The Jehovah's Witnesses prepared by Uri Brito
A Review of the two lessons.

1) We dealt with the origins of the Watchtower and Bible Tract Society. The movement began by Charles Taze Russell. Russell at the age of 18, after much studying Ellen G. White ( the founder of the Seventh Day Adventist), he began taching these heretical doctrines to a group he organized called the Bible Students. From this group began what we call today the Jehovah's Witnesses. Russell also denied a literal hell, he believed those who were not saved ( that is follower of Jehovah) would be annihalated. He denied the deity of Christ. He believed that Jehovah would come and establish the kingdom here on earth where all the Jehovah's Witnesses would live forever. He also made many prophecies concerning the Battle of Armageddon.

2) We spoke of their false translation called the New World Translation ( NWT).
Nathan Knorr, was the one to bring this translation to fruition. Since the Bible, as preserved through the centuries, did not support the peculiar doctrines of the JW's, Knorr chose an anonymous committee to produce the NWT, which is used by no other cult but only the JW's. For example, to prove that Jesus was only a creature the NWT translates John 1:1 as:and the Word was a god. Every other translation, including the Greek manuscripts has: and the Word was God.

3) Thirdly, we focused on a few verses that proved the trinity in the Bible. We prove the trinity by giving verses that each person of the godhead are indeed God. In I Peter 1:2 that Bible says God is the Father. In John 20:28 the Bible says that Jesus is Lord and God. And in Acts 5 the Bible says that the Spirit is God not a force as the JW's say.
Other verses proving the plurality of the godhead are Genesis 1:26, Genesis 19:24, Amos 4: 10-11, and Isaiah 44:6.
Also I gave my favorite illustration of the trinity as 1x1x1. Another example would be using time. Time is past, present, and future. There are three aspects or parts in time. Each is separate, in a sense, yet each shares the same nature, or essence. In a similar way, the trinity is three separate persons who share the same nature.

4) False prophecies made in 1914, 1918, 1920, 1925, 1941, and 1975... and it never came. In Deuteronomy 18 that Bibletells us that if any man says a prophecy that doesn't come to pass he will surely die.

So, today we want to focus on a few other issues that we didn't cover last week and hopefully have at least 5 minutes for questions in the end.

Who is Jesus to them? I believe it would be profitable if we answer one of their objections in order to be better equipped to deal with them. Jesus according to the JW's is Michael the Archangel who became a man,created by God, died on a stake - not a cross, rose in a spirit body, and returned to heaven again to become an angel.
Turn to Jude 9 and Matthew 4.
Notice that Michael asks the Lord to deal with Satan. Michael had to seek a greater power to rebuke Satan. However, in Matthew 4 Jesus rebukes Satan. Therefore, Michael and Jesus are two different persons. The first being a created angel and the latter the Son of God.

* As for disfellowship or excomunication from the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.
Some members have been disfellowshipped for reading books written by ex-members ( Christians), or eating with a suspected dissenter... and if a Witness say that Jesus Christ is God, he will be the worst of the apostate.
* Example of family who stopped their comunion with their daughter because she married a Christian.


* Finally, the life of a Witness is a strange one: They do not observe holidays or birthdays. Do not vote, salute the flag, work in the military, play chess... no Sabbath is observed, they meet on Sundays to study their Bible. They work hard, they go door to door... making money for the society and they are also trained on a regular basis to learn to witness for their Jehovah.

* How to Witness to a Jehovah's Witness.

A) Be polite.
B) Use your personal testimony to give the gospel ( they can't discredit you).
C) Invest time in studying. ( It will take weeks!)
D) Be open and honest. Let them know that you are teachable, but they have to prove their point beyond a shadow of a doubt, and you'll have to do the same thing.
E) Main points to discuss: Deity of Jesus, Prophecy (how do you know this is from God?), and the Accuracy of Scriptures.