Who is Michael the archangel? The Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that Michael is Jesus; they say Michael is the named used for Jesus Christ, before and after his life on earth. The way in which they try to explain their view I think is clever. However, there are tremendous problems with their view, the main problem is the Holy Bible; it is clear that the Holy Bible teaches Michael the archangel and Jesus Christ to be two different persons. We will be considering more problems later on in the post.

I think we need to first understand how the watchtower organization believes this and why Jehovah’s Witnesses accept this view. It has to do with their view of who Jesus Christ is; which we do need to understand, according to Jehovah’s Witnesses Jesus is a created being who is not God (now in this post I will not go in depth to the person of Jesus yet). The Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe in the same Jesus that is taught in Holy Scripture. Moreover, we also need to understand their translation of God’s Holy Word. They have a twisted translation that is completely bias towards Watchtower doctrine (I am also not going to go in depth of their translation yet as well).

Since they (JW’s) have a twisted translation that misleads many unsuspecting Witnesses it is no wonder as to why they believe Jesus to be a created being, and the watchtower indoctrinates their followers to believe their false teachings. Telling their followers that if they study the Holy Bible alone without their teachings, will lead them to heresy.

One thing we do need to remember is that the majority of Jehovah’s Witnesses are deceived into the cult, and we need to share with them the truth of God; and share with them the love of Jesus Christ and the Gospel.

Now let us consider their arguments for their belief that Jesus Christ and Michael the archangel are the same person. Keep in mind the statement they make: “the Bible indicates that Michael is ANOTHER NAME for Jesus Christ, BEFORE and AFTER his life on earth.”[1]

 “Archangel: God’s Word refers to Michael “the archangel.” (Jude 9) This term means “chief angel.” Notice that Michael is called the archangel. This suggests that there is only one such angel. In fact, the term “archangel” occurs in the Bible only in the singular, never in the plural. Moreover, Jesus is linked with the office of archangel. Regarding the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Thessalonians 4:16 states: “The Lord himself will descend from heaven with a commanding call, with an archangel’s voice.” Thus, the voice of Jesus is described as being that of an archangel. This scripture therefore suggests that Jesus himself is the archangel Michael.”[2] 

 Now the problem with this argument is the use of Eisegesis that the Watchtower organization uses to understand the Holy Scripture, just look at how they reason. Eisegesis is an interpretation of Scripture that expresses the interpreter’s own ideas[3], bias, or the like, rather than the meaning of the text. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 does not suggest Jesus to be  Michael the Archangel, read 1 Thessalonians and the rest of the Holy Bible and you will see that Michael and Jesus to be two different people.

If Jesus and Michael the Archangel were in fact, the same person there would be more references of Michael as being Jesus Christ. Also if Michael is the name for Jesus before and after he was here on earth, there would be clear indications of that, such as Michael being called “Michael the Christ” or Jesus being called “Jesus the Archangel” in Jude 9.

Now back to another argument they give to support their view of Michael and Jesus being the same person.

 Army Leader: The Bible states that “Michael and his angels battled with the dragon… and its angels”. (Revelation 12:7) Thus, Michael is the leader of an army of faithful angels. Revelation also describes Jesus as the leader of an army of faithful angels. (Revelation 19:14-16) and the apostle Paul specifically mentions “the Lord Jesus” and “his powerful angels”. (2 Thessalonians 1:7; Matthew 16:27; 24:31; 1 Peter 3:22) So the Bible speaks of both Michael and “his angels” and Jesus and “his angels”. (Matthew 13:41) Since God’s Word nowhere indicates that there are two  armies of faithful angels in heaven- one headed by Michael and one headed by Jesus- it is logical to conclude that Michael is none other than Jesus Christ in his heavenly role.[4]

