This article is an amalgamation of several sources, and constitutes a reorganization of said data into one singular point. Attribution is given at the end of each section. The aforementioned data will then be expanded upon with logic and scriptural proof. The purpose of this article is to apply critical thinking skills and logic to what we know to be true, in order to deduce that which is false, and set free those who are lost in that falsehood. A big thank you to Charlie H. Campbell and Matt Slick.

“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.” — 2 Corinthians 13:5

“But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.” — 2 Peter 2:1

Maintaining Rational Discourse

Please refer to my article on maintaining rational discourse if you’d like to learn more about informal fallacies and how to apply them in debate effectively; however, it’s more important, I think, that we speak the truth in love.

“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” — 1 Corinthians 13:1-2

Being rude or short-tempered with a Jehovah’s Witnesses will often only fortify them in their position. They’ll walk away from your house quoting Jesus’ words in John 15:20.

“Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the persecution they receive in their door-to-door efforts is evidence they are walking in the truth.

“And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.” — 2 Timothy 2:24-26

God wants us to deal with them very humbly, realizing they are not the enemy. They have been taken captive by the enemy. They’re not purposely going door-to-door to deceive. They themselves have been deceived. So, this verse says God wants us to “be gentle” with them.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” — Ephesians 6:12

A Brief History of the “Jehovah’s” Witnesses

In the year 1870, an 18 year old teenager, Charles Taze Russell attended church and found himself unable to accept centuries of sound scholarship. He denied the truths found in the Bible, such as: Hell, the Trinity, the deity of Christ. So he organized a Bible study in Pittsburgh, where he began to share his unorthodox beliefs with others, this Bible study grew and the group eventually made him their pastor.

By 1879, Charles Russell and his followers believed the Second Coming of Christ had already happened invisibly in 1874. And they declared that to be the case for 40 years. The followers of his teachings have since changed the date of Christ’s invisible coming to 1914.

Around 1908, Russell falsely prophesied that the year 1914 would be the year Armageddon would begin in which God would destroy all human governments and establish His kingdom on the Earth. Of course, Armageddon never quite materialized in 1914, 1915, 1918, or any of the other years Jehovah’s Witness leaders said it would occur. Charles Russell died in 1916, a failed prophet.

Despite the false prophecies, the Watchtower Society has grown into one of the largest, most influential cults of our time, undoubtedly due to the conformity bias of groupthink.

The psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome. Group members try to minimize conflict and reach a consensus decision without critical evaluation of alternative viewpoints by actively suppressing dissenting viewpoints [i.e. excommunication], and by isolating themselves from outside influences.

The Witnesses Have Zero Scholarship In Their Translations

Whereas Christian Bibles have thousands of verifiable scholars, professors, and doctorates in linguistics, semitic languages, biblical hebrew and biblical greek; the cults have taken authentic Christian works, and twisted it to comply with their false doctrine. The book the Witnesses use is called the the New World Translation (NWT), this false rendering of the Bible was produced by the New World Bible Translation Committee in 1947.

“as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.” — 2 Peter 3:16

This committee is said to have comprised unnamed members of multinational background. The committee requested that the Watch Tower Society not publish the names of its members, The publishers believe that “the particulars of [the New World Bible Translation Committee’s members] university or other educational training are not the important thing” and that “the translation testifies to their qualification”. Since this entire article is about the many egregious errors found within the false work, I’d say the word used should have been “disqualification”.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” — (2 Timothy 2:15)

Former high-ranking Watch Tower staff have identified various members of the translation team. Former governing body member Raymond Franz listed Nathan H. Knorr, Fredrick W. Franz, Albert D. Schroeder, George D. Gangas, and Milton G. Henschel as members of the translation team, adding that only Frederick Franz had sufficient knowledge in biblical languages. Referring to the identified members, Dr. Walter Ralston Martin said, “The New World Bible translation committee had no known translators with recognized degrees in Greek or Hebrew exegesis or translation… None of these men had any university education except Franz, who left school after two years, never completing even an undergraduate degree.”

The Witnesses Are False Prophets Since The Late 1800’s

The Bible clearly defines how to identify a false prophet. A true prophet of God won’t err in prophesying. Only a false prophet does. The Jehovah’s Witness organization, that claims to be a prophet of God, is really a false prophet. Jesus warned us by saying, “For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect–if that were possible” — Matthew 24:24.

“And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’— when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.” — Deuteronomy 18:21-22 NKJV

In 1972 the Jehovah’s Witness Watchtower claimed to be the prophet of God. So all we have to do is find instances of what they prophesied, not coming to pass! This is shocking, this particular cult has debunked itself as far back as the late 1800’s, only a hand full of years after its founding.

IDENTIFYING THE “PROPHET”–“So does Jehovah have a prophet to help them, to warn them of dangers and to declare things to come? These questions can be answered in the affirmative. Who is this prophet? . . . This “prophet” was not one man, but was a body of men and women. It was the small group of footstep followers of Jesus Christ, known at that time as International Bible Students. Today they are known as Jehovah’s Christian Witnesses . . . Of course, it is easy to say that this group acts as a ‘prophet’ of God. It is another thing to prove it,” (Watchtower, Apr. 1, 1972, p. 197). (See Deut. 18:21.)

  • 1897 “Our Lord, the appointed King, is now present, since October 1874,” (Studies in the Scriptures, vol. 4, p. 621).
  • 1899 ” . . . the ‘battle of the great day of God Almighty’ (Revelation 16:14), which will end in A.D. 1914 with the complete overthrow of earth’s present rulership, is already commenced,” (The Time Is at Hand, 1908 edition, p. 101).
  • 1916 “The Bible chronology herein presented shows that the six great 1000 year days beginning with Adam are ended and that the great 7th Day, the 1000 years of Christ’s Reign, began in 1873,” (The Time Is at Hand, forward, p. ii).
  • 1918 “Therefore we may confidently expect that 1925 will mark the return of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the faithful prophets of old, particularly those named by the Apostle in Hebrews 11, to the condition of human perfection,” (Millions Now Living Will Never Die, p. 89).
  • 1922 “The date 1925 is even more distinctly indicated by the Scriptures than 1914,” (Watchtower, Sept. 1, 1922, p. 262).
  • 1923 “Our thought is, that 1925 is definitely settled by the Scriptures. As to Noah, the Christian now has much more upon which to base his faith than Noah had upon which to base his faith in a coming deluge,” (Watchtower, Apr. 1, 1923, p. 106).
  • 1925 “The year 1925 is here. With great expectation Christians have looked forward to this year. Many have confidently expected that all members of the body of Christ will be changed to heavenly glory during this year. This may be accomplished. It may not be. In his own due time, God will accomplish his purposes concerning his people. Christians should not be so deeply concerned about what may transpire this year,” (Watchtower, Jan. 1, 1925, p. 3).
  • 1925 “It is to be expected that Satan will try to inject into the minds of the consecrated, the thought that 1925 should see an end to the work,” (Watchtower, Sept. 1925, p. 262).
  • 1926 “Some anticipated that the work would end in 1925, but the Lord did not state so. The difficulty was that the friends inflated their imaginations beyond reason; and that when their imaginations burst asunder, they were inclined to throw away everything,” (Watchtower, p. 232).
  • 1931 “There was a measure of disappointment on the part of Jehovah’s faithful ones on earth concerning the years 1917, 1918, and 1925, which disappointment lasted for a time . . . and they also learned to quit fixing dates,” (Vindication, p. 338).
  • 1941 “Receiving the gift, the marching children clasped it to them, not a toy or plaything for idle pleasure, but the Lord’s provided instrument for most effective work in the remaining months before Armageddon,” (Watchtower, Sept. 15, 1941, p. 288).
  • 1968 “True, there have been those in times past who predicted an ‘end to the world’, even announcing a specific date. Yet nothing happened. The ‘end’ did not come. They were guilty of false prophesying. Why? What was missing? . . . Missing from such people were God’s truths and evidence that he was using and guiding them,” (Awake, Oct. 8, 1968).
  • 1968 “Why are you looking forward to 1975?” (Watchtower, Aug. 15, 1968, p. 494).

