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The Basics The “Jehovah's Witnesses” have non-grace doctrine, meaning that people must “earn” God's favor and entrance to heaven (this is in sharp contrast to Judaism and Christianity, in both of which man cannot “earn” God's favor, but must accept it as a freely given gift).
Trinity - Jehovah's witnesses do not believe in a triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).
Deity of Jesus - Jehovah's witnesses deny that Christ is God.
Physical Resurrection - Jehovah's witnesses deny that Jesus had a bodily resurrection from dead.
Physical Return - Jehovah's witnesses deny that Jesus will return in and with a physical body, indeed, the same body with which He left.
Existence of Hell and Eternal Punishment - Jehovah's witnesses deny this.
The final state of Satan - Christians believe that the Devil will be imprisoned in Hell.
Human Government as Necessary - Christians see human governments as tragically flawed, yet as necessary - indeed, that God sees them as necessary.
The existence of the soul - Christians see that the human being is made of a body and a soul, which are not separate, but rather two aspects of one essence; an eternal soul which will have a modified body in the afterlife.
The complete sufficiency and satisfaction of Christ's work - Christians believe that the work of Jesus was all that was needed to accomplish salvation. Nothing more needs to be added to it.
The central idea of Jehovah's witnesses is belief in the complete reorganization of the social order through establishment of Jehovah's theocracy. Adherents consider themselves to be faithful witnesses of Jehovah who must proclaim that the present “world” will be destroyed in the final of Armageddon; that Jehovah is now gathering His faithful witnesses to establish His theocracy, which will be the only form of government in the “world to come,” and will offer the only refuge for distressed humanity. The “divine plan of the ages,” according to Russell and Rutherford: The history of the world falls into three great dispensations, in each of which man is given an opportunity to merit for himself the right to live in this world for “ages to come” by obedience to God's law. Good angels were in charge of the first dispensation, but they were unable to control the counter-government which Satan established. Satan misled Adam and Eve by teaching them the lie of the immortality of the soul. Through disobedience of God's laws, man forfeited the right to live. In the second dispensation, beginning with Noah and ending with Armageddon, Satan used as allies the capitalistic system, human governments, and churches, to prevent man from being obedient to God's theocracy. Only a few can withstand the onslaughts of Satan's allies and merit the right to live. Churches are singled out as allies of Satan because organized churches have undermined Jehovah's authority through the lie of the Trinity. Jehovah's witnesses speak of Christ as God's Son, but deny the eternal pre-existence of the Second Person in the Trinity and speak of the Logos only as God's chief administrator. Hell is said to be a place of entire destruction or annihiliation. Jesus is said to have voluntarily given up His right to live and deposited it with God; thus He made it possible for God to restore the right to live to all men. Besides Christ, also the 144,000 of Revelation 7:4-8, by perfect obedience to God's theocracy, earned the right to live. But they also give up the right to life; with Jesus they constitute “the Christ.” They alone will receive immortality. The rest of mankind will be resurrected; that is, new bodies will be created for them and their right to life will be restored to them. They will be given the opportunity for 100 years to be obedient to God's theocracy in the “new world.” Those who at the end of the probationary period are not obedient will be annihiliated. The obedient will live under God's theocracy for ages to come.
What is the "Layman's Home Missionary Movement"? The LHMM (also called "the Bible students") is a small and obscure religious group which is neither "Christian" nor "Jehovah's Witness". The following statement was made by a LHMM spokesman:
Bible Students and Jehovah's Witnesses - So What's the Difference? Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you for visiting our website and learning more in regards to the Bible Students, their history and their doctrinal differences with the Jehovah's Witnesses. We appreciate your earnest spirit.The Bible Students movement is the outgrowth of the events of the early nineteenth century. As you probably know, it was at that time that Bible Societies came into being. Their work of printing and distributing the Scriptures was unprecedented in both volume and geographical reach. Even those of meager means were enabled to have the Word of God. This resulted in much personal study of the Bible as well as a great deal of international Christian sharing through various publications.
One area of renewed interest was the Second Coming of our Lord. This gave birth to the Second Adventist movement (not to be confused with the Seventh Day Adventist movement). At that time the Christian world largely ignored this doctrine being almost exclusively Post Millenialist in its prophetic understanding. (The churches believed they would convert the world for Christ and then He would return). Renewed study of the scriptures regarding the second coming revived the historic Reformation doctrine of pre-millenialism. Thus premillenialism is a comparatively recent phenomenon. There is a direct line of heritage through the Second Adventist leaders to Pastor Charles Taze Russell.