 Once again, we see bad understanding of the Holy Scriptures here, made by the Watchtower Organization. The conclusion that the Watchtower comes to is very erroneous. Let us take a look at Chapter 12 of the Book of Revelation. From verses 1-6 John describes a “wondrous sign” in heaven and speaks of the woman who is clothed with the sun, and has the moon under her feet with twelve stars above her. She gives birth to a son; we know from Scripture that the son is Jesus Christ. The son that was born was taken up to heaven because the dragon wanted to devour the child. After the child was snatched up to heaven, you now see in verse 7 Michael the archangel and his angels making war against the dragon. Remember to read Holy Scripture in context and to study it carefully. A few chapters over in 19:14-16 we see a description of Jesus Christ and his followers. I think there is a difference between who are involved in the two battles of Rev. 12:7 and 19:14-21. Revelation 19:14 says “The armies of heaven were following Him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean”. When we consider who wears “fine linen” in the New Testament we see Jesus after being taken off the cross wrapped in linen. Then in Rev. 18:12 and 16 the fine linen is associated with Babylon. The other two times we see anyone wearing fine linen are the saints in Rev. 19:8 and 14. In chapter 19 verse 8 we see fine linen given to the bride of the Lamb, Scriptures says “Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” And verse 8 continues to say that the “fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints”, (remember that the saints are those who trust in Christ). The fine linen that is mentioned in verse 14 is “white and clean” as far that I can see the only ones who wear white in the book of Revelation are the redeemed with the exception of Jesus in Rev. 1:14 and the seven angels with the seven plagues in 15:6. All of whom wear white with a gold sash around them. Now there are seven mentions of saints who wear white (Rev. 3:4, 5; 6:11; 7:9, 13, 14; 19:8) as well as the twenty-four elders in 4:4. I believe that Rev. 19:14 consist of all the saints and heavenly beings who come with King Jesus to war against the dragon. We need to remember that Jesus is King while Michael is not. Though Michael may be the archangel who has other angels under his leadership in battles, Jesus is King who has Michael and every angel under his authority.

 Jesus is superior to the angels of God: The problem with the view the Jehovah’s Witnesses hold is the Word of God. God clear says that Jesus is superior to all of God’s angels including Michael; Michael is not excluded. In the Epistle to the Hebrews God says about His son: “Having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they have” (Hebrews 1:4). Then in Hebrews 1:5, it says, “For to which of the angels did He ever say, YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU? And again, I WILL BE A FATHER TO HIM AND HE SHALL BE A SON TO ME? If you read Chapter one of Hebrews, you will see how Jesus is superior to all the angels and chapter two you see “Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels,” (Heb. 2:9) for the suffering of death.

 Michael according to Scripture: Michael is a created being who holds the position of archangel in the angelic realm (Jude 9). Michael is also a chief prince, in fact Scripture says he is ONE of the chief princes (Daniel 10:13). Michael helps other angels, (Dan. 10: 10- 21) he is a warrior for the people of Daniel, the Israelites (Dan. 12:1). When you read the Holy Scripture you can see clearly that Michael the archangel and Jesus are two different people, the only way you can think they are the same is if you force Scripture to mean what you want it or by believing false teachings such as the teachings of the Watchtower Organization.

 I hope you enjoyed my post and the rest of the posts on my blog. Hope you continue to visit my blog.    

[2] Ibid. p.218- 219

[3] In the case, the interpreter is the Watchtower Organization, which says you can be led astray without studying the Holy Bible with their teachings or literature; you must study the word of God with their literature or their literature alone, but you cannot study the Holy Bible alone.

[4] What Does The Bible Really Teach? Watchtower Organization. P. 219

The Lake of Fire, what is it? In the Watchtower literature with the question “Should you fear hell?” on the cover has a short article about the lake of fire. They have entitled the article “What is “the Lake of Fire”? In that, they said

“If the Devil were to be tortured for all eternity, God would have to preserve him alive, but the Bible says that Jesus will “destroy him.”(Hebrews 2:14, KJ)”[1]

In the New World’s Translation[2] on page 1651 under the title Hell (Hades, Sheol), it says, “Fire is a symbol of annihilation.” Annihilation means to no longer-exist or to reduce to nothing.

Now, back on the Watchtower literature, they continue to say:

 “…Because the Bible does not say that “the lake of fire” would release those in it, “the second death” must mean another kind of death, an irreversible one. In what sense are those in “the lake of fire” tormented eternally? At times, “to torment” can mean, “to restrain” someone. Once when Jesus confronted the demons, they cried out: “Art thou come hither to torment us [restrain us in the abyss] before the time?” (Matthew 8:29; Luke 8:30, 31; KJ) so all of those in “the lake” will suffer the “torment” of everlasting restraint, or “the second death.”[3]

 I agree with them on the first sentence, this second death that is described in Revelation 20:14 is one that is different and irreversible. It is clear on what the Jehovah’s witnesses are talking about when they say “everlasting restraint”. The word restraint means to hold back from action; keep in check or under control; or to repress.[4] Restraint is not a word that implies a ceasing of existence it is, the opposite. In fact, the short article that the Watchtower produced almost seems to be saying there is a place where one would go and suffer being restrained forever.