Source(s): 2

The Mistransliteration ‘Jehovah’ Was Never Used By The Jews

Jehovah’s Witnesses insist that God’s name (YHWH in the ancient Hebrew manuscript copies of the Old Testament) is supposed to be pronounced “Jehovah.” So persuaded are they about this, they believe they are the only church (organization) who has God’s favor, because they are the only ones who consistently call God by this name. Yet, Jewish and Christian scholars, who are thoroughly familiar with the Old Testament Hebrew language and how to pronounce Hebrew words, make it clear that the Hebrew word YHWH is more accurately pronounced “Yahweh” (Yaw-Way) rather than “Jehovah”.

“The origin of the word Jehovah can be traced to the late Middle Ages (around the year 1500), when Jewish scribes began inserting the vowels from the Hebrew word adonai (“my Lord”) into the name YHWH. The insertion resulted in the hybrid term YaHoWaH. Scribes wanted this new word to remind readers that God’s name was too holy to pronounce, so they should substitute adonah for it when reading biblical passages aloud. Then, when the term YaHoWaH was Latinized, the “Y” and “W” were changed to “J” and “V”—resulting in Jehovah. In other words, Jehovah is a mistransliteration, compounded by the fact that, while “J” has a “Y” sound in Latin, it has a very different sound in English—as in the word jam. Jehovah appears in no literature earlier than about the thirteenth century, and it began to be popularized in the sixteenth century by well-meaning but mistaken Christians. — Richard Abanes (The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code, p. 19, 83)”

Here is what other scholars say about the name or pronunciation “Jehovah”:

  • The Jewish Encyclopedia: “Jehovah” — a mispronunciation of the Hebrew YHWH the name of God. This pronunciation is grammatically impossible. The form ‘Jehovah’ is a philological impossibility.”
  • The New Jewish Encyclopedia: “It is clear that the word Jehovah is an artificial composite.”
  • Encyclopedia Judaica: “the true pronunciation of the tetragrammaton YHWH was never lost. The name was pronounced Yahweh. It was regularly pronounced this way at least until 586 B.C., as is clear from the Lachish Letters written shortly before this date.”
  • The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia: “JEHOVAH is an erroneous pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton a four lettered name of God, made up of the Hebrew letters Yod He Vav He. The word “JEHOVAH” therefore is a misreading for which there is no warrant and which makes no sense in Hebrew”
  • Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary: “Jehovah” — “False reading of the Hebrew YAHWEH.”
  • Encyclopedia Americana: “Jehovah” — “erroneous form of the name of the God of Israel.”
  • A Dictionary of the Bible by William Smith: “Whatever, therefore, be the true pronunciation of the word, there can be little doubt that it is not Jehovah.”
  • Encyclopedia Britannica: “The pronunciation ‘Jehovah’ is an error resulting among Christians from combining the consonants YHWH with the vowels of ADHONAY….The Masoretes who from the 6th to the 10th century worked to reproduce the original text of the Hebrew Bible replaced the vowels of the name YHWH with the vowel signs of Adonai or Elohim. Thus the artificial name Jehovah came into being.”
  • Webster’s Third New International Dictionary: “Jehovah” — “Intended as a transliteration of Hebrew YAHWEH, the vowel points of Hebrew ADHONAY (my lord) being erroneously substituted for those of YAHWEH; from the fact that in some Hebrew manuscripts the vowel points of ADHONAY (used as a euphemism for YAHWEH) were written under the consonants YHWH of YAHWEH to indicate that ADHONAY was to be substituted in oral reading for YAHWEH. Jehovah is a Christian transliteration of the tetragrammaton long assumed by many Christians to be the authentic reproduction of the Hebrew sacred name for God but now recognized to be a late hybrid form never used by the Jews.”
  • New Catholic Encyclopedia: “Jehovah” — “false form of the divine name YAHWEH.”
  • The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia: “Jehovah” — “is an erroneous form of the divine name of the covenant God Israel.”
  • The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible: “Jehovah” — “is an artificial form.”
  • Encyclopedia International: “Jehovah” —”the vowels of one word with the consonants of the other were misread as ‘Jehovah.’”
  • Merits Students Encyclopedia: — “is an inaccurate reconstruction of the name of God in the Old Testament.”
  • Encyclopedia Judaica: “YHWH” — “When Christian scholars of Europe first began to study Hebrew, they did not understand what this really meant, and they introduced the hybrid name ‘Jehovah’…THE TRUE PRONUNCIATION OF THE NAME YHWH WAS NEVER LOST. Several early Greek writers of the Christian church testify that the name was pronounced ‘YAHWEH.’ This is confirmed, at least for the vowel of the first syllable of the name, by the shorter form Yah, which is sometimes used in poetry (e.g. Exodus 15:2)… The personal name of God of Israel is written in the Hebrew Bible with the four consonants YHWH and is referred to as the ‘Tetragrammaton.’ At least until the destruction of the First Temple in 586 B.C.E. this name was regularly pronounced with its proper vowels, as is clear from the Lachish Letters, written shortly before that date.”
  • Nelson’s Bible Dictionary: “Jehovah” — “The divine name Yahweh is usually translated Lord in English versions of the Bible, because it became a practice in late Old Testament Judaism not to pronounce the sacred name YHWH, but to say instead “my Lord” (Adonai) – a practice still used today in the synagogue. When the vowels of Adonai were attached to the consonants YHWH in the medieval period, the word Jehovah resulted. Today, many Christians use the word Yahweh, the more original pronunciation, not hesitating to name the divine name since Jesus taught believers to speak in a familiar way to God.”

  • Dr. Ron Rhodes (Christian apologist and author): “If the Jehovah’s Witnesses are correct that God must always be called by the name Jehovah, then Jesus was way out of line, for He never used this name when referring to the Father.” [Ron Rhodes, The Ten Most Important Things You Can Say to a Jehovah’s Witness, p. 36]

    Ron goes on to explain that even though the Bible the Watchtower Society publishes (The New World Translation) puts the word “Jehovah” in Jesus’ mouth in their New Testament, the word “Jehovah” does not occur a single time in any legitimate manuscript copy of the New Testament.

❔ Questions For The Cults: What is the correct spelling of God’s proper name, “Yahweh” or “Jehovah”? If Jehovah’s Witnesses maintain that “Yahweh” is more proper, why do they misspell it “Jehovah”? If the name of God is so important, then should you not only pronounce it correctly, but spell it correctly too?

❔ Questions For The Cults: If Christians are persecuted for the sake of Jehovah’s name, why did Christ tell the first Christians that they would be persecuted for the sake of his (Jesus’) name instead of Jehovah’s (Mt 24:9, Mk 13:13, Lk 21:12, 17, Jn 15:2 and Acts 9-16)?

The translation “Yahweh” is substantiated by scholarly reconstruction as well as by historical discussions in Theodoret, Epiphanius, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and Aquila. Consequently, those latter individuals affirm the usage of God’s covenant name in the period of the early church. — lsbible.org

Source(s): 3, 13

Unbiblical Teachings of The Witnesses

At this point we have proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the following points:

  • The Witnesses have zero scholarship in their translations
  • The Witnesses are false prophets since the late 1800’s
  • “Jehovah” is a mistransliteration

Let’s look at a few examples of the unbiblical teachings espoused by this cult.

1. Jehovah’s Witnesses falsely teach that Jesus is a created, angelic being, inferior to God the Father.

  • Yet, God the Father calls Jesus “God.”
    • Hebrews 1:8 LSB

      But of the Son [Jesus] He [The Father] says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, And the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom.

    ⚠️ Warning: the cults have changed this to read “God is your throne” which makes no logical sense whatsoever. The context and the correlative conjunctions are decidedly against it.. This is a direct quote from the Old Testament Psalm 45:6.

    • Psalm 45:6

      “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;”

  • Jesus calls himself God
    • John 8:56-59 NKJV

      Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” 57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” 59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going[a] through the midst of them, and so passed by.

    Jesus declared Himself to be the Great “I AM”, the Old Testament name for God. He’s saying that He is the God of the Old Testament. The Jews tried to kill him over it!