Pastor Russell WAS NOT the founder of the Jehovah's Witnesses. He was the founder of the Bible Students' Associations in the 1860's. In 1879 the Watch Tower publishing house was established by Charles Taze Russell. Following his death in 1916 Joseph Rutherford forcibly seized control of the Watch Tower. He dismissed the majority of the Board of Directors, began to instil a revisionist theology and established dictatorial authority. Within the first year of his takeover one fourth of the Bible Students left Rutherford and remained true to the teachings of the late Pastor Russell.
Aggressive promotions by Rutherford resulted in a large increase in new members but generated opposition from the Bible Students remaining from Pastor Russell's era. In response to this opposition Rutherford embarked on a campaign from the years 1925 to 1931 to purge Pastor Russell's followers. Thus, by 1931, over three quarters of those associated with the Bible Student movement in Pastor Russell's day separated from Rutherford to remain faithful to the teachings promulgated by Charles Russell. The lineage of today's Bible Students congregations traces back through these separatists to Pastor Russell their founder.
In 1931, fifteen years after Pastor Russell's death, Jehovah's Witnesses was founded. Its founder, Joseph Rutherford, presented a startling resolution entitled A NEW NAME which was adopted at their international convention on July 26, 1931. The resolution first observed that neither "Russellites" nor "Bible Students" were any longer appropriate names (over 75% of Bible Students from Pastor Russell's era had already separated. Thus there was little opposition to Rutherford's resolution). Henceforth they would call themselves "Jehovah's Witnesses."
The separation between Bible Students and Jehovah's Witnesses was, and still is, rigidly enforced by the Watch Tower leadership. Today, Jehovah's Witnesses can read the writings of Baptists, Methodists, Catholics & etc., but if they read the writings of Charles Taze Russell they are subject to excommunication.
Recent history has not been kind to Pastor Russell, as he is his name is synonymous with the Jehovah's Witnesses. This, as can be seen from the above history (which is well documented), is not so - it is a well known misconception.
Bible Student congregations today are autonomous. There is no central authority or publishing house. There are no membership rosters. There is no solicitation for funds. We meet as an association and strive for the organizational simplicity of the early church. We find our head or central authority in our one Lord and Master, Christ Jesus.
We acknowledge that there are a few similarities of belief between Bible Students and Jehovah's Witnesses. As well, one might speak with a Roman Catholic regarding their doctrine and then with a Presbyterian. There would be obvious similarities; but to say that the two are the same because of their obvious similarities is inaccurate.
The major doctrinal difference between the Bible Students and Jehovah's Witnesses regards the breadth of salvation. Shortly after Rutherford founded the Jehovah's Witnesses in 1931, they developed a "narrow salvation" theology similar to that taught by evangelical Christians. Both of these groups teach that one must accept Jesus now (through the "window" of their doctrinal systems) or else be eternally lost. That means that comparatively few of the groaning billions of earth's humanity may expect to enjoy the salvation our God has provided in His son. This places evangelical Christians and Jehovah's Witnesses poles apart from Pastor Russell's and the Bible Students' "Broad Salvation" theology which will extend to all.
Another major difference between Bible Students and Jehovah's Witnesses is in regard to the Jewish People. Joseph Rutherford claimed that his Jehovah's Witnesses replaced the Jewish people as such. All the promises of future blessing to Israel after the flesh were "confiscated" and applied to Rutherford's organization. (Interestingly, the Jehovah's Witnesses "Replacement Theology" follows the pattern of the Christian church's historic anti-Semitic position regarding the Jewish People). Pastor Russell taught and the Bible Students still teach that the Jewish people have a separate and distinct destiny from the Christian Church that the Jews are still in covenant relationship with God. We are sharply criticized by both Jehovah's Witnesses and evangelicals for our beliefs regarding the Jews which, of course, we trust are in fullest harmony with the word of God.
There are many more areas of difference between the Bible Students and Jehovah's Witnesses regarding Justification, Sanctification, Salvation, Prophecy and Christian living. Some of the differences are vast, some are subtle but important.
We hope that this information is helpful to you. We realize the unfounded stigma associated with the name of Pastor Russell but choose not to delete his name from such works as THE DIVINE PLAN OF THE AGES. The message must stand on its own Scriptural merit and sometimes the Lord permits tests of association "can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" If you haven't already done so, we hope that you will take time to read the book. It presents the Plan of God in beautiful clarity. May the Lord be with you and thank you for visiting.