 This article is strange, because in the Jehovah’s Witnesses, “What Does the Bible Really Teach” on page 58, it says this:

 What happens at death is no mystery to Jehovah, the creator of the brain. He knows the truth, and in his word, the Bible, he explains the condition of the dead. Its clear teaching is this: when a person dies, he ceases to exist; death is the opposite of life. The dead do not see or hear or think. Not even one part of us survives the death of the body. We do not possess an immortal soul or spirit.

So according to the Watchtower when death comes, you no longer exist, this is what they teach, yet, they say that there will be people in “the lake of fire” suffering everlasting restraint. People who cease to exist cannot suffer, the JW’s say it themselves “the dead do not see or hear or think”. If this is true then there cannot be an everlasting restraint, remember “to restrain” does not imply a ceasing to exist it is the opposite. Eternal Hell is a scary thought, no one wants to go there, some try hard to refute it, but it still exists. Almighty God is loving, merciful, and forgiving, He is forgiving on His terms not ours. We also need to remember that He is righteous, holy, and just. Moreover, Almighty God must punish sin to the fullest penalty “Eternal Hell”. The Lake of fire is a real place of torment and the wicked will go there. The Devil, the beast, and the false prophet will be thrown into the lake of fire and anyone whose name is not written in the Lambs book of life will be cast into the eternal lake of fire (Rev. 20:10, 15), the second death a second separation from God. The first separation occurred in Genesis, when Adam and Eve sinned against God. They were spiritually dead and so therefore separated in the communion they had with the awesome Creator of the universe.

 Torment or restraint?

“At times, “to torment” can mean, “to restrain” someone. Once when Jesus confronted the demons, they cried out: “Art thou come hither to torment us [restrain us in the abyss] before the time?” (Matthew 8:29; Luke 8:30, 31; KJ)” The Jehovah’s Witnesses are saying that the word to torment can mean to restrain. Can the word torment mean restrain like the Watchtower says? The Greek word that is used in Matthew 8:29 is Basanizo, which means “torment”. This word does not imply “restrain” but the idea that conjures up in the mind is torment, to inflict pain. This word is also used in Matt. 8:6, 29; Mark. 5:7; Rev. 9:5; 11:10; 14:10, 11; 18:7, 10, 15. In 2 Macc. 7:13 and in 4 Macc. 6:5 this word is used of torture in judicial examination; also in Wisdom of Solomon 3:1, 4 and 4 Maccabees 13:15[5] it is used of the tortures of hell.

A quick word from the Early Church: In the form of a letter from the church of Smyrna to the Christian community of Philmelium in greater Phrygia: the Martyrdom of Saint Polycarp (A.D. 155/ 157). Basanizo meaning torment is used in this letter rendered as torture. In talking about martyrs, it says:

“Fixing their minds on the grace of Christ, [the martyrs] despised worldly tortures, and purchased eternal life with but a single hour. To them, the fire of their cruel torturers was cold. They kept before their eyes their escape from the eternal and unquenchable fire. With the eyes of their heart they looked up to the good things which are reserved for those who persevere, things which neither has ear heard nor eye seen nor has the heart of man conceived.”[6]

Basanizo is also used in Revelation 20:10 “And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” There is no indication of restraint in the word torment/ Basanizo, the lake of fire is a place of torment, it is also where those whose name is not found in the lake of fire will suffer there(Rev. 20:14, 15) all the wicked will go to the lake of fire and will be tormented forever (Rev. 21:8).

However, God did provide a way for man to be washed clean from sin. He sent Jesus the Christ to be crucified for the sins of the world (John 1:29) and He rose from the dead giving life to those who put their trust in Him and who love Him with their hearts. His gift of eternal life is free we do not deserve it and we cannot work for it, He gives it free to those who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:8, 9). Jesus cleanses us from our sins and gives us His righteousness and His peace, God gives us His Holy Spirit to dwell within us (1^st Corinthians 3:16). Jesus also stands and knocks at the door of our hearts and desires to come in (Rev. 3:20). When we put our trust in Jesus Christ we can be confident that our salvation is assured (Eph. 1:13, 14) and that He (Almighty God) will never leave us nor for sake us (Hebrews 13:5) His Grace is sufficient His mercy is awesome His forgiveness is everlasting (Hebrews 10). There truly is nothing greater than to know that the Awesome Creator of the universe forgives your sins and to know we have a personal relationship with God. Hope you enjoyed this post.  

