Christians And Jehovah’s Witnesses: Not On The Same Page

We have already looked at Catholicism, Lutheranism, and Mormonism to determine if the teachings in those denominations are biblical. We really had to examine them closely because there are some significant similarities between biblical Christianity and these groups. On the other hand, Christians and Jehovah’s Witnesses are obviously not worshipping the same god, despite the Jehovah’s Witnesses identification as Christians. Let’s take a look at the highlights of their faith today.

Jehovah’s Witnesses: A Brief History

During the Adventist Movement in the 1830’s, a man named William Miller claimed that Christ would return in 1843 or 1844. Spoiler alert: He didn’t return. Miller’s failed prediction led to a divide into multiple factions.

In this divide, Charles Taze Russell rose to prominence. He made bold assertions that earned him attention and gathered a following. He denied the Trinity, the deity of Christ, and the eternal torment of Hell. Russell also said the second coming of Christ would be invisible. (A handy theory if one wants to avoid scrutiny, eh?) He also taught that Christ would establish His Kingdom on Earth in 1914 with visibility.

In 1884, Russell founded the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. He, of course, was president. He later moved the headquarters to Brooklyn. Russell’s successor, Joseph Franklin Rutherford, changed the name to Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1931. Additionally, Rutherford pushed to create a more tightknit and evangelical group.

Christians And Jehovah’s Witnesses: God

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that God is the Creator named Jehovah. Teachings about God also say that He is the God of Abraham, Moses, and Jesus.

What Does The Bible Say?

The Bible supports the belief that God is the Creator. Genesis 1:1 tells us that God created the heavens and the earth in the beginning. The Jehovah’s Witnesses are also correct concerning God being the God of Abraham and Moses. He tells Moses that He is the God of Abraham in Exodus 3:15. We run into problems, however, when they get to the relationship between God and Jesus.

Essentially, the Jehovah’s Witnesses have gotten it all wrong on this issue. Their teaching says Jesus was created, but the Bible says otherwise.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John 1:1

The very first verse of John tells us that Jesus was there at the beginning. It also informs us that Jesus (aka: the Word) is God.

“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”

Revelation 22:13

Jesus tells us in Revelation that He is the beginning and the end. He always was and always will be. That is not the characteristic of a created being, is it?

Christians And Jehovah’s Witnesses: The Bible

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the Bible, all sixty-six of its books, was inspired by God. However, they do not accept God’s Word literally. Some of it, they say, is figurative or symbolic. For example, they reject the Genesis account of Creation as literal, although they consider themselves Creationists. They argue that science has debunked the literal understanding of Creation as seen in the Bible.

What Does The Bible Say?

Christian Bibles do, in fact, have sixty-six books. Biblical Christians would also agree that the Bible was “given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16).

As far as the Genesis account of Creation goes, Christians argue quite a bit on this subject. The conservative viewpoint on this is that Creation was a literal 6-day event. The Bible supports this, and science does, too. If you want to investigate more on your own (because I don’t have time for that rabbit trail) check out Answer in Genesis.

In addition, Jehovah’s Witnesses reject all versions of the Bible beside their version, the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (NWT), which was not published until 1950.

Biblical Revisions

The Jehovah’s Witnesses claim to have the only faithful translation, yet, in order to have that version, the Bible had to be twisted and change to fit into their unbiblical beliefs. Don’t like what the Bible says? No problem! Just change it.

Earlier I quoted John 1:1. The NWT version changes the end of that verse to, “the Word was a god” (emphasis mine). This slight change removes the deity of Christ from their translation. Here’s another example from John.

“Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.”

John 8:58, KJV

“Most truly I say to you, before Abraham came into existence, I have been.”

John 8:58, NWT

Removing “I am” from the verse is a deliberate removal, again, of the deity of Christ. When Jesus told people “I am,” He was telling others He is God. Anyone Jesus spoke to would know the reference from Exodus when God told Moses “I AM THAT I AM.” Saying “I am” was a claim to be God.

I’ll give you one more example to prove this isn’t a fluke.

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;”

Titus 2:13, KJV

“while we wait for the happy hope and glorious manifestation of the great God and of [the] Savior of us, Christ Jesus,”

Titus 2:13, NWT

When comparing these two translations of Titus, it becomes clear that the New World Translation has been slightly reworded to sound like it is discussing two individuals: God and the Savior. Meanwhile, translations accepted by all of Christendom are obviously speaking about God, our Savior. One Man. One God. One Savior.