Just as there are differences and similarities between each of the orthodox groups, there are differences and similarities between LHMM and them. We accept the Bible as the inspired word of God. We accept that salvation comes ONLY through Jesus Christ. Being a Biblestudent does not give us any advantage or monopoly on salvation. Within the various religious groups there are many individuals who are saved and serve the Lord. Unlike the JW's who classify all outsiders as non Christian, we accept that in order to be a Christian, denominationalism is not a pre-requisite. To be a Christian requires that one accepts and recognizes that he/she is a sinner in need of salvation, accepts that Jesus' death on the cross was paid for sin. Also that the resurrection of Christ, in turn guarantees that all will be resurrected. As Biblestudents we do not accept the Trinity, immortal soul or Hell fire.
I trust that this answers your questions. If I can be of further help please contact me. In His service. Alan Tennuchi.
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Perhaps you have answered a knock at your door and found two people wanting to talk to you about various social concerns, or at least they say they do. From there they hand you material printed by the "Watchtower." As you speak to them, you find out that they are Jehovah's Witnesses. The purpose of this pamphlet is to help you understand who the Jehovah's Witnesses are and what they stand for.
Who are the Jehovah's Witnesses?
The Jehovah's Witnesses are persons who are members of the organization known as the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. It is very important for Christians to understand that the Watchtower Society is un-Christian. In fact, it is decidedly anti-Christian. The Jehovah's Witnesses are definitely not merely a different Christian denomination.
How did the Jehovah's Witnesses begin and grow?
The founding father of the Jehovah's Witnesses was Charles Taize Russell (1852—1916). Russell came to the conclusion that Christianity was not the correct way to understand the Bible. He made contact with groups (known as Adventists) who emphasized the immediate return of Christ. Russell began a series of Bible studies and started to gather followers. Russell agreed with the Adventists' predictions that Christ would return during 1873—1874. When that did not happen, Russell predicted more times for Jesus' return-all of which proved to be false, of course.
Eventually, in 1884, Russell officially incorporated the "Zion's Watchtower Bible and Tract Society." Twelve years later, the word "Zion" was dropped. In 1908, Russell moved his organization to Brooklyn, New York. Toward the end of his life, Russell lost considerable respect among his followers because of a number of slander cases he lost in court.
After Russell's death in 1916, leadership of the Watchtower Society passed to Judge Joseph Franklin Rutherford. Rutherford was largely responsible for the rapid growth of the Watchtower Society. He spread the Jehovah's Witnesses' message via phonograph machines, which he used to play his recorded sermons. These sermons were more often than not harsh attacks against denominational Christianity, particularly the Roman Catholic Church, with vivid descriptions of the judgment to come against anyone who did not embrace Jehovah's Witnesses' views.
After 1944, the Watchtower Society no longer used media but instead emphasized personal visits, marked by aggressive techniques to gain entry into homes in order to share their message. This has been the approach of the Watchtower Society since that time. Rutherford increased his control over the Watchtower Society and devised what he termed the "theocratically controlled" organization of the Jehovah's Witnesses movement. In 1931, the name "Jehovah's Witnesses" was officially adopted to distinguish the followers of Rutherford from those who had left to form their own organizations.
When Rutherford died in 1942, Nathan Knorr took over (1905—1977). Knorr worked tirelessly to create a better image of the Jehovah's Witnesses in the public mind. Knorr spearheaded a massive printing effort, which continues to this day. The two magazines widely distributed in multiple languages that the Jehovah's Witnesses are most known for are Awake! and The Watchtower.
Under Knorr's leadership, the Jehovah's Witnesses produced their own Bible translation, The New World Translation. From 129,000 members in 1942, the Jehovah's Witnesses grew to 410,000 members in the United States alone by 1971. They number nearly 900,000 members in the United States alone, with about 3.5 million members in 200 different countries.
What is the key emphasis of Watchtower teaching?
The Jehovah's Witnesses' movement's primary concern is the end-time (eschatological) renewal of human society. They believe that Jesus Christ will return to establish a new kingdom, which they call a "theocracy," in which Jehovah God will bring total tranquility to the earth. They believe this utopia will come only after the Battle of Armageddon, in which the present world order will be destroyed. The Jehovah's Witnesses view all earthly institutions, organizations and governments as evil. They believe that only the Watchtower Society is capable of speaking truthfully about God in the world today.