[2] The Jehovah’s Witnesses consider the New World’s Translation to be far more superior to the other translations of the Holy Bible.

[3] Same as number one Should You Fear Hell?

[4] Restrain- also contains “to deprive or liberty, as by arrest or the like. Also limit or hamper the activity, growth, or the effect of.”

[5] Though I reference the Apocrypha (e.g. Wisdom of Solomon, 2^nd, and 4^th Maccabees) I do not believe them to be the Word of God for various reasons. However, I do believe they are very useful.  

[6] Translated by William A. Jurgens, The Faith of the Early Fathers, Volume one p. 30

Hello, everyone I hope you enjoyed the poem that I had posted about Jehovah’s Witnesses.  Now its time to continue the doctrines of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and compare it to the Holy Bible. This time it is about whether or not there is a literal place called hell or is it just a symbol just as the JW’s claim. This will be separated in two or three posts for the sake of not having one long post and your eyes getting tired. Let us begin.

 If you have a copy of the New World Translation you will find towards the back of the book on page 1643 a short article about whether or not there is a place called hell with many Scripture references. Also in the back of there, translation there is what is called “Bible Topics for Discussion” (p.1648). In the “Bible Topics for Discussion” # 16, which briefly mentions hell says this “(hell) not a literal place of fiery torment” and also “fire is a symbol of annihilation” and “the rich man and Lazarus account no proof of eternal torment”. The Jehovah’s Witnesses will argue that there is no place called hell and one thing they like to do like many cults is 1.) Move from verse to verse, 2.) They never read in context, but take scripture out of context, and 3.) twist and retranslate verses to suit there doctrines.[1] In Charles T. Russell’s Studies in the Scriptures, volume 1 page 127 he says this:

“Many have imbibed the erroneous idea that God placed our race on trial for life with the alternative of eternal torture, whereas nothing of the kind is even hinted at in the penalty.”

In addition, on page 128 of the same volume we find these words:

“Eternal torture is nowhere suggested in the Old Testament Scriptures, and only a few statements in the New Testament can be so misconstrued as to appear to teach it.”

In the Jehovah’s Witnesses volume, Let God be True, on page 79 they call the doctrine of eternal punishment a “God- dishonoring doctrine.” And to mention one more on page 80 of the same volume, they say:

“The doctrine of a burning hell where the wicked are tortured eternally after death cannot be true.”

Are these claims true? Is Mr. Russell and his follower’s right? A few months ago, some Jehovah’s Witnesses had stopped by my house, I told them that I would love to talk to them, and they agreed to come back. When they did, I met with a woman and older man, one of the things we talked about was the doctrine of hell. They were saying that they do not think they should have to spend eternity for a lifetime of doing bad things. In other words, they were making their sins to be less than what they were, sin is against almighty God and for it we should be put in prison (hell). The Holy Bible makes very clear that sin deserves eternal punishment. I had asked them about the Gospel of Matthew 25:46 “these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” In their translation, it says “and these will depart into everlasting cutting-off…” I had told them that the Greek word for punishment was Kolasin and means punishment, they did not say anything about it. They just handed me a watchtower magazine about hell. In that, Watchtower Magazine page 7 says this

“Although most translations use the word punishment at Matthew 25:46, the basic meaning of the Greek word Kolasin is “checking the growth of trees,” or “pruning, cutting off needless branches. So while the sheeplike ones receive everlasting life, the unrepentant goatlike ones suffer “eternal punishment,” being forever cut off from life.

