Things Jehovah’s Witnesses need to know to be saved
What does the Bible say?
Below is a helpful note written by A. Ray Stanford, you can find the entire .pdf file online in which he contrasts Biblical truth to several different religions, but right now I want to concentrate on the Biblical Differences between Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Word of God.
This is dedicated do my sweet friend Lauri
SALVATION ACCORDING TO THE JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES
“The ransom does not guarantee everlasting life to any man, but only a second chance” (Truth Shall Make You Free, pp. 176, 177).
Men will be given a second chance for salvation during the millennium (Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 1, pp. 106, 107) .
“One forfeited life could redeem one forfeited life, but no more. The man Christ Jesus redeemed Adam” (ibid., p. 133).
“The second trial will decide whether we may, or may not have everlasting life” ( The Watchtower, February 15, 1960, p. 143).
SALVATION ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE
“He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18).
“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36).
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life” (John 6:47).
Christ’s own guarantee to believers.
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” ( Hebrews 9:27).
The Bible says there is no second chance after death
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave Himself a ransom for ALL . . .” (I Tim. 2:5-6).
Christ was not just a ransom for Adam, but a ransom for ALL!
Keep in mind that the Jehovah’s Witnesses do not use the standard literal Bibles that many use (KJV, NKJV, NASB, etc.). They have their own translation which is called the New World translation or NWT. It is published by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society.
The New Testament was released in 1950 by self-professed anointed Jehovah’s Witnesses. The whole Bible was published a little over 10 years later. Before then they primarily used the KJV Translation. None of these ‘anointed’ men had degrees in Greek or Hebrew, none even had an undergraduate degree. I suppose they could argue nor did the disciples, however they understood both languages and spoke them.
According to Wikipidedia, the Jehovah’s Witnesses have printed over 222 million copies in 160 languages across the world and in 2013 completed a significantly revised edition.
I realize anyone can argue for different translations of the Bible, however when they are arguing for the inspiration of their own vs. the original texts, and then revise them, how can it be trusted? No, I am not KJVO, although maybe more might have found the truth if they had stuck with the KJV.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses worship in buildings that they call ‘Kingdom Hall’.
WHO IS THE JESUS CHRIST OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES?
“He is a ‘mighty God’ but not the ‘Almighty God who is Jehovah‘ “ (Truth Shall Make You Free, p. 47).
“He was the first and direct creation of Jehovah God . . . He was the start of God’s creative work” (The Kingdom Is at Hand, pp. 46-49).
Jesus is not created.
JESUS CHRIST is JEHOVAH GOD
- Isaiah 43:10, 11-The LORD, Jehovah, says, “. . . before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Me.”
The LORD, Jehovah, says, “. . . beside Me there is no Saviour.” (See Isa. 44:6, 8; Deut. 4:39.)
Therefore, if Christ is God in any way, if Christ is the Saviour in any way, then according to the LORD God Jehovah, Christ is GOD.
Luke 2:11 says, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”
Since Christ is the Saviour, then Christ is GOD.
- Isaiah 42:8-”I am the LORD: that is My Name: and My glory will I not give to
another…”
Only Jehovah God is the LORD of glory. If Christ is the Lord of glory, then He must be Jehovah God.
I Cor. 2:8 says the crucified Christ is the “Lord of glory.”
Since Christ is the Lord of glory, then Christ is GOD.
- Zechariah 12:1-10-The LORD, Jehovah, says, “ . . . and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced …”
When was the Lord, Jehovah, pierced?
“But when they came to Jesus, and saw that He was dead already, they brake not His legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced His side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. For these things were done, that the Scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of Him shall not be broken, and again another Scripture saith, They shall look on Him whom they pierced” (John 19:33-37).
Since Christ was pierced, and Jehovah God said He would be pierced, then Christ is God.
- Isaiah 7:14 – ”Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His Name Emmanuel.”
Read Matt. 1:18-25.
Notice in v. 18, the child was “OF the Holy Ghost . . .” and Mary was with child “BEFORE they (Mary and Joseph) came together.”
Again, in v. 20 the angel of the Lord confirms the child is “OF the Holy Ghost.” In v. 21 the child shall be named JESUS because He shall save His people from their sins. The very name Jesus means “(Jehovah) God who saves,” etc. And in vv. 22, 23, we learn that “all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken OF THE LORD by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His Name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, GOD WITH US.”
