YE
COMPASS SEA AND LAND TO MAKE ONE PROSELYTE, AND WHEN HE IS MADE, YE MAKE HIM
TWOFOLD MORE THE
CHILD OF HELL THAN YOURSELVES." MATT. 23:15.
These words were spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ as He pronounced woes upon
the proud, self-righteous scribes and Pharisees. We are reminded
of them when we consider the zealous cult
of
Watch Tower Society representatives who falsely
claim to be "Jehovah's Witnesses."
"Jehovah" is one of the names of
Almighty God the Creator. Exodus
6:3. We are sure that these Watch Tower
propagandists are false witnesses who
take His name in vain.
"Qualified To Be Ministers" is the title of one
of their books. It is an instructional and organizational
manual containing a section entitled "Modern
History of Jehovah's Witnesses." In it they unblushingly
set forth that their visible governing
body is under the direct supervision of Christ Jesus,
and
that Christ "flashes" spiritual food through the
Watch Tower Society publications: their
books, their Watchtower, Awake and Informant magazines, and their letters.
According to this book, total
submission to and absolute dependence upon
their officials for teaching and
direction is required of every
"witness." TALK ABOUT POPERY AND PRIESTCRAFT!
They have enslaved hundreds of thousands who
spend millions of hours on the streets and going
door-to-door "placing" their books and magazines
and teaching people out of them.
What "explains their "success"? Is it that they
possess and hold forth wonderful spiritual riches
and blessings? Is it that they have indisputable
truth to offer? No! They do not claim to possess
eternal life and salvation from sin. They THINK
they are on the road to eternal life, but they have
no assurance that they will ever reach their destination.
As to what they put forth as truth: they catch unwary souls by pointing to
the confusion in religion, corruption in churchanity, and the clearly
pagan character of Christmas, Easter, and other religious observances and
beliefs. But as to positive truth, they are utterly unscriptural and antichrist.
The Watch Tower Society's Antichrist Doctrine
They have an inverted pyramid of false doctrine which cannot stand as truth
in the minds of unprejudiced, God-fearing Bible students.
THEY BEGIN WITH THE DETERMINATION TO BELIEVE THAT THERE IS NO CONSCIOUS,
EVERLASTING PUNISHMENT FOR WILLFUL CHRIST-REJECTORS.
Then in order to hold to this preconceived and prejudicial assumption, they
contend for the following misconceptions:
1. That death is annihilation, or cessation of being;
2. That man is only physical;
3. That man's death is therefore only physical, like an animal's;
4. That Christ died; therefore He was only human, for God could not cease to
be;
5. That Christ was not bodily raised. They say He laid down a human life
ONLY and that to take back the life He laid down would be to take back the
ransom price for sin.
6. They conclude that prophecies of Christ's coming are not therefore of a
physical appearing, but of an invisible "presence";
7. That Christ is already INVISIBLY present, according to world conditions
similar to those described in Matt. 24 and to calculations based on Watch
Tower interpretations of Biblical time-prophecies.
8. Their ultimate conclusion is that the invisibly present Christ has a
servant on earth which rules over all God's household and goods. Matt.
24:45-47. They say that this "faithful and discreet slave" is a "visible
governing body .. . closely identified with the Board of Directors of the
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society." ("Qualified To Be Ministers," page
354). They say that "All are subject to the visible governing body." Thus
the Watch Tower leaders, by their satanically subtle method of
indoctrination, use these Christ-belittling teachings to make multitudes of
slaves who in turn zealously "witness" to others to bring them into the same
bondage.
The Ultimate Test For Doctrinal Beliefs
Bible-taught truth about the person of Christ and the gospel of our
salvation is the ultimate test for doctrinal beliefs. A Christ who cannot
make it possible for sinful men to be at one with God comes short of being
the Savior we need. A Christ whose work for sinful men provides less than
full salvation from sin and its penalty is clearly inadequate.
The Lord Jesus Christ came to earth as the second man. He lived a sinless
life for us, then died for our sins according to the scriptures, was buried
and rose again the third day according to scriptures. His life FOR US, His
sufferings FOR us and resurrection have opened wide the way for us to come
boldly to God. ALL ATTACKS UPON CHRIST'S PERSON AND WORK, THEREFORE, ARE
SATANICALLY CALCULATED TO ROB US OF ANY BASIS FOR SALVATION AND ETERNAL
LIFE.
Watch Tower Witnesses Attack Jesus Christ
THE CHRIST OF THE WATCH TOWER SOCIETY IS NOT THE CHRIST OF THE BIBLE. Their
christ is an invisible spirit creature who never died for sinners; he was
never buried, and he was never raised from the dead. They teach that God
originally created a powerful, invisible spirit person by whom He afterward
made the heavens and earth. They hold that this spirit person CEASED TO BE
when Jesus was conceived in the womb of Mary. They say that Jesus was merely
a man, the equivalent of the first man, Adam, and he was in no sense a
spirit creature. To quote them: "He was not a spirit-human hybrid, a man and
at the same time… a spirit person. He was not clothed upon with flesh over
an invisible spirit person, but he WAS flesh." ("What Has Religion Done For
Mankind?" — page 231).