 They are saying it is symbolic, however, that which is symbolic is symbolic of literal things, like the sheep and goats in the Matthew 25 passage are symbolic of two kinds of people. Now here is the thing, the JW’s say that their translation is correct because it is not done with a bias view of there doctrines and they say every other translation is bias towards the translators doctrinal views. This is not true, the New World Translation IS BIAS towards their doctrinal views; in fact, they twist Scripture in order to make the doctrines fit. Back to the Greek, the Greek word kolasin comes from the root word kolazo which carries three meanings with it 1.) To prune 2.) Check or restrain 3.) To correct, punishment. 2 Peter 2:9; Acts 4:21; 1 John 4:18; 2 Maccabees 4:38; 3 Maccabees 7:3; and 4 Maccabees 8:8 all use the word punishment. The same Greek word is used in all six of these verses, meaning punishment, and punished. The New World Translation translates 2 peter 2:9 as cut off and Acts 4:21 as punishment. However, according to the Greek- English Lexicon of the New Testament[2] says this on page 353 “Kolasin brings with it or has connected with it the thought of punishment.” The JW’s have here in Matt. 25:46 translated the word Kolasin incorrectly, considering that, Kolazo bears the meaning of pruning, and Kolasin though it comes from Kolazo carries the meaning “to punish”. Another thing is that God is the Judge; He is righteous and Holy and must punish sin to the fullest according to the Law. When someone is in a courtroom the idea of cutting- off or pruning does not come to mind, that would be more in the setting of a gardener or vinedresser. In a courtroom the thought of punishment comes to mind since the offender offended the Law, that one who offended would be on trial and would have to be punished in order to satisfy justice and righteousness. However, in this mortal world we have limits because we as finite beings are limited by nature. When someone deserves a penalty for life we send him or her to prison for life, but he or she will die. When it comes to the infinite God, his prison lasts forever since by His nature He is eternal so is His justice and condemnations. Many people say how can a loving and forgiving God create a place called hell. Though God is loving and forgiving He is also Just, Holy, and righteous. He is loving, that is true, He is forgiving, but only on His terms not ours and that is through Jesus Christ whom He sent to be crucified and was resurrected back to life, God wants us to put our trust in Jesus alone for salvation from sin, death, and eternal punishment. Now there is much to say but I will pause here and continue later. I hope you enjoy my post and learn a lot from it, I am doing “my homework” in order to bring the truth out about the Jehovah’s witnesses and the truth of Almighty God. Hope you come to visit again.

[2] Translated, Revised, and Enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer, D. D. professor of New Testament Criticism and Interpretation in the Divinity School of Harvard University.

Rhymes of bible doctrines

(And other poems)

By Benj. F. Dotson, D. D., Litt. D.

Pastor-Poet-Bible Teacher-Evangelist

Elkhart, Indiana

Copyright 1949

Published by

The Mile High Messenger

P.O. Box 321

Greeley, Colorado

Jehovah’s Witnesses:

 If you will go up on a street corner

On some Saturday afternoon,

And will not be too impatient

You’ll see something pretty soon;

From sev’ral directions there’ll arrive

A number of zealous workers,

With books and pamphlets in their hands;

 And will show they are not shirkers.

They’re on an important mission,

 They have a message to get out,

They’re not too sure of what they’re giving,

Not too certain what it’s about;

“Millions now living will never die,”

May be part of what they’re telling,

Many of their books are given free,

But a lot of them they’re selling.,

They offer no Bible salvation,

They know no Christ of Calvary;

To the he is the son of Joseph,

His claims are false to deity;

He was born the highest of the race,

But He was just only a man,

Why they use the Bible for a textbook,

Is hard for one to understand.

Pastor Russel and Judge Rutherford,

Had their day and now are dead;

Neither of them expected to die;

At least, that was what they said;

But like all the rest of human race,

Death finally was their portion,

And now in that region far removed,

They may have another notion.

One better take the Scripture as they say,

The plain, simple Bible statement,

Where a hell is threatened for the lost

And continue without abatement;

We should not magnify God’s mercy

To exclusion of His justice,

Just take the bible as it says,

With every truth God’s left us.

They have adopted a bible name,

No longer are they “Russelites;”

They are now “Jehovah’s Witnesses,”

Better still would be, “No-hell-ites;”

Jehovah is all the God there is,

They see no blessed Trinity;

They refuse to see God’s sacrifice,

The bleeding Lamb on Calvary.

Once called, “Bible Students Watch Tower,”

Was known as “Millenial Dawn,”

But after all names are considered,

It is better labeled “Devil’s Spawn;”

Rejects plain teaching of the Bible,

Twists its statements seriously,

But God’s truth still remains unshaken,

And will through all eternity.