    • Exodus 3:14 LSB

      And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

    ⚠️ Warning: the cults have changed the scholarly greek translation of “I AM” to “i have been”. In Greek, the words recorded in John 8:58 are “‘prin abraam genesthai ego eimi.” Literally, this is “Before Abraham was existing, I am.” “Ego eimi” is literally, “I am.” This is the present tense. To say “I have been” is to use the perfect tense. In Greek, he would have been “aemane,” but Jesus didn’t use it here. He used the present tense “ego eimi” which is “I am.”

    • John 8:59 LSB

      59 Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.

    Notice that the reaction of the Jews to Jesus calling himself God, are in accordance with Lev 24:16. It was understood that Jesus was claiming to be the I AM, the Jews took it as blasphemy.

    • Leviticus 24:16 LSB

      Moreover, the one who blasphemes the name of Yahweh shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.

    Further, this didn’t happen just once, but many times.

    • John 10:30-33

      I and the Father are one.” 31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” 33 The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself God.”

    Conclusion: Not only did Jesus call himself God, but the reaction of the Jews proves this is the case. It is plainly stated, that they understood that Jesus was “making himself out to be God”.

  • Jesus was prophesied to be God by Isaiah the Prophet
    • Isaiah 9:6 LSB

      “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His [Jesus] shoulders; And His [Jesus] name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”

    God the Father, in the Old Testament, is also called “Mighty God” in Isaiah 10:21, the same title that is ascribed to the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

    • Isaiah 10:21 LSB

      A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.

    ❔ Questions For The Cults: Jesus Christ is referred to as “Mighty God” in Isa 9:6. Jehovah is referred to as “Mighty God” in Isa 10:20-21. How can this be if there is only ONE God?

  • God created everything by himself... and so did Jesus!

    • John 1:3

      “All things were made through Him [Jesus], and without Him [Jesus] nothing was made that was made.”

    • Colossians 1:16-17 NKJV

      For by Him [See context. This is speaking of Jesus] all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him [Jesus] and for Him [Jesus]. 17 And He [Jesus] is before all things, and in Him [Jesus] all things consist.

    • God says
      • Isaiah 44:24 NKJV

        Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, And He who formed you from the womb: “I am the LORD, who makes all things, Who stretches out the heavens all alone, Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself;

      • Isaiah 44:24 LSB

        Thus says Yahweh, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, “I, Yahweh, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself And spreading out the earth all alone,

    More proof Jesus is the God of the Old Testament made manifest in the flesh, just as John 1:1-3,14 has already proven.

  • Only God is our savior

    • Isaiah 43:11

      I, even I, am Yahweh, And there is no savior besides Me.

    • Yet, Jesus is our Savior
      • 2 Peter 1:1

        “Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ”

    ❔ Questions For The Cults: The Bible says that ONLY God is our savior (Hos 13:4, Isa 43:11,45:21, etc.). How can it be then, that the Bible repeatedly says that Jesus Christ is our savior (Lk 2:11, Phil 3:20. Tit 2:13, 3:6, 2Pet 1:1, 2:20, 3:18, etc.)?

  • Angels & men worship Jesus as God

    • Luke 4:8 LSB

      And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”

    • Matthew 4:10 LSB

      Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”

    Jesus never rebuked any Angel or any of His followers for worshiping Him and yet worship of anything or anyone other than God is absolutely forbidden in the Bible …

    • Hebrews 1:6 LSB

      And when He again brings the firstborn [Jesus] into the world, He says, “And let all the angels of God worship Him.”

    • Matthew 2:2,11 LSB

      2 “Where is He [Jesus] who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

      11 And after coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

    • Matthew 14:32-33 LSB

      And when they got into the boat, the wind stopped. 33 And those who were in the boat worshiped Him [Jesus], saying, “You are truly God’s Son!”

    • Matthew 28:9,17 LSB

      And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him.

      And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.

    • John 9:37-38 LSB

      Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you.” 38 And he said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped Him.

    • Revelation 5:13-14 LSB

      And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb [Jesus], be the blessing and the honor and the glory and the might forever and ever.” 14 And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

  • The Apostles & Ante-Nicene Fathers call Jesus God
    • The Apostle Thomas called Jesus “God.” (John 20:27-29)

      Then He [Jesus] said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

    • The Apostle Peter called Jesus “God.” (2 Peter 1:1)

      “Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ”

    • The Apostle Paul called Jesus “God.” (Titus 2:12b-14)

      “…we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”

    • The Apostle John called Jesus “God.” (John 1:1-3,14)

      “In the beginning was the Word [Jesus], and the Word [Jesus] was with God, and the Word [Jesus] was God. 2 He [Jesus] was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him [Jesus], and without Him [Jesus] nothing was made that was made… 14 And the Word [Jesus] became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His [Jesus] glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

    • Ignatius, student of the Apostle John (Epistle of Ignatius)`

      “…and elected through the true passion by the will of the Father, and Jesus Christ, our God…”

    ❔ Questions For The Cults: In Jn 20:28, John refers to Jesus in Greek as “Ho kyrios moy kai ho theos moy”. This translates literally as “the Lord of me and THE God of me”. Why does Jesus, in Jn 20:29, affirm Thomas for having come to this realization? If Jesus really wasn’t the Lord and THE God of Thomas, why didn’t Jesus correct him for making either a false assumption or a blasphemous statement?

  • The Jews who crucified Jesus understood Him to be saying that He was equal with God.
    • John 5:18

      “Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.”

    • John 10:33

      “The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.”

Q: So what brings the Witnesses to believe contrary to what The Bible teaches and what The Father, Jesus (The Son), The Prophets, The Apostles, Ante-Nicene Fathers, and the Jews, all say?

A: You guessed it, a combination of non-existent scholarship and faulty logic. Let’s examine the only verse they use to go against all the aforementioned facts.

  • 1 Thessalonians 4:16

    “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.”

    • The witness will say, “See, Jesus’ voice is the voice of the archangel.” As you can see, this is really weak. If we apply the same logic consistently in this verse, Jesus must also be God, because His trumpet blast is the trumpet blast of God. Instead we find that this is saying neither, this is metaphorical. This faulty logic not only breaks the law of non-contradiction, but also the law of excluded middle, and identity. In other words, this type of thinking, on the part of the witness, is so illogical as to break all 3 of the laws of thought.

    • They also somehow assume “an archangel” is Michael. Not only is this never stated anywhere in the bible, but they add insult to injury by attempting to point out the unrelated verse of Jude 1:9 which, according only to them, means that there is only one archangel, because it’s only ever used in the singular “the archangel”.

      Firstly this is also extremely bad logic, not only does the Bible state in Daniel 10:13 that Michael is only “one of the chief princes,” but the Bible also uses the term “the coppersmith” when referring to Alexander the coppersmith in 2 Timothy 4:14. Using the same erroneous logic of the witnesses, we would arrive at the false conclusion that there is only one such tradesman, since the term “coppersmith” only ever occurs in the Bible in the singular, never plural. Other examples would be “Simon the Zealot” in luke 6:15; Acts 1:3, “Simon the Leper” in Matthew 26:6, “Simon the Tanner” in Acts 10:32.

      So according to the Witnesses logic: there is only 1 Coppersmith, 1 Zealot, 1 Leper, & 1 Tanner…

    • We have also, already learned that Jesus created all things, so did he create himself? No, Jesus is the Creator.

Conclusion: Jesus is God made manifest in the Flesh.

2. Jehovah’s Witnesses deny that Jesus rose bodily from the grave.

  • Yet, Jesus says the opposite
    • Luke 24:36-39

      “Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”

      The cults make the same mistake as the startled Apostles, before Jesus corrects them. I’ve always wondered why the witnesses simply don’t read the rest of the passage. Taking things out of context forms a pretext.

    • John 20:27

      “Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

  • Jesus prediction is fulfilled
    • John 2:19

      “Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple [referring to His body, v. 21], and in three days I will raise it up.””

Conclusion: Jesus rose bodily

3. Jehovah’s Witnesses falsely teach that Jesus’ Second Coming occurred spiritually and invisibly in 1914.

  • Yet, the Bible preaches that the entire world will see this event
    • Revelation 1:7

      “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.”

    • Matthew 24:27

      “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”

  • Jesus warned us about the Jehovah's Witnesses directly
    • Matthew 24:23-27

      23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ [pointing to some person] or ‘There!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. 26 “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ [i.e., somewhere you can’t see Him visibly] do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”

  • John warned us about the Jehovah's Witnesses directly
    • 2 John 1:7

      “For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.”