So God Himself says the child Jesus is actually GOD HIMSELF dwelling with man. This is again clearly confirmed in John 1:1-14. “The Word was God . . . And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us….”
- Mark 2:5 records that Jesus forgave people’s sins. The scribes heard Christ doing this and said (v. 7),
“Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but GOD ONLY?”
They failed to realize that Christ wasn’t doing anything blasphemous at all. HE WAS GOD!
- Luke 1:68 records at the time of the birth of Christ,
“Blessed be the LORD GOD of Israel; for HE hath visited and redeemed His people.”
Since Christ is Redeemer, He is the Lord God of Israel
- Luke 8:39 Christ had just cast out demons and told the person, “Return to thine own house and shew how great things GOD hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things JESUS had done unto him.”
This is not a contradiction. Christ did it and said God did it. Christ told the man to say God did it and the man said Christ did it. It is not a contradiction because Christ is GOD.
- In John 9:33-38 is recorded Christ’s conversation with a man who wanted to know who Christ said He was the Son of God and the man (v. 38) “worshiped Him.” Christ did not reprove this man for worshipping Him, and yet Christ knew the clear commands of the Old Testament not to worship any God but Jehovah God.
Exodus 34:14, “For thou shalt worship no other god; for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”
If Christ were not truly God and accepted the worship from a man without even rebuking the man, then Christ would not even have been an honest man.
Christ did accept worship. For Christ is GOD. (See John 5:23.)
- John 14:7-9 Christ says, “If ye had known Me, ye should have known My Father also: and from henceforth ye know Him and have seen Him,” and vv. 8, 9, “Philip saith unto Him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? HE THAT HATH SEEN ME HATH SEEN THE FATHER: and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?” (See also John 12:45.)
In John 15:24 Christ again says people have “both seen and hated both Me and My Father.”
The reason Christ can say that when someone has seen Him he has also seen the Father is that Christ is GOD, one and the same as the Father.
- John 10:30-33 tells us the same thing. Christ said in v. 30, “I and My Father are ONE.” And “Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him” (v. 31). In answer to Christ’s questions of why they were stoning Him they replied in verse 33, “. . . for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.”
The Jews KNEW Christ was claiming to be God. They were so sure of His claims that they wanted to stone Him for what they SUPPOSED to be blasphemy.
But Christ didn’t commit blasphemy. Even a good, godly human being would know better than to commit blasphemy, time after time, especially when he was constantly being accused of it.
Christ could say “I and My Father are One” because it is true. Christ is GOD.
- Acts 20:28 says, “. . . to feed the church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood.”
When did God shed His blood? God shed His blood when He took on flesh in the person of Jesus Christ and shed His blood for our sins.
Christ said in Luke 22:20, “. . . This cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you.” Revelation 1:5 says, “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood.”
God shed His blood when Jesus shed His blood because Jesus is GOD.
- Ezekiel 44:2 – ”Then said the LORD unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the LORD, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut.”
This is the gate that the LORD God, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, entered at His “triumphal entry” spoken of in John 12:12-16 and each of the other Gospels. The Mohammedans closed the gate soon after the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D., and it shall remain shut.
- In John 12:26 Christ says, “. . . if any man serve Me (Christ), him will My Father honour.” And yet in Matt. 4:10 Christ affirms the Old Testament command, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and HIM ONLY shalt thou worship.”
Christ, knowing and upholding the Old Testament teaching, would not tell people to serve Him, and would not tell people God the Father would honor their lives when they do serve Him . . . in direct contradiction to the command in the Old Testament to serve only the LORD THY GOD.
Man is honored by God the Father when man serves Christ because Christ is GOD.
- 15:3-4 – ”. . . Great and marvellous are Thy works, LORD GOD ALMIGHTY; just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints. Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy Name? For Thou ONLY art HOLY.”
But Luke 1:35 records the words of the angel Gabriel, who was sent from God, saying, “. . . that HOLY thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”
Only the Lord God Almighty is holy . . . but the Son of God is holy because He lS the Lord God Almighty.
