel if you were invited to a friend’s home for Thanksgiving dinner but NOT allowed to eat? In fact, all the elements are there for a glorious dinner but they are just passed from person to person without anyone partaking. Sound weird, unusual to say the least. But that is exactly what the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses requires of all Witnesses once a year at what they call the “Memorial of Jesus Christ’s Death.”

In 2025, it will be “celebrated” after sundown in most Kingdom Halls on April 25. JW’s will invite millions of people around the world to come to the Lord’s Evening Meal and WATCH as the Witnesses partake or more accurately, NOT PARTAKE.

Why are there so many NON-PARTAKERS? Why is it so necessary that each participant hold the bread plate and wine glass then decline to partake and pass it to the next person?

Let’s take a look at a typical WT Communion Service which usually has two parts: (1) The Communion and (2) The Talk.

WT’S “MEMORIAL OF JESUS’ DEATH” SERVICE—Part 1: “THE COMMUNION”

WHY FEW PARTAKE. The WT has a two-class system of believers. The “Anointed Class” are those JWs who have a heavenly hope and this number, since Pentecost, is limited to 144,000. It is only those JW’s, who are part of the 144,000, who can ‘Partake.’ The vast majority of JW’s are of the “Earthly Class.” They will spend eternity on a Paradise Earth and are not allowed to Partake but they are commanded to “observe” the ritual. Thus, only the elite “Anointed Class,” made up of only 144,000, will eat the bread and drink the wine at Communion; so you might see only one, or more likely, none of the JW’s present eating and drinking. Almost all of those present will only pass the plate and cup up and down the rows, since they are there to only “observe” the ritual.

THE ACTUAL COMMUNION starts with the speaker who receives the elements from an elder. The speaker then hands both back to the elder. After all the elders take and pass the bread and wine, the elements move to the crowd who in turn pass them among themselves. As mentioned, only a chosen few are partaking. For most Kingdom Halls no one does partake. In a few Kingdom Halls, if the speaker or one of the other elders or a member is of the “anointed class,” they would be permitted to eat and drink, but this is extremely rare.

PEW WORLD WIDE STATISTICS ON THE WT’S “CHRIST’S MEMORIAL” FOR THE YEAR 2022. (All numbers are rounded)

There were about 20,000,000 attendees for Christ’s Memorial with 20,000 Partakers. That means for every 1,000 attendees, 1 person partook of the bread and wine for communion.

There are about 117,000 Watch Tower Congregations World-Wide. That means for every 5.9 Congregations, 1 Congregation will have 1 person partake.

Therefore, if you attend a JW “Memorial,” chances are you will see no one partake.

WHAT DO THE SCRIPTURES SAY ABOUT THE PROPER WAY TO CONDUCT COMMUNION?

All scriptures sited are from the WT Bible: The New World Translation.

The communion celebration was started by Christ himself and he asked ALL his followers to partake. Where in scripture does it indicate the practice that JWs carry out today, namely that the vast majority do not partake?

Jesus made it very clear what his followers were to do at the Lord’s Evening Meal that he started. Jehovah Witnesses actually do read Christ’s instructions during the Memorial from their Bible on what they are commanded by him to do at 1 Corinthians 11:23-26:

For I received from the Lord that which I also handed on to YOU, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was going to be handed over took a loaf and, after giving thanks, he broke it and said: “This means my body which is in YOUR behalf. Keep doing this in remembrance of me.” He did likewise respecting the cup also, after he had the evening meal, saying: “This cup means the new covenant by virtue of my blood. Keep doing this, as often as YOU drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as YOU eat this loaf and drink this cup, YOU keep proclaiming the death of the Lord, until he arrives.”

Is this what they do? They teach it is a command for all JW’s to attend this memorial and then are told to disobey Jesus' command to partake of the emblems that represent His blood and body that He gave to cover our sins. Right after they read Jesus’ words to “Keep doing this in remembrance of me” they are told not to do the very thing that would remind them of Jesus, namely partake. If the majority of JW’s are not in the New Covenant then why are they invited to this meal? Is this some kind of spectator sport that Christ instituted? Apparently, the leadership of JW’s think so.

Consider Christ words at John 6:53-58:

Accordingly, Jesus said to them: “Most truly I say to YOU, Unless YOU eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, YOU have no life in yourselves. He that feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has everlasting life, and I shall resurrect him at the last day; for my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. He that feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood remains in union with me, and I in union with him. Just as the living Father sent me forth and I live because of the Father, he also that feeds on me, even that one will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. It is not as when YOUR forefathers ate and yet died. He that feeds on this bread will live forever. (NWT) 

Notice what Jesus urges his followers to do: 

“As they continued eating, Jesus took a loaf and, after saying a blessing, he broke it and, giving it to the disciples, he said: “TAKE, EAT. This means my body.” Also, he took a cup and, having given thanks, he gave it to them, saying: “DRINK OUT OF IT, ALL OF YOU,” (Matthew 26:26-27,)

If there are two classes of Christians, those who attend and partake AND those who attend but do not partake, then why didn’t Jesus ever mention this? Clearly the practice of not partaking is against Jesus’ command for all of his followers to partake!