  • Interesting to note, that most witnesses are unaware of the fact that they’ve been lied to. Origially this cult claimed the date to be 1897. See section ‘The Witnesses Are False Prophets Since The Late 1800’s’ above.

    1897 “Our Lord, the appointed King, is now present, since October 1874,” (Studies in the Scriptures, vol. 4, p. 621).

    Q: Did every eye see Jesus come back in 1914? No. Did any eye see Jesus come back in 1914? No. The Watchtower tries to get out of the clear implications of this verse (Rev. 1:7) by saying: ‘The eyes spoken of here speak of eyes of understanding….Those who had spiritual eyes to understand this is what took place in 1914, realize that Jesus did came back.’ (see You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth, p. 146)

    A: That is an incorrect interpretation of Revelation 1:7. The word “eye” (Rev. 1:7) is the Greek word “ophthalmos.” That is the same Greek word used for the literal physical eyes of the blind people Jesus healed (e.g., Matthew 20:34). The word “every” (Rev. 1:7) is the Greek word “pas” and it means just what it says: “every” or “all.”

❔ Questions For The Cults: Jesus’ return is described in Zechariah 14:4. If Jesus has no body and if his return was invisible, how do you explain this verse?

  • Zechariah 14:4

    And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south.

❔ Questions For The Cults: In Acts 17:31 Paul says, “Because he has set a day in which he purposes to judge the inhabited earth in righteousness by a MAN whom he has appointed, and he has furnished a guarantee to all men in that he has resurrected him from the dead”. Did Paul believe that the future judge of the world, Jesus Christ, would be an immortal MAN or an invisible spirit creature?

  • Acts 17:31 LSB

    because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He determined, having furnished proof to all by raising Him from the dead.”

Conclusion: Jesus will return physically. The Second Coming is not going to be some mysterious, secret coming. The whole world will witness it.

4. Jehovah’s Witnesses claim only a special group of 144,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses will be able to go to Heaven.

According to the Watchtower, that number filled up in 1935, and if you were not around in or prior to that date, you will never go to Heaven. They also teach that the rest of the Witnesses will remain unconscious after they die until they are resurrected to spend eternity on a paradise Earth apart from Jesus who will remain in Heaven with the 144,000.

Nowhere does the Bible limit Heaven’s capacity to 144,000 persons. The Bible teaches that all those who put their faith in Jesus Christ will have everlasting life in the presence of the Lord.

  • Let's go to the source instead of the cults; who better to ask than Jesus himself?
    • John 12:26a

      “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.”

      According to Jesus’ words here in John 12:26, if you serve Him, if you are one of His followers, you will be “where” He is!

  • Q&A: Where is Jesus?
    • John 14:2-4

      “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

Another way of verifying that there will be far more than 144,000 people in Heaven can be found in Revelation 7. In Revelation 7, John gets a glimpse into a future scene in Heaven.

  • I want you to notice how many people John sees
    • Revelation 7:9-10

      “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’”

  • Q&A: Where is the throne?
    This massive uncountable number is NOT standing on a “paradise Earth”; they are standing in Heaven “before the throne” (Revelation 7:9).

The Watchtower justifies their unbiblical teaching regarding the 144,000 by misinterpreting what the Book of Revelation says about the 144,000 persons whom God will seal during the great tribulation (12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel, Rev. 7:4-8). One of the problems for the Watchtower, regarding their interpretation, is that a careful reading of the Bible reveals that the 144,000 will be:

  • Jewish (Revelation 7:4)

    “And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed”

  • Male & Virgins (Revelation 14:4)

    “These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.”

So, not only are the 144,000 Jewish, they are male Jews. And not only are they male Jews. They are male virgins (as the context here in Revelation 14 implies)! This completely rules out the married men and women (non-virgins) who are part of the Watchtower and who consider themselves to be some of the few remaining 144,000.

❔ Questions For The Cults: In Rev 19:1, where does it say that the great crowd will be?

  • Revelation 19:1

    After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great crowd in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God;

Conclusion: All nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues (Rev. 7:9) are the Church. The 144,000 are a special group of Jews on earth during the tribulation hour, a time period where the church is safely raptured away into heaven to escape the tribulation.

5. Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the existence of a literal Hell that is the ongoing place of punishment for the wicked.

The Watchtower teaches that God will annihilate non-Jehovah’s Witnesses and they will simply cease to exist. This teaching is known as annihilationism. Annihilationism is another false doctrine that contradicts the Bible. The Bible teaches that the suffering of those who end up in Hell will be without end. This is made clear in the following passages:

  • Revelation 19:11-14

    “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.”

At the end of the Tribulation, Jesus returns to the Earth on a white horse (Revelation 19:11, 14). Immediately following His coming to the Earth, the Antichrist and the false prophet “are thrown alive into the lake of fire” (Revelation 19:20).

  • Revelation 19:20

    “Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.”

Following this, Jesus sets up His kingdom on the Earth and rules and reigns for a thousand years. This is spoken about in Revelation chapter 20 and elsewhere. But I want you to notice what happens at the end of the thousand year reign of Christ. Revelation 20:10 says:

  • Revelation 20:10

    “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

The coming Antichrist and the false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire right at the beginning of the thousand year reign of Christ. Then at the end of the thousand year reign of Christ, the devil is thrown into the lake of fire. Now, here’s the important thing to notice: The Antichrist and the false prophet are still there!

So, it says “They will be tormented”—not just the devil, but THEY, referring to all three of them: the devil, the Antichrist and the false prophet. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever. The “lake of fire” does not annihilate anybody. And here’s the sobering truth. The Bible teaches that all who reject God’s offer of reconciliation will end up in that very place. The unsaved are going to the very place the Antichrist, the false prophet, and the devil will go: the lake of fire.

  • Revelation 20:15

    “And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Here is the sobering truth and description of this reality.

  • Revelation 14:10-11

    “he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

  • Matthew 25:41,46

    “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:”… “And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Conclusion: Just as a Christian’s “everlasting” life (John 3:16) is going to go on through eternity, so too will the punishment of the unsaved. This is one of the reasons it’s so important that people turn to Jesus and be reconciled to God before the Day of Judgment.

6. Jehovah’s Witnesses deny that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone.

According to the Watchtower cult there is no salvation outside of the organization. The Watchtower cult also teaches that you must belong to their organization and be faithful and active in what they call “kingdom work,” which for them is mainly door-to-door ministry (see You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth, p. 250ff).

The Bible teaches that salvation cannot be earned or merited. Over and over again the Bible teaches that salvation is God’s “free gift” (Romans 6:23) to those who put their faith in Jesus Christ.

  • The Bible clearly rejects a works-based salvation.
    • Romans 6:23

      “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

    • Ephesians 2:8-9

      “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

    • Romans 3:28

      “Therefore we maintain that a man is justified [declared righteous by God] by faith apart from the works of the law.”

    • Romans 10:9

      “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Conclusion: God has graciously done all the work necessary to secure salvation for us. Jesus died on the cross in our place for our sins. He rose from the grave the third day. And all a person needs to do to receive everlasting life is place their faith in Him.

7. Jehovah’s Witnesses falsely teach that upon death, a person’s soul goes into an unconscious state of sleep until the time of the resurrection.

This is an incorrect, unbiblical doctrine known as “soul-sleep.” The Bible teaches that those who have died are conscious. Read the story of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16. Both of them––Lazarus (the righteous man) and the rich man (who was unrighteous)––were conscious after death. The Bible does teach that when a person dies their body is laid to sleep (1 Thess. 4:14) but the Bible teaches that the spirit of the person remains conscious. The unsaved go to Hades (Luke 16) to await the resurrection (John 5:29) and the judgment of the wicked that occurs at the end of the 1,000 year reign of Christ (Revelation 20:5-15).

  • The saved person who dies goes immediately into the presence of God.
    • 2 Corinthians 5:8

      “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present [where?] with the Lord.”

  • A believer who dies goes into the presence of the Lord.
    • Philippians 1:21-23

      “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart [Where to? Into the ground until the resurrection? No.] and be with Christ, which is far better.”

  • Jesus told the repentant thief on the cross
    • Luke 23:43

      “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me [where?] in Paradise”.