- Genesis 1:1 says, “God created the heaven and the earth.” Hebrews 1:2 and Colossians 1:15-17 say Christ created all things. John 1:3 says; All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. Heb 1:2 verifies He made the universe (See also John 1:10; 1 Cor 8:6).
Christ is Creator, therefore Christ is God
Isaiah 43:11 says the LORD (Jehovah) is the ONLY SAVIOUR.
Do these three verses contradict? No!
But they WOULD contradict if Jesus Christ and Jehovah God weren’t one and the same.
Jesus Christ and Jehovah God are one and the same
- I John 5:20 calls Christ “the true God.” Hebrews 1:8 refers to the Son of God as “O God.” In Rev. 1:8 Christ is speaking (see v. 5) and says He is the “Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the ALMIGHTY.”
Jesus Christ is the Alpha and Omega, the Almighty God
- Colossians 2:9 ”For in Him (Christ, v. 8) dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.”
Everything that is in the Godhead, everything that is God, was in Christ in a bodily form. “For it pleased the Father that IN HIM ( Christ ) should all fulness dwell” ( Col. 1:19)
I Timothy 3:16 ”And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God
was manifest in the flesh, (GOD was) justified in the Spirit, (GOD was) seen of angels, (GOD was) preached unto the Gentiles, (GOD was) believed on in the world, (GOD was) received up into heaven.”
When did this happen?
When Jesus Christ was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up into glory.
The Bible says, “God was manifest in the flesh,” etc., because Christ is GOD.
- In Romans 10:9 and 13 the Apostle Paul quoted from an Old Testament prophet saying, “For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.” Of course, Paul was speaking of Jesus as Lord (Rom. 10:9) . But the verse he was quoting in the Old Testament is Joel 2:32 which says, “. . . whosoever shall call on the Name of the LORD (Jehovah) shall be delivered (saved) .”
Why did the Holy Spirit give the Apostle Paul the liberty to use an Old Testament verse which speaks of JEHOVAH and apply it to the LORD JESUS CHRIST?
Because the Lord Jesus Christ is Jehovah.
- Isaiah 9:6 prophesies of the Messiah to come, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
Our Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the Mighty God & Everlasting Father.
- Micah 5:2, also prophesying of the coming Messiah, says, “whose goings forth have been from of old, FROM EVERLASTING.”
But Psalm 90:2 says, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even FROM EVERLASTING to everlasting, thou art GOD.”
Christ was from everlasting, was in existence and one with God before the world was formed (John 17:5 – glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.”)
Christ was there with God before the world was created because Christ is GOD.
- When Moses asked God, “Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is His name? What shall I say unto them?” (Exod. 3:13) God answered unto Moses (v. 14), “I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto ”
Christ, revealing Himself unto the Jewish people, made this life and death statement unto them in John 8: 24, “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I AM (he), ye shall die in your sins.”
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To be saved, a person must believe that the Lord Jesus Christ was truly God Himself, who gave His life to make a death and blood payment for his sin, which He did.
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ OUR LORD” (Romans 6:23).
(Reprinted from booklet, Jesus Christ Is Jehovah God, distributed by Soul Winning Seminars, 6/1967.)
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You use the words of God as if they would be words of Jesus. Thats going our form one wrong element, using it to proof your right and as such being able to proof the wrong being a so called right.
It is not Jesus but Jehovah who says, “. . . before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Me.” Jehovah is the only One God and He Who does not tell lies said about Himself He is an eternal Spirit (having no beginning and no end) to Whom man nor death can do anything, that man can not see Him or they would fall death.
Jesus was seen by many, who did not fall death, the opposite Jesus got even some out of the dead. Jesus who also did not tell lies always spoke about his heavenly Father to be the One God of Abraham, Who had to be praised and Who is greater than him and without Jesus could do nothing.
According to God’s Word Jesus is His son and not Him.
Belgian Bible Students. Thank you for coming today to comment. Are you a Jehovah’s witness?
Who does this passage speak to? Who is the eternal Father in this prophecy?
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. Isaiah 9:6
Jesus also said, before Abraham, I AM.
While Jesus was on earth, as fully man, the Suffering Servant, he humbled Himself, and He did call His Father Greater. But the Word also testifies this:
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Phil 2:6-11
If you are a Bible student, you would know that Lord (kyrios) in relationship to Jesus as a title means, God, the Messiah.