PART 2: THE TALK is basically the same one at each Memorial. There are four talking points: (1) How is the ransom provided, (2) Who benefits from the ransom, (3) Who should partake of the bread and wine, and (4) What more can JW’s do to show appreciation for the ransom. Point 3 is always a thinly veiled warning against anybody but the anointed 144,000 taking the elements. Point 4 is an  appeal to attend meetings, participate in ministry, take in Bible knowledge and live a clean moral life.

IN CONCLUSION: Some Questions to Ponder as You Come to Your Own Conclusions.

Jesus said, ‘Do this in remembrance of me.’ What did he mean? Do what? It seems like JW’s are not doing what Jesus said to do.

If we’re only supposed to observe, why do we even touch the dishes? Shouldn’t they have the actual participants up front at that little table, and the rest of us watch? It seems like you’re half participating in the ritual. If you’re only supposed to observe, then observe and nothing else, don’t you think?

The speaker quoted Jesus, where he said, “Drink out of it, all of YOU, for this means my ‘blood of the covenant,’ which is to be poured out in behalf of many for forgiveness of sins.” (Matt. 26:27-28) Does that mean those who do not partake are not in the New Covenant? Are your sins forgiven? If you’re not in the New Covenant, what covenant are you in?”

Did you know that the Watchtower likens the Great Crowd of believers to the ‘foreign residents’ in the Old Testament? Did you also know that the foreign residents, once they committed to Jehovah and are circumcised, (Exodus 12:48) could participate in all the festivals and feasts, including Passover? I’m sure you know that the Lord’s evening meal is the fulfillment of the Passover. So here’s what’s puzzling to me. Since the foreign residents could eat and drink at the Passover, why can’t the great crowd of believers eat and drink at the “Memorial?” (See the WT Publication  Isaiah’s Prophecy—Light for All Mankind II, Chapter 17, “Foreigners Gathered to God’s House of Prayer,” pgs. 247-261.)

Four SURE SIGNS Jehovah’s Witnesses are a CULT!

A CULT IS “an organized group whose purpose is to dominate cult members through psychological manipulation and pressure strategies. Cults are usually headed by a single powerful leader or a group of leaders who isolate members from the rest of society,” Quote from "Very Well Mind" found here.

As a religious Cult, JWs know to maintain control of it members, they must keep them ignorant of what the Bible really teaches. 

SIGN #1. Cults Publish their own Bible. 

Why was a new translation needed? 

According to JW.ORG, “the need to produce a new translation that would better help people to learn the “accurate knowledge of truth, which is God’s will for everyone.”

According to XJW4Jesus (that would be the authors of this Channel): “With their own Bible, the leaders can change verses, to hide the fact that their doctrines are not in an accurately translated Bible.”

Other Examples of Religious groups that publish their own Bibles. (1) Mormons publish their Book of Mormon; (2) Islam publishes their Koran; (3) LaVeyan Satanism publish their own Satanic Bible.

SIGN #2. Translators of the Cult's Bible are Unknown.

Pinning your eternal life to a Bible that is translated by people that want to remain anonymous, therefore, their qualifications to translate ancient languages cannot be determined, is akin to boarding a plane piloted by someone who may not have a pilot’s license and you have no way of finding that out. Ask a JW to name the translators of their “superior Bible” (The New World Translation) and wait for their answer. Be prepared for a long, long wait.

I personally use The New American Standard Bible. A list of translators can be found here.

SIGN #3. Abusers of children and/or adults are protected from criminal liabilities by the leader(s) of the cult.

In the case of JWs, this was done so as not to “besmirch Jehovah’s organization.”

JWs respond: “Lies perpetrated by Apostates and haters of Jehovah’s Earthly Organization.” NOT SO. Go to “SilentLambs.com” for a plethora of information on this topic.

WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN TO THE ABUSER? Should the Elders be informed? YES! BUT AFTER A CALL IS MADE TO THE POLICE. If someone has been abused, the abuser is now a criminal. He/she is outside the boundaries of the authority of the church. That abuser is a law breaker and the authorities that God has put in place, as his ministers for justice, SHOULD BE CALLED. That abuser is a criminal and hshe needs to be dealt with, first by the earthly justice system and then by the Elders of their local church 

JWs have a habit of first making sure that the “Organization” is not viewed in a negative light by the “World.” Unfortunately, this usually means NOT GOING TO THE GOD ORDAINED CIVIL AUTHORITIES.

SIGN #4. The Leader/Organization is right at all times. Members are discouraged from voicing opinions contrary to Official Doctrine. 

As Proof, I offer WT statements. These are not just suggestions—these come from Jehovah himself, via the Governing Body, (my comments are in RED).

"Those who are convinced that The Watchtower is publishing the opinion or expression of a man should not waste time in looking at it at all. . . God uses The Watchtower to communicate to his people;” (The Watchtower, January 1, 1942, pg 5.) OK, now that the ground work has been laid (Jehovah uses the WT to speak to his people) what does Jehovah say.