      Where is Paradise? Revelation 2:7 tells us that Paradise is in the presence of God.

❔ Questions For The Cults: If there is no conscious awareness after death, how could the “spirits in prison”, who lived during the time of Noah, be preached to by Christ after His death (1 Pet 3:18-20) and how could the good news be “declared even unto the dead” (1 Pet 4:5-6)?

  • 1 Peter 3:18-19 LSB

    For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, so that He might bring you to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; 19 in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison,

  • 1 Peter 4:5-6

    but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For to this the gospel has been proclaimed even to those who are now dead, so that though they were judged in the flesh as men, they live in the spirit according to the will of God.

❔ Questions For The Cults: If the soul is the body, why does Jesus make a distinction between the body and the soul in Mt 10:28? What would be left of a person after they were killed that could be thrown into Gehenna?

  • Matthew 10:28 LSB

    And do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell [Gehenna].

  • Luke 12:4-5 LSB

    “But I say to you, My friends, do not fear those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will show you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell [Gehenna]; yes, I tell you, fear Him!

❔ Questions For The Cults: If the human soul IS the person, how could the soul go out of a person (Gen 35:18) or come back into a person (1 Kings 17:21)?

  • Genesis 35:18 LSB

    Now it happened as her soul was departing (for she died), that she named him Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin.

  • 1 Kings 17:21-22 NKJV

    And he stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, I pray, let this child’s soul come back to him.” 22 Then the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived.

❔ Questions For The Cults: If the soul dies when the body dies, how could the “souls” of Rev 6:9-11, who were of those who had been “slaughtered” (i.e., killed), cry out “with a loud voice, saying: ‘Until when Sovereign Lord …”?

  • Rev 6:9-10 LSB

    9 And when He opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the witness which they had maintained; 10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Master, holy and true? Will You not judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”

❔ Questions For The Cults: Referring to Isa 14:9-17, if there is no conscious awareness after death, how could Sheol “… become agitated at you in order to meet you on coming in…” (v.9), how could the souls in Sheol “… speak up and say to you…” (v.10-11), how could the souls in Sheol when “…seeing you will gaze even at you; they will give close examination even to you, [saying,] This this the man’…” (v. 16-17), and how would you be aware that this was happening?

  • Isaiah 14:9 LSB

    Sheol [Hell] from beneath trembles excitedly over you to meet you when you come; It wakens for you the spirits of the dead, all the leaders of the earth; It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones.

❔ Questions For The Cults: In Rev 14:13, how can the dead be “happy” and find “rest”, if there is no conscious awareness after death?

Conclusion: Soul sleep is an unbiblical doctrine.

8. Jehovah’s Witnesses deny Jesus died on a cross and say the cross is a pagan religious symbol that was adopted by the church years later.

The Watchtower scoffs at the belief that Jesus died on a cross. Jehovah’s Witnesses are taught that it was not a cross Jesus was hung upon but an upright post with no crossbeam—something they call a “torture stake” in the Watchtower’s edition of the Bible (The New World Translation). Jehovah’s Witnesses are taught to abhor the cross and new converts are expected to destroy any crosses they have rather than simply dispose of them.

  • Yet, the Apostles describe a cross
    • John 20:25

      “The other disciples therefore said to him [Thomas], ‘We have seen the Lord.’ So he said to them, ‘Unless I see in His hands the print of the [What?] nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.’”

      Thomas, having heard how Jesus was crucified, says here that he wanted to see the scars from the nails (plural) in Jesus’ hands. A “torture stake,” as the Watchtower calls it, only requires one nail in the hands (nailed over the head) and this is exactly how the Watchtower consistently depicts the crucifixion in all of their literature. But the Bible says there were at least two “nails” used in Jesus’ hands (John 20:25).

      This supports the conclusion that Jesus’ hands were stretched out on the cross, which would require two or more nails.

  • Notice what Jesus tells Peter here
    • John 21:18-19

      “Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out [Note that. Not stretch “up.”] your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” This He spoke, signifying by what death he [Peter] would glorify God.”

      So, when Jesus described Peter’s coming death––via crucifixion––He said that Peter’s hands would be stretched out, not up. That’s what happened to people who were crucified by the Romans in the first century. Their hands were stretched out. Why? Because they were crucified on traditional crosses with crossbeams.

  • Notice the placement of the sign
    • Matthew 27:37

      “And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

      When the Roman soldiers mounted the sign above Jesus, the Bible says they hung it above “His head” not above His hands. So, this too bolsters our case that Jesus died on a traditional cross. The cross is not “a pagan religious symbol that was adopted by the church years later” as Jehovah’s Witnesses contend.

      The cross is a reminder of where and how Jesus laid down His life for us, so we could be forgiven and reconciled to God.

  • The testimony of the early Christians also points unanimously to a cross shape. A popular Christian document of the early 100s A.D. compares the cross to the Greek letter “tau” which looks very much like our “t,” and also speaks of the cross prefigured in Moses stretching out his arms over the battlefield of the armies of Israel. Justin Martyr (114-165 AD), who was from Samaria which is between Galilee and Judea where most of Jesus’ ministry took place, wrote that the Passover lamb prefigured not only Jesus but also the cross, because:

    “The lamb, which is roasted, is roasted and dressed up in the form of the cross. For one spit is transfixed right through from the lower parts up to the head, and one across the back, to which are attached the legs of the lamb”

    Irenaeus also describes the cross’s shape as having points both up and down and to each side, as well as mentioning a post on which the nailed person rests. The “Palatine Graphito” (a late second-century piece of Roman graffiti mocking a Christian for worshiping the crucified Jesus) also pictures Jesus’ execution as being on a cross. Even some of the earliest New Testament manuscripts we have found (P45, P66, and P75) abbreviate the Greek word “Stauros” by omitting the “au” in the middle and putting the Greek letters for “t” and “r” on top of one another, causing them to form a “t” shape with a circle over it, or a graphic of a figure crucified on a cross.

Conclusion: Jesus died for the sins of all mankind upon a cross.

Source(s): 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 13

Attacks on the Deity of Jesus & Denial of Sound Scholarship

At this point we have proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the following points:

  • The Witnesses have zero scholarship in their translations
  • The Witnesses are false prophets since the late 1800’s
  • “Jehovah” is a mistransliteration
  • Jesus: is God, rose bodily, returns physically, died on a cross
  • The 144,000 are: Jews, males, & virgins
  • Hell exists and is ongoing
  • Salvation is by grace alone
  • Soul sleep is unbiblical

So now that we have already proven Jesus to be God, let’s take a look at some of the more common attacks on the proven scholarship of Jesus’ deity.

1. The Firstborn: Examining Colossians 1:15

  • Colossians 1:15

    “He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”

❌ The Cults: The firstborn! Ahh Look at that. Paul says Jesus is the “firstborn” of all “creation.” Paul is saying that Jesus was the very first of all of God’s creations. So, because that is the case, obviously Jesus can’t be the eternal, Almighty God.”

✔️ Greek Scholars: Greek scholars disagree with the cults and have proven that the word Paul uses here in Colossians 1:15 (prototokos) means: superior, preeminent in rank, and above.

The word “firstborn” in Colossians 1:15 is the Greek word “prototokos.” It does not mean “first created” as the cults say. There’s another Greek word for ‘first created’ (protoktistos) and Paul did not use that word.

📖 Context: The context makes that clear. And that’s why it’s so important to always examine the context and allow Scripture to interpret Scripture. Why is Jesus superior over all creation? Well, the very next verse explains, that Jesus is superior to everything, because He is the One who made everything!

  • Colossians 1:16-17

    16 “For by Him [Jesus] all things [How many things? ALL THINGS] were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”

⚠️ Warning: To deal with the implications of these two verses (Col. 1:16–17) the Jehovah Witnesses added four words (“other”) into their false bible translation that are not in the original Greek to give people the impression that Jesus only made some things—not ALL things.

❔ Questions For The Cults: In Col 1:15-17, the NWT inserts the word “other” 4 times even though it is not in the original Greek (See Gr- Engl Interlinear). Why is the word “other” inserted? How would these verses read if the word “other” had not been inserted? What does scripture say about adding words to the Bible?