May the Lord bless you to earnestly seek Him in His Word.
You accuse us of not being serious Bible students even not knowing what Kyros means and to whom it may relate. May we reply to you with the remark that we do find it strange than when you are a student of the Bible would not see the relationship of that word and where it is used.
The Greek and Hebrew words rendered “lord” (or such related terms as “sir,” “owner,” “master”) are used with reference to Jehovah God (Eze 3:11), Jesus Christ (Mt 7:21), one of the elders seen by John in vision (Re 7:13, 14), angels (Ge 19:1, 2; Da 12:8), men (1Sa 25:24; Ac 16:16, 19, 30), and false deities (1Co 8:5). Often the designation “lord” denotes one who has ownership or authority and power over persons or things. (Ge 24:9; 42:30; 45:8, 9; 1Ki 16:24; Lu 19:33; Ac 25:26; Eph 6:5) This title was applied by Sarah to her husband (Ge 18:12), by children to their fathers (Ge 31:35; Mt 21:28, 29), and by a younger brother to his older brother (Ge 32:5, 6). It appears as a title of respect addressed to prominent persons, public officials, prophets, and kings. (Ge 23:6; 42:10; Nu 11:28; 2Sa 1:10; 2Ki 8:10-12; Mt 27:63) When used in addressing strangers, “lord,” or “sir,” served as a title of courtesy.—Joh 12:21; 20:15; Ac 16:30.
Or did you forget those meanings and did you also forget what ‘god’ is, a title also used for Chaos, Apollo, Zeus, Pharaoh, Moses, angels idols and other high figures. In many languages this word ‘god’ is still used as a title for entertainment and/or sports stars, high and/or prominent figures. Do you seriously think those gods are really The God?
I’m sorry, you are not correct. Jesus accepted worship as both Lord and God. Do you not remember Thomas?
If you say Jesus is not God come in the flesh, you are antichrist the Word tells us. Jesus is the Savior of the Word, only God is Savior. Jesus is the Lord of glory that was crucified, God shares His glory with no men. Only the blood of Jesus can sanctify, and perfect us, only God is sinless.
I am not going to post your other lengthy posts which are not comments to reason, but to ‘teach’ Jehovah’s witness heresy. I truly pray you might question these things for your sake. I guess believing there is no hell for you might give you a little less fear of God. Jesus is God, and you will face Him, and you will know on that day what Kyrios means.
Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Phil 2:10-11
You say you are not Jehovah’s witness, but you deny that Jesus is God. You cite this as one of your Scriptures.
“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God. Is 44:6
Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” John 1:28
Jesus speaking: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.” Rev 1:8-11
Then they remembered that God was their rock,
And the Most High God their Redeemer. Ps 78:35
Christ is Redeemer
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Gal 3:13-14
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Titus 2:13-14
Jesus did not deny that He made Himself out to be God.
I and my Father are one. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. John 10:31-33
Zachariah 12:10 …And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.
Yahweh, our God who is One, is speaking in the above passage. Jesus Christ, who was God in the flesh, was pierced. Yahweh said “when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced,.” Zechariah, unlike the false Watchtower prophets, spoke the truth.
God’s name, in the OT is Yahweh, not Jehovah. Yahweh is “one.” 1 John 5:7 “For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.”
John told us in his gospel that Jesus is the Living Word!
You have a strange thinking; When a fireman saves somebody out of the building, he being a saviour he has to be God. You say “Since Christ is the Saviour, then Christ is GOD.” There are many people who saved lots of animals, plants and people, they are all saviours, not in the same way as Christ, but according to your reasoning they all are God. Christ saved human kind but in case God would not have accepted the ransom of fer of Jesus nobody would be saved yet. The final Saviour is God. In case God would not have Jesus placed as a mediator between God and man, human beings had still nobody to come up for them in heaven. Notice also that Jesus does not sit on to God His throne but sits next to God.
He is Emmanuel (Is 7:14), God with us (Matt 1:23). Jesus came as the High Priest, since He is God, He was able to not only offer His own life willingly as the Lamb of God, BUT had the power to take it back up again.
Only God can give life. Only God can take away life. Jesus stated He had the power to lay His life down, and that He had the power to take it again–Jesus proved He is God by that power (Jn 10).