Let us warn you my dear, unsaved friend,

Of this subtle, religious cult,

Who compasses both sea and the land

To accomplish same sad results;

Anti-Biblical and anti-Christ,

They know nothing of real salvation,

Satan has blinded their sightless eyes,

To God’s deeper revelation.

Well I had last left off in talking about the history of the formation of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Which was mainly about; Charles Taze Russell the founder of the movement. Then I had written about how Mr. Russell and his followers view of the Holy Bible. I hope you enjoyed my last posts and I hope you enjoy this one.

I was able to obtain a document written by Charles T. Russell in the year 1876, the title of the document is called “the Bible Examiner”. In this writing on page 27 under the chapter title “Gentile Times: When do they End?” Mr. Russell makes the claim that human government will end in 1914. Mr. Russell tries to calculate the end of human government by using the book of Daniel this is what he writes:

“At the commencement of our human era, 606 of this time had passed, seventy years of captivity, and 536 from Cyrus to Christ which deducted from 2520, would show that the seven times will end in A. D. 1914; when Jerusalem shall be delivered forever, and the Jew say of the deliverer, “Lo, this is our God, we have waited for him and he will save us.” When gentile governments shall have been dashed to pieces; when God shall have poured out of his fury upon the nation, and they acknowledge, him King of kings and Lord of lords.”[1]

Now Mr. Russell believed this and believed that Jesus Christ returned in 1874. When 1874 had come and gone, it was said that Mr. Russell discovered that Christ would not return in a physical presence but in an invisible one. Now of course the human government did not end in 1914, and after 1914, Mr. Russell changed the date to 1915 then to 1918. Mr. Russell died in 1916 so he could not change the dates anymore when 1918 came and went.

Now let us see what God says, first God says NO ONE KNOWS the day or hour… (Matt. 24:36) we may know a general time, but we must be careful even with that. We must look at scripture carefully, and we must be sure not to force our views on God’s Word, but let God speak for Himself. Second, (this is where I think it gets very interesting on what Mr. Russell says) the Holy Word says in 2^nd John verse 7:

“Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming[2] in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.”

 John clearly says that if a person denies Jesus coming in the FLESH he is a deceiver and antichrist, now what did Mr. Russell claim, well he claimed that Christ was to come in an invisible presence not, in physical or in the flesh. Therefore, we see that Charles T. Russell was a deceiver and antichrist; he obviously cannot be a prophet of God because he prophesied incorrectly.                               I hope you enjoyed my post.

     Now after Charles T. Russell admitted that he did not know Greek he realized that he was caught, and admitted that he also knew nothing of Latin, and Hebrew and neither had he ever taken a course in Philosophy, Systematic Theology and neither had he ever attended any of the higher schools of learning. “This was the man who goes about claiming that he alone has the proper understanding of the Scriptures, condemning the translators of the Bible and denouncing all ministers and teachers of the Word except himself, and his little satellites, as ignorant, empty-headed and deceitful.”[1]

    Rev. J. J. Ross writes:

“He has familiarized himself with a few big Greek terms which have become Anglicized, such as “Apocalypsis, Epiphaneia, parousia, parakletos,” ect., puts his own meaning into them and then goes about using them before his audiences, and those who do not know any better thing him a highly- educated man. This is the man also who condemns all books and papers except those written by himself or published by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society.”’”

     Then Charles T. Russell wrote his first significant book, he had worked out his modifications of Adventism, based on his own assiduous study of the Holy Bible.[2] Russell wrote voluminously. “It is claimed that Russell’s explanatory writings on the Holy Bible are far more extensive than the combined writings of St. Paul, St. John, Arius, Waldo, Wycliffe, and Martin Luther.”[3] He spoke incessantly- often six and eight hours a day- and traveled as much as Bishop Asbury and the Apostle Paul together,”[4] averaging according to Braden, 30,000 miles, per year.[5] It is also claimed “that the place next to St. Paul in the gallery of fame as expounder of the Gospel of the Great Master will be occupied by Charles Taze Russell.”[6] Charles Taze Russell died in the year 1916, probably in the state of Texas.

     Now, even though this is being said about him, is it true ? Are his writings and doctrines that the Jehovah’s witnesses hold biblical? Are Jehovah’s Witnesses, really witnesses of Almighty God?