  • Proverbs 30:5-6

    Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. 6 Do not add to His words Lest He reprove you, and you be proved a liar.

❔ Questions For The Cults: Col 1:16, in talking about Jesus, says that”… All [other] things have been created through him and FOR HIM”. If Jesus were Michael the Archangel at the time of creation, would an angel have created all things for himself? Isa 43:7 says God created “everyone … for my OWN glory …”

  • Isaiah 43:7

    Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.”

So, if the cults try to tell you that the term “firstborn” means Jesus was the first being God created, gently tell them that they’re mistaken and that the passage (Colossians 1:15) is actually teaching that Jesus is superior or above creation.

➕ Additionally: We can also validate that this is what the bible teaches in other areas as well by observing the book of John.

  • John 1:1-3,14

    “In the beginning was the Word [Jesus], and the Word [Jesus] was with God, and the Word [Jesus] was God. 2 He [Jesus] was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him [Jesus], and without Him [Jesus] nothing was made that was made… 14 And the Word [Jesus] became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His [Jesus] glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

❔ Questions For The Cults: Jn 1:3 says that Jesus created “all things”, but in Isa 44:24, God says that he “by myself created the heavens and the earth” and asks the question “Who was with me?” when the heavens and the earth were created. How can this be since if Jesus had been created by God, then he would have been with God when everything else was created?

❔ Questions For The Cults: Jn 1:3 says in reference to Christ, “All things came into existence through him, and apart from him not even one thing came into existence”. How could Christ have been a created being if ALL things came into existence through him? If Jesus was a created being, then according to Jn 1:3, Jesus would have had to create himself.

Conclusion: Paul was saying that Jesus is above all of creation. Jesus is the Creator.

2. Does “Begotten” Mean Created

Speaking to a Pharisee by the name of Nicodemus, Jesus said:

  • John 3:16

    “For God [speaking of the Father] so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

❌ The Cults: “Ahh! Look at that! Jesus says he was begotten! So, even if the word “firstborn” (Col. 1:15) doesn’t mean “first created,” this verse surely indicates that he was created and therefore not the eternal God.”

The Jehovah Witness organization has taught its members that this phrase “only begotten” (monogenes in the Greek) means “created.” Well, they’re wrong again. The word does not mean that. And a wealth of Greek scholars and lexicons reveal just that. This should not surprise anyone, as we have previously learned, that this particular cult, lacks scholarship in their translations.

✔️ Greek Scholars: The Greek word monogenes comes from two Greek terms: monos meaning “one” and the noun genes which means “kind” or “type.” So, you put these two words together and you have monogenes which means: “unique,” “only,” or “one of its kind.”

That’s what Jesus is talking about in John 3:16. He is not saying that God the Father created Him. He’s saying that He is God’s only, unique, one of a kind Savior! This is why Peter could boldly pronounce to the Sanhedrin in…

  • Acts 4:12

    “…there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.”

Jesus is the “monogenes,” the only, one of a kind Savior! There is salvation in no one else. That’s what John 3:16 is saying.

➕ Additionally: the very verses we recently covered in the previous section, which proved by scholarship, that Jesus is God manifest in the flesh, validates this reasoning:

  • John 1:1-3,14

    “In the beginning was the Word [Jesus], and the Word [Jesus] was with God, and the Word [Jesus] was God. 2 He [Jesus] was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him [Jesus], and without Him [Jesus] nothing was made that was made… 14 And the Word [Jesus] became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His [Jesus] glory, the glory as of the only begotten [“unique,” “only,” or “one of its kind.”] of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

  • Due to the law of identity being used in conjunction with the law of non-contradiction: Because Greek Scholars have determined the meaning of “monogenes,” to mean: “unique,” “only,” or “one of its kind.”, it cannot also mean “created,” because nothing can both be and not be created.

  • Due to the law of identity being used in conjunction with The Law of Excluded Middle: Either “Jesus created all things, and is therefore the Creator” evaluates to True, or “he was created, and is therefore a created being” evaluates to false. we cannot reverse the tautology or negate the logic deduced.

  • Colossians 1:16-17

    16 “For by Him [Jesus] all things [How many things? ALL THINGS] were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”

Conclusion: Jesus is the “monogenes,” the only, one of a kind Savior! There is salvation in no one else.

3. The “Beginning” of Creation?

Jesus refers to Himself with a few different titles, but there’s one in particular the cults focus on. Let’s read what Jesus said:

  • Revelation 3:14

    “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, “These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God…”

❌ The Cults: “Well, here we have another reference to the fact that Jesus had a beginning. Jesus calls himself the “Beginning of the creation of God.” Notice that! He says very plainly here that he is part of the creation of God. If Jesus had a beginning or if he is any part of the creation of God, he surely cannot be Almighty God.”

✔️ Greek Scholars: The Greek word here for “Beginning” (Rev. 3:14) is the word “arche.” It’s the word from which we get our English word architect. It doesn’t imply in the slightest that Jesus had a beginning (as the cults often teach).

Greek scholars say that this word (“arche”) can also be properly interpreted as: “Origin,” “Source,” “Designer,” “Supervisor,” “First Cause,” “Ruler”.

This is why God the Father can also refer to Himself with the very same word in Revelation 21:6!:

  • Revelation 21:5-6

    5 “Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” 6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning [arche] and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.”

So, back to the verse in question (Rev. 3:14); Jesus is not saying that He had a beginning or that He is the first thing that God made. He is saying that He is the One who began all of creation, that He is the designer, origin, the first cause, or ruler of all creation!

➕ Additionally: this is exactly what other passages in the Bible teach about Jesus being the designer and architect over all of creation.

  • John 1:3

    “All things were made through Him [Jesus], and without Him [Jesus] nothing was made that was made.”

  • Colossians 1:16-17

    16 “For by Him [Jesus] all things [How many things? ALL THINGS] were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”

❔ Questions For The Cults: A good question to ask Jehovah’s Witnesses is this: Is Jesus the creator?

  • Jehovah Witness: “Well, we believe Jesus is a creator in a sense. After God created Jesus, Jesus helped God create the other things.”

  • Answer: Tell them to read Isaiah 44:24. Notice what it says:

    • Isaiah 44:24

      “Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, “I, the LORD [YHWH], am the maker of all things, stretching out the heavens [How? With someone else’s help? No.] by Myself, and spreading out the earth [with help? No.] all alone.”

    This verse can have a powerful impact on a Jehovah’s Witness. I have seen Jehovah’s Witnesses completely baffled, utterly stunned, after reading this verse. Here’s why: If God created everything “all alone” as this passage (Isaiah 44:24) says and Jesus created “all things” (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16-17) you have to conclude that Jesus must be that God, the God of the Old Testament—Yahweh!

❔ Questions For The Cults: If Christ was created by God and was the wisdom of God (Prov 8:1-4, 12, 22-31), then before Jesus would have been created, God would have had to have been without wisdom. How is it possible that God could have ever been without wisdom?

Conclusion: Jesus is the God of the Old Testament.

4. The “Son” of God

❌ The Cults: “All right then, but what about all the verses in the Bible, where Jesus is called the “Son” of God? If you’re the Son of God, surely you can’t be the eternal Almighty God.”

✔️ Answer: This is another common objection the cults bring up. They believe Jesus’ title (“Son of God”) somehow means Jesus is inferior to God. Well, they’re mistaken. In fact it was actually a claim to deity (equality with God the Father).

  • John 5:25

    “Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.”

Let’s examine the context by backing up a few verses and looking at verse 18. We’ll see that Jesus’ original listeners knew exactly what Jesus was saying. In John 5:18, John writes:

  • The Apostle John
    • John 5:18

      “Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, [Why?] because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father [implying that He was the Son of God], making Himself [What?] equal with God.”

Referring to God as His Father and Himself as the Son of God, as He did in John 5:25 and elsewhere [e.g., John 3:16], was the equivalent of making Himself what? “Equal with God” the apostle John says.

Referring to God as His Father, referring to Himself as the Son of God, was the equivalent of making Himself “equal with God.”

Those listening to Him understood that a son is of the same nature, the same species, the same essence, as his father. And so they immediately understood what Jesus meant by referring to Himself as the Son of God. ‘He’s claiming to be equal with God!’