Philip asked Jesus to show him the Father. Jesus answered:
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake. John 14:10-11
Only God has the power to forgive sin, Jesus did not lie as you say. Jesus forgave sin on earth and said He had the power to do so. Only God has the power to forgive sin (Matt 9:6; Mark 2:10). Jesus is God, He accepted worship from men, and as you say, He is not a liar nor did He ever sin. If He had accepted worship, and was not God, He stole God’s glory and sinned. Jesus never sinned.
In Jesus Christ eternally. I’ll be praying for you, that you will be blinded to your false doctrine, and I pray the Father will be willing to open up your heart to hear the Scriptures, to Hear the gospel, that Jesus Christ died for Your sins. Only God could do that, He is perfect, yes He is the Son of God, and He is also the eternal Father, He is wonderful, they are One.
God came down as man, offered Himself. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1:1,14
Come from where? Jesus said He descended from above. That He came from the Father. The Word says He is God over and over. Those who deny Jesus is God come in the flesh, the Word says this:
Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. 1 John 4:2
For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. 2 John 1:7
all the time you are mixing words of God like doing as if they are words of Christ, Words of God talking about God doing as if they are talking about Jesus Christ.
Please do mislead not your readers and keep the Words of God to Him and not twist the Words of the Bilbe.
I have not mixed any verses, feel free to show me one, and we discuss them one at a time, in context of the whole counsel of God’s Word. Be careful when you accuse someone of twisting the Word of God, pray and ask, might you be guilty of the same through your doctrinal teaching? Not only that, how many are you misleading? How many will see hell vs. spending eternity with Jesus Christ our Lord? Please seek Him while He may be found. We are not promised tomorrow.
Isaiah 44:6 “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and His redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside Me there is no God.”
Interesting to compare this verse with Revelation 1:17,18 which is obviously Jesus speaking “…Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am He that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore, A-men.”
Even if a person is using the Watchtower’s New World Translation, the verses quoted above read very much the same.
A verse in the NWT itself that would be confusing if Jesus is not God and considering Isaiah 42:8, given in Holly’s article: John 17:4, 5, which reads “I have glorified you on the earth, having finished the work you have given me to do. (5) So now you, Father, glorify me alongside your self with the glory that I had alongside you before the world was.”
“Alongside” would indicate glory not greater, but neither, lower. Again, this is how the New World Translation (1961), which is published by Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, translated John 17:4,5.
Thank you for responding, excellent Biblical answer. I pray our friend/friends in Belgium may prayerfully consider these Scriptures.
Jesus is the first of the new creation. Of the total creation he is the 2° Adam.But of the new creation and the new word he is the first born and he will also be the last one to have ‘saying’ or the right to judge the living and the dead, bringing to them either new life or the end of life and second death.
Only God can give life. Jesus is Creator, God, has had victory over death. Jesus is firstborn from the dead, He is not created, He is the Creator.
Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself. Is 44:22
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. John 1:1-4
For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist. Col 1:16-17
He is God who forgives sin:
And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. Jer 31:35
And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses. Col 2:13
Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. Col 3:13
The spirit of the book of the revelations of John, as of all others written by God, is the presentation or revelation of the works of God and His promises, plus here we get the ‘testimony of Jesus.’ The book bears witness to him throughout — to his person who says that the father is greater than him and without Him he can do nothing.
Joh 14:27-31 NSB »Peace I leave with you! My peace I give to you. I do not give as the world gives to you. Do not let your heart be troubled or full of fear. (28) »You heard me say I will go away and I will come again to you. If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father. The Father is greater than I! (29) »Now I told you before it takes place. That way when it happens you may believe. (30) »I will speak no more with you. The prince of the world comes. He has no hold on me! (31) »The world must know that I love the Father. And I obey the Father’s commandments. Get up and let us leave here.«
Joh 5:17-27 NSB Jesus responded to them: »My Father works until now and I work.« (18) The Jews intensified their efforts to kill him for these reasons: he broke the Sabbath and he also called God his own Father, making himself equal with God. (19) Jesus answered them: »Truly I tell you the Son can do nothing by himself. He sees the Father do something and then he does it. Whatever the Father does the Son does in like manner. (20) »The Father loves the Son. He shows him all of the things he does. He will show him greater works than these. And you will marvel. (21) »The Father raises the dead and gives them life. The Son also gives life to those he wills. (22) »The Father does not judge any man for he has given all judgment to the Son. (23) »All may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father that sent him. (24) »Truly, Truly I say to you, he who hears my word, and believes him that sent me, has everlasting life. He will not receive judgment for he has passed out of death into life. (25) »Truly I tell you, the hour is coming when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear (listen) (understand) will live. (26) »The Son has life in himself just as the Father has life in himself. For the Father gave him life. (27) »And he gave him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of man.