“Avoid independent thinking . . . questioning the counsel that is provided by God’s visible organization.” The Watchtower, January 15, 1983, pg 22. Jehovah not only wants to control what you wear, how you look, what you read and watch BUT WHAT YOU THINK.

“Heavy research . . . is not necessary.” The Watch Tower has done it for you. “The very best and most beneficial studying you do is that done when you read a new Watchtower or Awake! or a new book.” The Watchtower, June 1, 1967, pg 338. Jehovah says, “don’t waste your time studying, like the Bereans, let the WT do the research. You just read and believe what they publish.”

“Meekly go along with the Lord's theocratic organization and wait for further clarification, rather than balk at the first mention of a thought unpalatable and proceed to quibble and mouth criticisms and opinions as though they were worth more than the slave's provision of spiritual food." The Watchtower, February, 1952, pgs 79-80. Jehovah says, “If you have a criticism or even a negative  opinion, about my Organization, keep it to yourself, I don’t want to hear it. Get in line and go along with WATEVER the WT says.”

Lastly, always remember and never forget:

 

“Don't associate with outsiders (non-Jehovah's Witnesses). You are too busy for that!” The Watchtower, 2/1/74, pg 93.

 

“Remember, you are to have no association with non-Jehovah's Witness friends or relatives. If they are honest and moral, that still does not make any difference.” The Watchtower, 2/15/60, pgs 112-113.

A goal of the WT is to physically isolate all JWs, especially new JWs, from friends and family members who might otherwise provide a reality check. The WT routinely isolates its members from outside information. Books, Newspapers, TV, and Web access are all restricted, ensuring that the only reality JWs get to experience is the one presented by the WT.

My 1st Blog on this topis is "Seven Signs the WT is a CULT!" here

Is God's name Jehovah? Part 4

What is the correct name for the One we worship, Yahweh? or Jehovah? or does it even matter?* According to Insight on the Scriptures, Vol. 2 page 5 here, a WT publication, the name "Jehovah  is the best known English pronunciation of the divine name.” 

God's name comes from the Hebrew letters pronounced Yod He Waw He. These four letters are known as the Tetragrammaton (Greek “four letters”) and correspond to the English YHWH. Based on Hebrew and Greek manuscripts, the most accurate transliteration of YHWH is “Yahweh.” See my blog Is God's Name Jehovah? Part 2 here.

Yahweh’s Name appears nearly 7,000 times in the Hebrew Old Testament. Exodus 20:7 reads, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain." The word “vain” comes from the Hebrew לשווא transliterated "shav," translation: falsehood, nothingness, emptiness of speech, lying, and worthlessness.

Why would this be a command? Why would God command us to be careful how we use His name? Why would He punish people who take His name in vain?

The answer is simple.  It is because God is Holy, pure, perfect, and righteous. To use His name is to bring attention to who He is. To use His name means that you are acknowledging His existence. To use His name is to call upon the One who has proclaimed who and what He is by His name.

God's name comes from the Hebrew verb "to be." In Exodus 3:14, Moses was at the burning bush and he asked God what His name was.  God replied, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you." God is the infinite being.  He is the one who inhabits eternity. Psalm 90:2 says, "Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God." God is the one who inhabits eternity. He did not say his name was Ashtorith, Baal, Molec, or Allah, which are all names people give to false god’s. His name is the transcendent, the eternal, the continuously present and holy pronouncement of "I AM". In English we see this as Yahweh (see my blog What is God’s Name Part 2 here.)

When you call upon His name, you are calling upon Him. Using His name in any form should be taken with great seriousness. The name of God is Holy because it is self given. It comes from God's own mouth and God is holy. God did not adopt the name that some group of people gave to Him. He disclosed His own name.

Adam was given dominion over the animals and He was given the right to name them. But no one has dominion over God.  No one has the right to name God. God has always existed and He knows who He is. He is the eternal one. He is the creator.  He is the one who has always been.  He is the one who was existing before the creation of the universe and before time existed.  He is the great, "I AM." Out of God's own nature, out of His own heart, He disclosed His holy name to us.  It is self -given.  His name is Holy and is not to be used in a vain way. God commands us not to use His name in vain. 

To misuse God's name means literally, "to lift it up to or attach it to emptiness. To use it incorrectly." No one is to use the Lord's name in this manner. God wants you to guard your words and make sure you are not using God’s name in vain even in normal conversation.

When we ignore His Name we are breaking this commandment. Also, according to the Old and New testaments, those who call upon Yahweh’s Name will be saved, Joel 2:32 and Acts 2:21. Beyond the scriptural significance, people prefer being called by their personal names and not by a replacement someone may randomly choose. Our Creator is no different. He too desires to be called by His personal revealed Name, Yahweh.

For more information on this topic see, The Yehovah Deception here and Yahweh or Jehovah here.

Is God's Name Jehovah? Part 1 here