Christians And Jehovah’s Witnesses: Jesus

Could there be more to talk about concerning Jehovah’s Witnesses and Jesus? Yes! There are even more problematic beliefs about Jesus to unpack. We’ve already covered that Jehovah’s Witnesses believe Jesus is a created being, therefore, not God. They also reject the Trinity which requires Jesus’ deity in order to be a part of the Godhead.

But wait…there’s more!

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe Jesus is Michael the Archangel.

They also teach that Jesus was not bodily resurrected. Rather, he had a Spirit body.

Finally, the Jehovah’s Witnesses claim the second coming happened secretly in 1914. They believe that Jesus is currently ruling at the Watchtower with the leadership of this religion.

What Does The Bible Say?

Michael the Archangel

First, Jesus cannot be an angel because, unlike angels, He is not a created being. I’ve already discussed this earlier. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe Jesus is Michael the Archangel due to the following verse.

“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.” (ESV) (emphasis mine)

1 Thessalonians 4:16

The verse is clearly describing what Jesus will sound like, not what He is. The very next line in this verse, following the same logic, would mean Jesus is also a trumpet. No one makes that assertion, though, because it is obviously untrue. Calling Christ an archangel is yet another way to take away His deity in this belief system.

Jesus’ Body

Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that Jesus came back in a Spirit body, but what happened to His physical body? Well, they will tell you it dissolved. There is not evidence for this, and it is not congruent with the idea of Jesus defeating death if He lost His body.

Moreover, this theory doesn’t hold up against the story of Doubting Thomas. You can read about Thomas in John 20:24-29. He famously said, “Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

Jesus did come to Thomas, and he touched the Lord’s wounds on His hands and side. His physical body still carried the wounds from his crucifixion.

The Second Coming Of Christ

Teachings on the subject of the second coming of Jesus Christ claim He secretly returned, but the Bible would disagree.

Matthew paints a slightly louder picture than that of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens 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. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

Matthew 24:29-31

You can use a lot of words to describe that passage of Scripture, but secret and invisible are simply not accurate pictures of the second coming given here.

Christians And Jehovah’s Witnesses: Salvation

The official Jehovah’s Witness website says that no one can earn salvation. According to their authoritative book, Studies in the Scriptures, salvation is a four-part process.

1. Believe in God and Jesus

This, of course, means the God and Jesus of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

2. Obey God’s Laws

This one is straightforward.

3. One must be a Jehovah’s Witness

Apparently, no other “Christian” can be saved.

4. Loyalty

To meet this requirement, one must promote the Jehovah’s Witnesses by door-to-door contact and handing out materials to people. Jehovah’s Witnesses must spend a minimum of one hour a month engaged in these activities to be loyal.

What Does The Bible Say?

The easiest way to approach this is by looking at each point individually.

1. Believe in God and Jesus

Loads of people say they believe in God and Jesus, but which one? If you rely on the Jehovah’s Witness version of Christ, then you still don’t believe in Jesus. We can’t worship a Jesus of our own making and expect salvation. Hopefully, by now, you can see they do not preach the Jesus of the Bible. 

2. Obey God’s Laws

Christians are not under the Law any longer, and we should be glad. No one can keep the Law of God perfectly, and that means we cannot be saved if we rely on our own performance. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross fulfilled the Law, but we never can.

“But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.”

Romans 7:6

“Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.”

Galatians 3:24-25

3. One must be a Jehovah’s Witness

Christians and Jehovah’s Witnesses differ a great deal on this point. Christians rely on Jesus Christ. Meanwhile, Jehovah’s Witnesses put their religion at the center of salvation. It shouldn’t matter what group we belong to, so long as we believe in Jesus and repent of our sins.

Not to mention, the claim here is a little…ridiculous. The only way to be saved is to belong to a religion that began in the 1880’s in America. If that doesn’t sound suspicious to you, read it again. The only way to be saved is to belong to a religion that began in the 1880’s in America. This sounds more like trying to propagate a religion than real Christianity.

4. Loyalty

This door-knocking and evangelism is, without a question, a work. That isn’t necessarily bad. The Book of James tells us that faith without works is dead. The difference is quite significant, though.