Jesus has not taken in the throne of God but came to sit next to God. Jesus is also a revealer, and he is the sent one from God and the revealed one; the teacher and the lesson; the sower and the seed. In the marvellous visions of this prophecy respecting him and the One Who belongs the kingdom, after some time Jesus handing over the Kingdom back to his heavenly Father, faith has much to rest on, and hope much to feed on. They are worthy of all study — and ‘blessed is he who reads.’
You are missing or ignoring an awful lot of Scripture. Thy throne O GOD (already given to you in Heb 1) — speaking of the Son. God is not a man that He should lie. Only God is judge, yet He has given Jesus the authority to judge… Kind of a hint. Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the first, and the last as I showed you already in the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Christ humbling Himself in the form of man on earth, does not negate the fact He thought it not robbery to be EQUAL with God.
Again, Only God is Savior the Old Testament tells us, the New Testament reveals that Jesus is the Savior of the whole world.
Only God receives glory and will give His glory to no man, but Jesus is called the Lord of Glory who was crucified.
If you do not believe Jesus is God come in the flesh, do you know the Word tells you that you are antichrist?
hey Holly,
simplesinner8@gmail.com
I give this email to the world, give it to anybody.
blessings
Hey Preston, I thought what you said would be a great lead-in to the next blog I’m going to do on Roman Catholicism, Lord willing. Thank you very much.
Jesus did not accept worship as both Lord and God.We do remember Thomas and see the little word ‘and’ which you seem not to read.
Also for a person being called Emmanuel (Is 7:14), God with us (Matt 1:23) you interpreting that this must mean that Jesus is God we have today many persons walking around on this earth who are then god according to you and then God walked around on the earth earlier as well with the other prophet with the same name: Joshua.
I am sorry Belgian Biblestudents, I appreciate your trying here, but you are not lining up with Biblical truth. Only one Immanuel/Emmanuel was born of a virgin, so your argument falls flat against the Word of God. Only one Jesus/Joshua was THE Prophet (Deut 18), was THE Savior, was LORD, was the King of the Jews, was the King of Israel, and only ONE Jesus had the power to take His life back up again. Only God can give or take life.
Besides John 20:28 and Thomas worshipping Him as “My Lord and My God” (no, not little g), we see this:
God calling His Son GOD:
But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. Heb 1:8-9
(John speaking of Jesus)
I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; and his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last. Rev 1:10-17
“looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ“. Titus 2:13
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Phil 2:6-8
Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return,
That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Phil 2:10-11
Scripture seems pretty self explanatory as far as Jesus claiming He is, in fact, God. He can’t be a “great teacher” as some say, a “man of God” and be a liar as well.
John 1:1 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:14 – And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 10:30 – I and [my] Father are one.
Isaiah 9:6 – For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
John 20:28 – And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
And, as His Word also dictates, John 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
His Word couldn’t have made any more clear who He was claiming to be. Christ was either telling the truth (He was/is God as He claimed, was a raging lunatic or a liar. There really are no other options. The only thing left for you to decide is which He is.
Great article, Holly.
Love in Christ
Bobbie Jo
Thanks Bobbie Jo, the trouble is, the Jehovah’s witnesses have their Bible which claims certain things, but even with that, they cannot get around some things in their own Bible as Gwyneth shared. May the Lord open the eyes of some to hear the gospel and leave their bondage. Jesus Christ is Lord, God came in the flesh, God among us. Fully man, fully God. He paid the price for all of our sin on the cross, He was buried and rose again, proving He is God. If we will believe upon Him, we will have everlasting life.
https://redeemingmoments.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/john-17-3.jpg