     I am planning to do this in a systematic form beginning with the Holy Bible. We are starting with the Holy Bible because doctrines are formed from God’s Word.

The Holy Bible: As Christians, we hold that the Holy Scriptures are inerrant; it has the same authority as God because it is his Holy Word, and there is no other written authority. We also believe that the Holy Bible consist of 66 books that are in unity and continuity, there are no contradictions within the pages of God’s Word. The Jehovah’s Witnesses the Holy Bible to be the inspired Word of God (Russell, Studies in the Scriptures, 1, p.348). Now Russell claimed no superiority he says “I claim nothing of superiority or supernatural power,”[7] yet his followers consider him the greatest Bible interpreter, next to the Apostle Paul. Jehovah’s Witnesses are not to think independently from the Watch Tower’s interpretation of the Holy Bible. This is what is written about Russell’s writings:

“If the six volumes of “Scripture Studies” are practically the Bible, topically arranged with Bible proof text given, we might not improperly name the volumes “the Bible in an arranged form.” That is to say, they are not mere comments on the Bible, but they are practically the Bible itself. Furthermore, not only do we find that people can not see the divine plan in studying the Bible by itself but we also see that if anyone lays the “Scripture Studies” aside, even after he has used them, after he has become familiar with them, after he has read them for ten years- if he then lays them aside and ignores them and goes to the Bible alone, though he has understood his Bible for ten years, our experience shows that within two years he goes into darkness. On the other hand, if he had merely read the “scripture studies” with their references and had not read a page of the Bible as such he would be in the light at the end of two years, because he would have the light of the scriptures.”[8]

Russell is clearly making the claim that his writings is authoritative, saying his writings are “practically the Holy Bible itself.” Earlier I have quoted Reverend J. J. Ross who lived at the same time as Charles T. Russell saying that C. T. Russell condemns the translators of the Holy Bible. The Jehovah’s Witnesses have their own translation which supports their doctrines they hold (discussion about the translation of JW’s Bible will be in another post). The Watchtower believes that studying scripture apart from their literature you cannot understand what God is really saying. I will stop here, and we will look at the Jehovah’s Witnesses translation of the Holy Bible; after all they say that they have the most accurate translation. With that we will dive into some more of what they believe and compare it to God’s Word. Hope you enjoyed this post

For the sake of me not getting tiered of typing lets call them JWs for short.

The JWs are a group of people who are deceived themselves and are deceiving others to the Cult. We will be looking at some of the claims they make, and some of the beliefs they so vigorously argue for, but first the history of the man who started it all.

 History of the formation of the Jehovah’s Witnesses:

1852 a child was born whose parents named Charles Taze Russell. He was known to be raised up in the Reformed faith of the Covenanters and was said to be taking the doctrines pretty serious, especially the doctrine of hell. Charles T. Russell was said to have been writing on fences with chalk warning people about hell and telling them to attend church on the Sabbath, Ferguson observes, “Evidently his youth was dominated by morbid pictures of a sizzling hell…”[1] It wasn’t until C. T. Russell couldn’t answer some questions of a skeptic that he stumbled in his faith. C. T. Russell was restored in his faith when he met some Second Adventist who rejected the doctrine of hell. In 1879 Russell decided to break from the Adventist taking with him some of their beliefs like the rejection of the trinity, rejection of eternal punishment, and the immortality of the soul. C. T. Russell also made claims of the return of Christ which according to him began in 1874 where Christ returned in an invisible presence, not a physical return; he said that Christ would end human government and restore paradise to earth in 1914. However when this did not happen he changed the date to 1915 and then to 1918.

Charles Taze Russell at one point in his life was tried for shady dealings in wheat, he was summoned to court for a verity of fabrications, he was forced, on one occasion, to confess openly to falsehood:

On the witness stand, under oath, he answered, “yes,” to the question, “Do you know Greek?” He was handed a copy of the New Testament in Greek. When requested to identify the letters of the alphabet, he could not do so. At that point Russell’s attorney became agitated, apparently fearing that his client would be indicted for perjury, thereupon, he pressed him, “now, are you familiar with the Greek language?” always a cagey prevaricator, Russell caught the hint and answered, brazenly and unblushingly, “No.”[2]

Now for the sake of posting, I will stop here and continue on another post. Next we will look a little bit more on the founder of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and look into some of their beliefs and compare it to what the Holy Bible says. Hopefully this will give you a little understanding of the founder of the JWs and what they believe.