What do the Jehovah's Witnesses believe about Jesus?
The Jehovah's Witnesses movement is surprisingly similar to the ancient heresy known as Arianism. The Christian church rejected this false teaching about Jesus. The Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus is "a" god, but not the eternal Son of God, the second person of the Holy Trinity. They believe there was a time when He actually was created by Jehovah God. They do not believe Jesus is true God, as does historic Christianity. They do not believe the Holy Spirit is God, but only an impersonal force. Thus, they do not believe in the Holy Trinity.
The Jehovah's Witnesses' Bible, The New World Translation, goes out of its way to mistranslate various verses of the Greek New Testament. An example of this type of mistranslation is found in John 1:1. The Greek text says, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." The New World Translation translates the Greek this way: "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was a god." You can see how through such deceptive translating, the Jehovah's Witnesses attempt to mislead people.
How do Jehovah's Witnesses believe that people are saved?
Based on misinterpretations of passages from the Book of Revelation, the Watchtower Society believes that Jehovah God extends salvation to two different groups of people. First, there are the 144,000 who shall inhabit heaven. The rest of those saved will inhabit earth in the new kingdom that Christ will establish when he returns after the Battle of Armageddon. They believe that the only persons who will be numbered among the 144,000 are those who have adequately met specific requirements and have lived well enough in imitation of Christ.
For Jehovah's Witnesses, salvation is not an accomplished fact by Jesus Christ, given as a free gift, but only something that is earned by doing good works. Chief of these works is aggressive personal visitation of non-members. This explains in large part why the Jehovah's Witnesses are so zealous for personal visitation.
What are some other distinct Jehovah's Witnesses' beliefs and practices?
Many people hear about Jehovah's Witnesses when they learn that a Jehovah's Witness has refused a blood transfusion. The Watchtower Society forbids members from receiving blood transfusions because they believe this is a form of "eating blood," which was forbidden to the Old Testament people of God.
Jehovah's Witnesses also believe it is wrong to serve in the military, to vote, to salute the national flag, or to express any sort of citizenship in this world, since they believe the world will be destroyed and replaced by Christ's kingdom.
Jehovah's Witnesses do not observe Christmas, Good Friday, Easter or family birthdays, believing these celebrations to be pagan festivities. Most Jehovah's Witnesses also avoid dancing, movie-going and watching television.
The average Jehovah's Witness makes personal visits on people in their homes for an average of ten hours per month. There are some 900,000 Jehovah's Witnesses in this country making calls like this. Those Witnesses who are "pioneers" devote 100 hours a month to this work of calling on homes. Since their record of calls is the only record kept of their membership, this work is vital for them.
How can Christians reach out to Jehovah's Witnesses?
We need to recognize that Jehovah's Witnesses are besieged by the Watchtower Society with literature that trains them in how to share their false theology and to contradict Biblical truth. They immediately have many Christians at a disadvantage, since they are well prepared and ready to speak to you, while their visit takes you by surprise.
Entering into an extended and detailed discussion with Jehovah's Witnesses is best done by those Christians who have carefully prepared to do so. It is possible, however, for all Christians to give a clear and simple witness to their faith when speaking with a Jehovah's Witness. It is important not to permit them to sidetrack you when you speak to them.
While every conversation is definitely going to be unique, here are some things that need to be said to Jehovah's Witnesses: "I trust in Jesus, not in an organization (John 3:16). I know I have eternal life (1 John 5:13) and that I will be saved by Jesus forever. I am not saved by what I do. I do good works out of love for God (Ephesians 2:8—10). I will pray that you too come to know the peace and joy I have been given in Christ Jesus my Lord (Romans 5:1)."
You may also be able to plant a seed of doubt in the mind of a Jehovah's Witness about the Watchtower Society. Invite them to your church and invite them to speak to your pastor. Urge them to read the Bible, and not to rely on their Watchtower Society materials. Challenge them to lay these materials aside for one week or one month and read only the Bible.
After you have shared the Word with them, pray for them, asking God the Holy Spirit to work faith in their hearts, so that like Thomas, they may look to Jesus and say, "My Lord and my God" (John 20:28).
For further study: An excellent short book on the Jehovah's Witnesses is How to Respond: The Jehovah's Witnesses. It is available from Concordia Publishing House.