They teach that at Golgotha Jesus' human life was laid down in death, NEVER
TO BE TAKEN UP AGAIN. Their human Jesus, according to their teaching, died
like a bullock, or goat, or poisoned rat, AND PASSED OUT OF EXISTENCE. But
three days after his annihilation, a spirit creature appeared on the scene
who was Christ. This spirit creature, say they, materialized at different
times in a body with nail prints, spear wound and thorn imprinted brow.
Though they try to deny it, we must conclude that they believe that Christ
thus appeared to DECEIVE the disciples of Jesus into thinking that He had
actually told the truth when He said He would be killed AND BE RAISED from
the dead the third day. Matt. 16:21. ACCORDING TO THEM JESUS WAS NOT
ACTUALLY RAISED AT ALL.
These "witnesses" further hold that this spirit Christ ascended to heaven
where he remained until he invisibly returned in 1914 or 1918 to appoint
Watch Tower leaders rulers over his household and goods.
It amazes some of us that they have been able with such devilish drivel to
make submissive slaves out of hundreds of thousands of people who in turn
are ensnaring thousands more into zealous servitude. We are sure that 2 Cor.
4:4 explains it: "In whom the god of this world (Satan) hath blinded the
minds Of THEM WHICH BELIEVE NOT, lest the light of the glorious gospel of
Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."
Bible Truth Exalts Christ
The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is God —eternal and untreated. He is the
Word who was in the beginning with God and was Himself God (not "a god" as
Watch Tower Witnesses falsely claim. The indefinite article "a" does not
appear in the original Greek scriptures ). He made all things. John 1:1-3.
Christ was "Immanuel . . . God with us" when on earth. Matt. 1:23. He is the
One "whose goings forth have been from old, FROM EVERLASTING." Micah 5:2.
Many are the scriptural proofs of His deity. See Exodus 3:14 with John
8:56-58; Isaiah 6:1-10 with John 12:37-41; Isaiah 8:13-15 with 1 Peter
2:3-8; Isaiah 9:6,7; Hebrews 1:6-13; Isaiah 44:6 with Rev. 1:8,18; 21:6;
22:12,13,16.
It is true that Christ said while He was on earth, "for my Father is greater
than I" ( John 14:28). But this was because He had voluntarily "humbled
himself." He was "MADE a little lower than the angels for the suffering of
death," but before He came to earth He "thought it not robbery (a thing to
be grasped after) to be equal with God," because HE WAS IN THE FORM OF GOD
AND WAS EQUAL WITH GOD. Heb. 2:9 with Philippians 2:6-8.
Consciousness After Death
In order to get away from the Bible teaching of conscious punishment for
willful Christ rejecters after physical death, Watch Tower witnesses teach
that death is annihilation, cessation of being. (In contrast see Hebrews
10:26-31; Revelation 14:9-11; and Revelation 20:10-15 ). They deny that man
has a soul and spirit which leave the body at death and are conscious. The
Bible teaches otherwise, as can be seen from Genesis 35:18; 1 Kings 17:1724;
Matt. 10:28; Luke 8:52-56; 23:46; Acts 5:5,10; 12:23 ("ghost" means
"spirit"). For proof of consciousness after death, see Luke 16:19-31;
Philippians 1:21-24; 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:9.
Ecclesiastes
Watch Tower witnesses misuse Solomon's words found in Ecclesiastes 3:18-21:
"I SAID IN MINE HEART concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God
might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are
beasts. For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one
thing befalleth them: as one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all
one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is
vanity. All go unto one place; all are of dust, and all turn to dust again.
Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast
that goeth downward to the earth?" They fail to note that THESE WORDS ARE
WHAT SOLOMON SPOKE IN HIS HEART. THEY ARE NOT GOD'S WORDS ABOUT THE DEATH OF
MEN. They are Solomon's OBSERVATIONS about the death of men and beasts
rather than God's REVELATION on the subject, though God's Spirit moved
Solomon to write.
Men Have Preeminence Above Beasts In Death
IF, as these "witnesses" teach, death is cessation of being and the same for
men and beasts:
1. The Lord Jesus Christ had no preeminence above a beast in His death;
2. Christ became non-existent at His death;
3. He could not have been God, for God could not cease to be;
4. His blood could not take away our sins, for "it is not possible that the
blood of bulls and of goats ( beasts ) should take away sins" (Heb. 10:4).
WATCH TOWERITES, let US plead with you to squarely face these conclusions
and see where you are led by belittling the Christ of the Bible and God's
just wrath against sin. Repent while there is grace for you rather than
judgment ( Rom. 5:21).
Further Proof of Christ's Deity
How could their human Jesus "taste death for every man" (Heb. 2:9 )? If
Christ were only a finite man, the equivalent of ONLY one other man, how
could he suffer the punishment for sin as the equivalent substitute for the
multiplied BILLIONS of mankind? ANSWER THAT PLEASE!
We who accept that the Lord Jesus is the INFINITE God have no difficulty
here, for we know that Christ was more than the equivalent of any number
of us FINITE men.