The Bible teaches that works naturally follow salvation. Doing good works is evidence of being born again. On the other hand, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe working is necessary to attain salvation. Anyone working to receive salvation or keep it doesn’t understand salvation and is likely unsaved. Period.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Ephesians 2:8-9

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

Romans 10:9

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”

Titus 3:5

Christians And Jehovah’s Witnesses: Heaven And Earth

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Heaven is sealed. Only 144,000 people will be resurrected, and they will rule with Jesus and the angels in the Kingdom. The people who number at 144,001 and beyond will live in an earthly paradise.

What Does The Bible Say?

So, where did Jehovah’s Witnesses get 144,000 from? They pulled the number from Revelation 7:4. It says, “And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.” (By the way, they also believe that they have replaced the tribes of Israel in this verse.)

Before you get to thinking the Jehovah’s Witnesses are onto something. No worries… They’re not. Just four verses later we see them contradicted in Scripture.

“After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;” (emphasis mine)

Revelation 7:9

I’m no math major, but an amount of people in Heaven “which no man could number” seems like more than 144,000.

All Believers Will Be With Christ

Our souls will be with the Lord in Heaven when we die.

“Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

2 Corinthians 5:6-8

Ultimately, our bodies will be resurrected and glorified, and we will spend eternity on the new earth (Revelation 21-22).

Christians And Jehovah’s Witnesses: Hell

Jehovah’s Witnesses might tell you that they do not deny Hell. However, they do not believe in a fiery torment. Rather, they believe that people who are not Jehovah’s Witnesses pass out of existence. Death, as they see it, is the penalty for sin.

What Does The Bible Say?

The Bible is clear on the idea of Hell, and finally, eternity in the Lake of Fire.

“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Revelation 21:8

“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Matthew 10:28

“And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Revelation 20:15

It is understandable why someone would want to believe, if we can’t be in Heaven, that we just die and stop existing. Comfort, however, is not how God determines our eternity. Have we been born again (John 3:3), or are we still spiritually dead when our lives end? This is the question we should deal with as soon as possible, especially in light of the very real Hell we read about in God’s Word.

Christians And Jehovah’s Witnesses: Authority

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures is their authority. They hold another book, Studies in the Scriptures, as a doctrinal authority, as well. The governing body, though, is the most troubling source of authority to most anyone who hears about it.

The governing body of the Jehovah’s Witnesses is comprised of eight men who reside in New York. They are known as the “faithful and discreet slave.” These men formulate doctrine, oversee publishing, and publish two magazines called Awake! and The Watchtower.

Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that Jesus, who they believe returned in 1914, is leading His people through the “faithful and discreet slave.” Furthermore, obedience to whatever these men say is necessary for salvation. They, from an outsiders perspective, seem to be elevated to an almost god-like role. It’s a bit reminiscent of the Pope to me.

As if this whole set-up didn’t already raise a red flag, the development of this eight-man leadership model is a little disconcerting, to say the least. The “faithful and discreet slave” began as a term for all Jehovah’s Witnesses. Over time, the term only applied to leadership. Eventually, just eight men working in New York held this title and all the control.

I don’t want to be uncharitable, but sometimes I need to calls ‘em as I sees ‘em. The “faithful and discreet slave” thing is super sketchy.

What Does The Bible Say?

Our Authority, our King, and our Head is Jesus Christ. It’s all about His Word, His commands, and His lead. It isn’t difficult to understand who has authority over us when we humble ourselves enough to know that we can’t do better than He can.

“And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,”

Ephesians 1:22

“And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:”

Colossians 2:10

“And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.”

Colossians 1:18

Final Thought

I had at least four more issues to discuss, but this post has already ended up much longer than I planned. But I think I made my point. Jehovah’s Witnesses are not Christians. There’s, frankly, no argument to be made for that belief. Christians and Jehovah’s Witnesses may use some of the same words, but their beliefs are almost entirely in conflict with one another.

Pray for Jehovah’s Witnesses. Reach out in kindness to any you know. But, please, don’t lump Jehovah’s Witnesses in with Christians. It might seem loving to let someone think they are a Christian, but it’s really the cruelest thing you can do. No one can be saved without first knowing that she is not. Don’t affirm someone’s questionable salvation, or you might only help that person hear the scariest words in the Bible from our Lord.

“And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

Matthew 7:23

What has been your experience with Jehovah’s Witnesses? Tell me about it!

If you want a deep dive into Jehovah’s Witnesses, then I recommend watching Mike Winger on YouTube. He does a great job making some of these difficult topics understandable.

Image courtesy of Rod Long via Unsplash.