Conclusion: The title “Son of God” verifies Jesus’ deity.

5. Jesus Says the Father is “Greater”

Jesus here is speaking to His disciples on the eve of His crucifixion…

  • John 14:28

    “You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.”

❌ The Cults: “Look at that! Jesus says right here that his Father is “greater” than him (Jn. 14:28). You keep saying Jesus is equal in nature with the Father; but that contradicts what Jesus himself said!”

✔️ Greek Scholars: Well, once again we need to look a bit more closely at the word in question in the original Greek. The Greek word for “greater” in John 14:28 is the word “meizon”. This word is a quantitative term, not a qualitative term. Let me explain.

  • A quantitative term describes quantities, levels, positions, etc.
  • A qualitative term describes qualities, character, nature.

When Jesus spoke of His Father being “greater” than Him (John 14:28), He was speaking quantitatively (as the word meizon implies). Jesus was referring to His Father’s position, not His nature. He was not saying His Father was better than Him or more worthy of worship. That would contradict what the Bible says elsewhere.

For instance, notice what Hebrews 1:3 says. Speaking of Jesus, it says:

  • Hebrews 1:3

    “He [Jesus] is the radiance of His glory [God the Father’s] and the exact representation of His nature.”

  • Colossians 2:9 LSB

    For in Him [Jesus] all the fullness of Deity [Θεότητος] dwells bodily,

Jesus is absolutely equal in nature to God the Father. But in John 14:28, while Jesus was here on the Earth having “emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant” (Phil. 2:7), having been made for “a little while lower than the angels” (Heb. 2:9), it was completely appropriate to speak of His Father being greater than Him (positionally). He was not saying that the Father was better than Him in character or in nature.

➕ Analogies:

  • When I say, “The amount of water in this glass is greater than the water in that glass,” I’m speaking quantitatively. I’m not saying that the water in this glass is better than the water in that glass.

  • The President is greater than us in position of authority. But in nature he is absolutely equal with us, isn’t he? We are all 100% human.

  • Children are absolutely equal in nature with their parents (we’re all humans). But children can rightly speak of their parents holding a higher office. The fact that the parents are greater in their position of authority does nothing to negate the fact that their children are perfectly equal to them in nature.

    And the same is true with Jesus’ statement there in John 14:28. When it comes to Jesus and the Father’s nature, Jesus said…

    • John 10:30

      “I and the Father are one.”

    They are so identical in nature, Jesus told Philip in John 14:9…

    • John 14:9

      “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.”

Conclusion: The Father is greater [“meizon”] positionally, not greater in nature. This proves the Hypostatic Union & Trinity.

6. Is Jesus Good?

  • Mark 10:17-18 LSB

    “And as He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and began asking Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.”

❌ The Cults: “So look at that. Jesus says that no one is good but God! In effect, he was clearly denying equality with God.”

✔️ Answer: According to the Scriptures, It is true that God alone truly is good; however, Jesus was not excluding himself. He was calling upon the man to examine the implications of what he said. Jesus was, in effect, asking him, “Do you realize who you are saying I am when you call Me good? This is made even more clear when examining the way Matthew recounted the parable of the rich young ruler.

  • Matthew 19:16–17 LSB

    And behold, someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” 17 And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

❔ Questions For The Cults: Is Jesus good?

Since we know that Jesus is God from previous sections, it should be no surprise to find that Jesus calls himself Good:

  • John 10:11,14 LSB

    “I am [Egō eimi] the good [kalos] shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

    I am [Egō eimi] the good [kalos] shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me,

  • Psalm 23:1 LSB

    “Yahweh is my shepherd,…”

The Greek word kalos, translated “good,” describes that which is noble, wholesome, good, and beautiful, in contrast to that which is wicked, mean, foul, and unlovely. It signifies not only that which is good inwardly—character—but also that which is attractive outwardly. It is an innate goodness. Therefore, in using the phrase “the good shepherd,” Jesus is referencing His inherent goodness, His righteousness, and His beauty. As shepherd of the sheep, He is the one who protects, guides, and nurtures His flock.

The Bible makes it clear that the hearts of men are desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9), all of mankind like sheep have gone astray (Isaiah 53:6), and that there is “none righteous; no not one” (Romans 3:10).

  • Hebrews 7:26

    “For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens.”

Jesus was holy? Innocent? Undefiled? That’s pretty good! That’s better than good. Jesus was perfect!

I once had a JW in my family reply to me: “Well all angels are perfect.” I almost said “Like Lucifer?” or “Is that why fallen angels exist?” or “What about Genesis 6?” or even “I thought only God alone was good?”

➕ God’s Commandments:

  • Matthew 19:17

    “17 And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

  • John 14:15

    “If you love Me [Jesus], keep [Whose?] My commandments.”

Conclusion: If God alone is good and Jesus is good, that means: Jesus is God. See how that works?

7. Was Jesus Praying to Himself?

Here in this passage Jesus prays to the Father. Let’s read the first couple of verses to get a sense of what happens here:

  • John 17:1–2

    Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, 2 as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as you have given Him.”

I think most of you are familiar with this passage. The cults and other critics of the deity of Christ point to this passage (Jesus’ prayer) and say:

❌ The Cults: “How can you say Jesus is Almighty God? Why would he pray if he was God? Was he talking to himself?”

✔️ Answer: Well, the answer of course is No, He was not talking to Himself. Once again, critics of Jesus’ deity fail to understand God’s revelation of Himself in the Bible.

  • The Hypostatic Union: the hypostatic union is the term used to describe how God the Son, Jesus Christ, took on a human nature, yet remained fully God at the same time. We know that Jesus had always been God:
    • John 8:58-59

      “Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.”

    • Exodus 3:14

      “And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

    At the incarnation Jesus bacame a human being:

    • John 1:1-3,14

      “In the beginning was the Word [Jesus], and the Word [Jesus] was with God, and the Word [Jesus] was God. 2 He [Jesus] was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him [Jesus], and without Him [Jesus] nothing was made that was made… 14 And the Word [Jesus] became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His [Jesus] glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

    The Addition of the human nature to the divine nature is Jesus, the God-Man. This is the Hypostatic Union, Jesus Christ, one person, fully God and fully man.

    As a man, Jesus cooperated with the limitations of being a man; He often chose to experience the normal limitations of human knowledge (Mark 13:32); He experienced hunger (Luke 4:2), weariness (John 4:6), and the need for sleep (Luke 8:23). We even read in Luke’s Gospel that He grew in wisdom (2:40, 52) and that He “learned obedience” through His sufferings in Hebrews 5:8. At other times in the power of his deity (John 11:43; Matt 14:18-21).

    GOD MAN
    He is worshiped (Matt. 2:2, 11; 14:33) He worshiped the Father (John 17)
    He was called God (John 20:28; Heb. 1:8) He was called man (Mark 15:39; John 19:5)
    He was called Son of God (Mark 1:1) He was called Son of Man (John 9:35-37)
    He is prayed to (Acts 7:59) He prayed to the Father (John 17)
    He is sinless (1 Pet. 2:22; Heb. 4:15) He was tempted (Matt. 4:1)
    He knows all things (John 21:17) He grew in wisdom (Luke 2:52)
    He gives eternal life (John 10:28) He died (Rom. 5:8)
    All the fullness of deity dwells in Him (Col. 2:9) He has a body of flesh and bones (Luke 24:39)

    There is no mixture or dilution of either nature (Eutychianism), neither are these two natures combined to form a new third “thing” where neither God nor man is represented (Monophysitism), nor are the two natures so seperated from eachother as to “not be in contact” (Nestorianism).

    The Bible teaches that there is one God (Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Corinthians 8:4), who coexists in three eternal, coequal persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is the doctrine of the Trinity. And because God has made this known to us, there’s no dilemma for us here in John 17. Jesus wasn’t talking to Himself; He was talking to God the Father in Heaven.

❌ The Cults: “All right, I hear what you’re saying, but this whole doctrine of the Trinity, this idea that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all God, is just confusing. And the Bible says “God is not the author of confusion” (1 Corinthians 14:33). So, I still have a hard time believing this is really what the Bible teaches!”