I have a weird collection of books one is called “the Lost books of the Bible and the forgotten books of Eden”. I do not hold them to be equal to the Holy Bible or to be lost books of the Holy Bible. However I do think they are interesting and can shed some light on the way people thought in ancient times. In this book there is a supposed letter between Herod and Pontius Pilate, the letters occur in a Syriac manuscript dating around the time of the sixth or seventh century and is held at the British museum. This may or may not be genuine, I read somewhere that these letters came from the library of Pontius Pilate, I really don’t know. The reason why I am even writing about it is because I think the writer (whether it was Pilate himself or not) pin pointed Pilate’s feelings correctly on the matter of Jesus’ crucifixion. So here is the letter (note this is a letter between Emperor Tiberius and Pilate and is just a response from Pilate and not the entire dialogue between him and the Emperor.

THE EPISTLE OF PONTIUS PILATE

Pontius Pilate to Tiberius Caesar the Emperor – Greeting:

UPON Jesus Christ, whom I fully made known to thee in my last, a bitter punishment hath at length been inflicted by the will of the people although I was unwilling and apprehensive. In good truth, no age ever had or will have a man so good and strict.

But the people made a wonderful effort, and all their scribes, chiefs and elders agreed to crucify this ambassador of truth, their own prophets, like the Sibyls with us, advising the contrary; and when he was hanged super- natural signs appeared, and in the judgment of philosophers menaced the whole world with ruin.

His disciples flourish, not belying their master by their behavior and continence of life; nay, in his name they are most beneficent. Had I not feared sedition might arise among the people, who were almost furious, perhaps this man would have yet been living with us. Although, being rather compelled by fidelity to thy dignity, than led by my own inclination, I did not strive with all my might to prevent the sale and suffering of righteous blood, guiltless of every accusation, unjustly, indeed,
through the maliciousness of men, and yet, as the Scriptures interpret, to their own destruction.

Farewell. The 5th of the Calends of April.

Now after you read this doesn’t this sound like what we read in the Four Gospels. In the Gospel of Matthew 27:11-14 we see that Pilate investigated him to see if he had done any wrong. In verse 19 Pilate’s wife tells him not to have anything to do with this man because of the dreams she was having. Verse 23 Pilate asks the Jews “Why? What crime has he committed?” verses 24- 26 Pilate sees that an uproar is coming and can get worse so he has Jesus flogged and led to be crucified. Mark tells the same story in chapter 15. In the Gospel of Luke verses 4; 13-16; 20-22 we see Pilate wanted to find a way to release Jesus, he examined Jesus and found no fault, he was hoping that if he would punish Jesus it would satisfy the people, but it doesn’t work the people still want Jesus crucified. Once more we see Pontius Pilate trying to let Jesus go in the Gospel of John 18:29- 38. According to Holy Scripture Pilate was afraid, and when he heard the Jews say: “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.” 19:8 says “when Pilate heard this he was even more afraid” Pilate really saw no fault in the Lord Jesus and tried to have him set free, but the people were to demanding, so Pilate not wanting a riot handed him over to be crucified. I peronally think this sheds some truth as to what may have been going on in the mind of Pntius Pilate, though we know Jesus had to be crucified for our sins and resurrected to give us life.  

Hear are the scriptures that speak on this matter. (Matthew 27:11-26; Mark 15; Luke 23:4-24; John 18:29-19:16)

Hope you enjoyed this

Look to the heavens

And see the work of God

Consider the heavens and the order thereof

The moon and the stars He has made

At the sound of His mighty voice they came into being

He laid the foundation of the earth

The morning stars sang together

The sons of God all shouted for joy

The heavens declare the glory of God

And the firmament shows His handiwork

In them has He set a tabernacle for the sun

Six days of creation and the seventh day for rest

He is the blessed One in whom there is Love

Look around you

And see His eternal power and divine nature

We are without excuse for your eternal power

And divine nature are clearly seen in what you have made

The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof

The world and they that dwell therein

For He has founded it upon the seas,

And established it upon the floods

The birds of the air are His

The creeping things that creepeth are His

The wild beasts are His

The cattles are His

All who dwell therein are His

Our worship belongs to the Most High

By the word of the LORD were the heavens made

Look to the heavens for He is there

Look to God for He cares.