We
have no intellectual difficulty with God's
revelation that Con THE SON died on the
tree and was dead for three
days and nights, for we know that
DEATH IS NOT CESSATION OF BEING - CHRIST DID NOT CEASE TO BE
IN HIS DEATH.
(Try to substitute
"annihilated," "ceased to be," or "became nonexistent"
for "dead" or "death" in these verses —Rev. 14:13; Psa. 116:15; 1 Tim. 5:6;
Rom. 14:9; Phil. 1:21; Luke 9:60; Rom.
6:8.) The Lord Jesus "gave up
the ghost (spirit)," and His body was
placed in Joseph's sepulchre. Luke
23:46,53. Peter preached after
His resurrection that "his soul was
not left in hell." Acts 2:31. In other
words, Christ's death was SEPARATION: separation from God the Father as He
bore our sins in His own body on the
tree, and separation of His soul and
spirit from His body. During
those three days and nights, He was held by the pains of death; the sorrows
of hell gat hold of Him; He was
in hell, in the heart of the
earth. Acts 2:24; Psa.. 18:5; 86:13; 116:3; Matt.
12:40; Eph. 4:9,10. Do non-existent
persons have pains and sorrows?
And was Joseph of Arimathea's
tomb in the HEART of the earth?
Christ Was Bodily Raised
The Lord Jesus Christ suffered death in the
place of us sinners, though He was Himself innocent.
Isaiah had prophesied that "He (God the
Father) shall see the travail of his soul and be
satisfied." Isa. 53:11. Christ's sufferings on the
cross and in hell for three days and
nights satisfied the justice of
God which required our death. Once
this was accomplished, God raised
Christ up, "having loosed the
pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it."
Acts 2:24.
Watch Tower witnesses deny Christ's bodily
resurrection. They say that to take back the life
he
laid down would be to take back his ransom
sacrifice. They are forced into this
position by their teaching
about death and by their denials of
Christ's deity.
The truth is that CHRIST
NEVER HAS NOR EVER WILL TAKE BACK THE SUFFERINGS WHICH HE ENDURED FOR
US.
His death and suffering for those three days
and nights have satisfied Divine justice. May it
satisfy us and fill our hearts with gratitude to God
for
His great love to us!
The Lord Jesus was BODILY
raised from the dead.
"The SAME Jesus" that walked on earth came forth
from the grave with the keys of hell and death.
The One who died is the One who now lives. SEE
LUKE 24:36-40; JOHN 2:19-22; 20:19-28; ACTS 2:2232;
EPH. 4:9,10; REV. 1:18.
His Visible Return
Christ will also return to earth one day IN THE SAME BODY, NOT INVISIBLE,
BUT SEEN BY
EVERY
EYE.
Christ warned, as recorded in Matt. 24:26,
"Wherefore, if they shall say unto you, Behold,
he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in
the secret chambers; BELIEVE IT NOT." (The
Watch Tower witnesses say He is in the secret
chambers ). The reason we are not to believe it, as
the Lord Jesus went on to explain, is that, " . . . as
the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth
even unto the west, so shall also the coming of
the Son of man be. . . . Immediately after the tribulation
of those days shall the sun be darkened, and
the moon shall not give its light, and the stars shall
fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall
appear the sign of the
Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes
of the earth mourn, and THEY SHALL SEE THE
SON OF MAN COMING IN THE CLOUDS OF
HEAVEN WITH POWER AND GREAT
GLORY." Matt. 24:27-30. See also Rev. 1:7; Zech.
12:10; 14:3,4; Acts 1:9-11.
Watch Towerites Deny The Gospel
THE GOSPEL BY WHICH WE ARE SAVED is that
"CHRIST died for our sins according to the scriptures;
and that HE was buried, and that HE rose
again the third day according to the scriptures."
1 Cor. 15:1-5. WATCH TOWER WITNESSES DENY THAT JESUS WHO DIED AND WAS
BURIED IS THE SAME AS CHRIST WHO WAS RAISED.
Theirs is "another gospel"
which brings God's curse upon them and those who
receive it. By inspiration Paul the apostle wrote,
"But though we, or an angel from, preach any other
gospel unto you than that which we have preached
unto you, let him be accursed." Gal. 1:8.
They also come under the indictment of 1 John
4:3: "Every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus
Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this
is that ANTICHRIST, whereof ye have heard that it
should come; and even now already is in the
world." THEIR FLESH-MAN JESUS WAS NOT CHRIST COME IN THE FLESH. THEIR
CHRIST IS A SPIRIT PERSON WHO CAME INTO BEING AFTER THEIR JESUS HAD CEASED
TO BE.
"WHOSOEVER
TRANSGRESSETH, AND ABIDETH NOT IN THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST, HATH NOT
GOD. HE THAT ABIDETH
IN THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST, HE HATH BOTH THE FATHER AND THE SON. IF THERE
COME ANY UNTO YOU, AND BRING NOT THIS DOCTRINE, RECEIVE HIM NOT INTO YOUR
HOUSE, NEITHER BID HIM GOD SPEED; FOR HE THAT BIDDETH HIM GOD SPEED IS
PARTAKER OF HIS EVIL DEEDS." 2 JOHN 9-11.
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