✔️ Answer: The cults love to cite this verse whenever talk about the Trinity comes up. They think the doctrine of the Trinity is confusing. So, they cite this verse and think it proves that the doctrine must not be Biblical. Well, in response, it’s important to point out that the Bible is not encouraging Christians here to abandon a teaching of Scripture if it sounded confusing or was hard to understand.

  • Isaiah 55:8-9

    “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

  • Romans 11:33

    “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!”

  • 2 Peter 3:16

    “…some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.”

That, unfortunately, is what false teachers do. They twist the Scriptures and create man made religions that are leading people down a wide path to destruction.

Conclusion: Jesus was praying to the Father, Just like it says. The father is greater positionally “in rank” not in nature. This again proves the Hypostatic Union & the Trinity.

8. Jesus Doesn’t Know The Day or The Hour?

In this passage, Jesus is speaking on the Mount of Olives about end time events and His Second Coming to the Earth and He says:

  • Mark 13:31-32

    “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

❌ The Cults: “Well, look at that! Do you believe Almighty God knows all things? [Yes.] Well, then Jesus certainly cannot be God, for he plainly stated here (Mark 13:32) that there are certain things he doesn’t know!”

✔️ Answer: Although Jesus was God and is God, at the incarnation Jesus took on a human nature. He had two natures. He was both God and man.

So, we have no problem here in Mark 13 with Jesus speaking from the vantage point of His humanity, saying He knew not the day of His Second Coming.

This was answered thoroughly in the last section under “Hypostatic Union”.

➕ Additionally: If Jesus is not God because he did not know something, then God the Father can’t be God because only Jesus knows this name:

  • Revelation 19:12–13

    “His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He [Jesus] has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God,”

We can also reverse the logic and state: If Jesus is not God because he doesn’t know all things in a bible verse, then it should work both ways. If we could find a verse which states that he knows all things, then that would prove that he is God.

  • John 21:17

    He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of [a]Jonah, do you [b]love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?”

    And he said to Him [Jesus], “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”

    Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.

What may appear like a contradiction to the cults or the unlearned, appears to the learned Christian as a lack of understanding on the part of the cults or unlearned person.

One of the little-known aspects of Jewish culture was the wedding ceremony. When a bride and groom were to be married, a celebration would ensue. It took time to prepare the meals, the water, the wine, as well as for people to make travel plans to attend the wedding. Of course, in order to prepare for such a celebration, people had to know what day the wedding would occur. The custom of the groom was to prepare a room-addition to the father’s house. This is where the new bride and groom would reside after the wedding. it was the custom that the father would then “officially” declares the room addition ready and give the son permission to go get his bride. Of course, the trumpeters were waiting for the official command by the father of the household for the son to go get the bride. It was customary to say that no one knew the day nor the hour when the father would send the son to get the bride. It was a sign of respect for the father. It was a cultural thing. So, when Jesus said that no one knows the day nor the hour, he was reflecting the cultural norm. It did not mean he did not actually know the day nor the hour.

Conclusion: Jesus is God (John 1:1-3,14), he knows all things (John 21:17). It was customary to say that no one knew the day nor the hour when the father would send the son to get the bride. It was a sign of respect for the father. It was a cultural thing. Jewish custom should not be overlooked.

9. Jesus Was Brought Forth?

  • Proverbs 8:22-30

    “The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way, before His works of old. 23 I have been established from everlasting, from the beginning, before there was ever an Earth. 24 When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no fountains abounding with water.

  • [Skip down to v.29]

    29 “When He assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters would not transgress His command, when He marked out the foundations of the earth, 30 then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him.” NKJV

❌ The Cults: “So here in Proverbs 8 we have an Old Testament text wherein the Messiah who was to come (Jesus) tells us that He was brought forth (v. 24) or created by God.”

✔️ Answer: Sadly, the Watchtower Society has taught its members that Jesus is the one speaking here in Proverbs 8.

📖 Context: Let’s back up and look at verse 12. Solomon, the author of this Proverb, tells us here who’s speaking:

  • Proverbs 8:12

    “I, [Jesus? No. Messiah? No.] wisdom, dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge and discretion.” NKJV

Solomon was using a common literary device called personification. To personify means to give human-like characteristics to an inanimate object. In this passage (Prov. 8), Solomon was not personifying Jesus; he was personifying the inanimate virtue of “wisdom” (v. 1).

Solomon was making wisdom to come alive, as if it were a person, and address the reader about how wise God is.

To further verify that Solomon was not talking about Jesus (the Messiah who would come), notice with me in verses 1-3 that the word “wisdom” is personified as being a female! This is hardly applicable to a male Messiah!

  • Proverbs 8:1-3

    “Does not wisdom cry out, and understanding lift up her voice? 2 She takes her stand on the top of the high hill, beside the way, where the paths meet. 3 She cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city, at the entrance of the doors:” NKJV

Conclusion: You can be absolutely confident that this is not about Jesus as the Watchtower Society would like us to believe.

Source(s): 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

Conclusion

Even though I could’ve ended this article without including anything past proving the witnesses to be false prophets, I decided to go out of my way to provide answers to an organization that has essentially debunked itself as far back as the late 1800’s.

Trustworthy Bible Translations

As far as legitimate Christian translations are concerned, I’ve compiled a list of acceptable versions that I use personally. When I want to use a Textus Receptus derived translation, I use the NKJV. When I want to use the Critical Text, I use either an LSB, or an ESV. If you don’t care about intense study or debate, and would only like to read the bible leisurely, I recommend the NLT.

“99.8% of textual variants affect nothing, most are spelling differences. there’s different ways to spell John, there’s different ways to spell Mary, they’re not going to affect anything, but the one-fifth of 1% that do affect things are the ones that scholars talk about. The bottom line is it does not matter in some respects which New Testament you use because no essential doctrine is jeopardized by any of these textual variants” — Professor Daniel B. Wallace, Ph.D.

Readability & literalness scores based on quantitative linguistic comparison of Bible translations using computerized statistical analysis, developed by Dr. Andi Wu.

Readability & literalness scores do not denote textual purity, all of the following translations can claim 99% NT textual purity (see previous quote). It’s simply a measurement of how easy something is to read in English, or how close to the Greek wording, the English translation appears. We actually don’t want the literalness scores to exceed ~70%, because we would end up with a very terse and unreadable English translation. If you want 100% literalness to the 99% textually pure Greek NT, you want an interlinear.

  • Formal Equivalence (Word-For-Word) Translation Type
    • LSB - Legacy Standard Bible
      • Scholars: 135+ (70+ LSB & 65 NASB 95)
      • Readability & Literalness Scores
        • LSB: ~62.00% / ~70.00%
        • NASB: 61.65% / 67.99%
      • Textual Basis (NASB 95 base text)
        • OT: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia; Biblia Hebraica Quinta
        • NT: Critical Text Novum Testamentum Graece (28th ed., 2012)
    • ESV Reverse Interlinear [Sample]
      • Scholars: 100+
      • Readability & Literalness Scores
        • ESV: 62.36% / 100% (Greek); 68.74% (ESV)
      • Textual Basis
        • OT: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (5th ed., 1997)
        • NT: Critical Text UBS Greek New Testament (5th corrected ed.); Novum Testamentum Graece (28th ed., 2012)
    • ESV - English Standard Version
      • Scholars: 100+
      • Readability & Literalness Scores
        • ESV: 62.36% / 68.74%
      • Textual Basis
        • OT: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (5th ed., 1997)
        • NT: Critical Text UBS Greek New Testament (5th corrected ed.); Novum Testamentum Graece (28th ed., 2012)
    • NKJV - New King James Version
      • Scholars: 177 (130 NKJV & 47 KJV)
      • Readability & Literalness Scores
        • NKJV: 60.32% / 65.21%
        • KJV: 48.83% / 66.58%
      • Textual Basis (KJV base Text)
        • OT: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (4th ed., 1977); KJV (Masoretic Text)
        • NT: Received Text Textus Receptus
  • Dynamic Equivalence (Thought-For-Thought) Translation Type
    • NLT - New Living Translation
      • Scholars: 90+
      • Readability & Literalness Scores
        • NLT: 70.08% / 39.90%
      • Textual Basis
        • OT: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia
        • NT: Critical Text UBS Greek New Testament / Novum Testamentum Graece