Greetings to all readers. This article is an open response to a typical letter sent by Jehovah's Witnesses to people in various communities. If you have not received a letter like this, there is a fair chance you will:

Dear X: (name withheld to maintain recipient's privacy)

    I am a Christian volunteer; I am writing to you with some encouragement from the Bible. I know that these last couple years have been trying for all of us. Many people wonder if there is any hope for a better future. The scripture I find encouraging can be found at Revelation 21:4, it says, "And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning, nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things will have passed away." This scripture helps us see that soon death will be a thing of the past.

    I encourage you to visit www.jw.org, a Bible-based website that has answers to many of life's big questions. The article that I am encouraging you to look at is, "A Real Hope for a Better Tomorrow." It can be found under (Bible Teachings>Peace & Happiness). This article offers us hope for the future. If this is something you are interested in discussing together, while on the website you can "request a visit" or write to the above address and we will help you get a deeper understanding of the Bible. I hope this brought you some encouragement.

Sincerely,

(Name withheld to maintain writer's privacy)

* * * * * * * 

Thank you for your concern over the spiritual well-being of my friend as well as others in our community. On behalf of myself and others, I would like to return the kindness by sharing some insights straight from the word of God.

Jesus said there would be tares among the wheat. The church at Corinth was no exception. That is why Paul told them,

"Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves. Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless you indeed fail the test?" -2 Corinthians 13:5

To be assured of our salvation, we all need to apply Paul's test: IS CHRIST IN YOU? 

What does it mean, "Is Christ in you?" Romans, chapter 8, gives us the answer:

"You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." (v9-11. Note that Paul is not talking about the Spirit indwelling the body of believers corporately, but individually). 

When Paul says, "anyone," and Christ "in you," that includes you. If Christ does not dwell in you personally, then you are unable to put to death the deeds of the flesh and will continue living with sin:

"So, then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh--for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God". -Romans 8:12-14.

How do we receive the Spirit of Christ, that we may have Christ in us? The answer is clear from John's gospel:

"Jesus answered and said to him (Nicodemus), 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless anyone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.'  Nicodemus said to Him, 'How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?' Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, "You must be born again."' -John 3:3-7

"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." -John 1:12-13

THIS is the gospel--the best good news ever given--that "if  ANYONE is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come!" -2 Corinthians 5:17. The believer is now "in Christ," having turned from sin, taking on new life in Christ, having been "born again."

ARE YOU  BORN AGAIN--BY THE POWER OF THE INDWELLING SPIRIT PUTTING TO DEATH THE DEEDS OF THE FLESH--OR ARE YOU STILL STRUGGLING IN YOUR CONSCIENCE WITH SIN THAT YOU ARE UNABLE TO OVERCOME?

"Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds of the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God." -Romans 8:1-9.

"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that CHRIST MAY DWELL IN YOUR HEARTS THROUGH FAITH; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God." -Ephesians 3:14-19.

"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond what we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." -Ephesians 3:20-21.

"Christ in you, the hope of glory." -Colossians 1:27 

The Watchtower Society says you cannot be born again--you cannot have the indwelling Holy Spirit.

That being the case, you cannot walk in the Spirit.... You are still in your sins.... The wages of sin is death. -Romans 6:23.

The Bible references cited above clearly show that you can be born again, you can have the indwelling Holy Spirit, and through the power of the Spirit you can put to death the deeds of the flesh.

Another Watchtower teaching is that Jesus is not your Mediator. Only through the mediatorship of Christ can you be reconciled to God.  As a sinner without Christ you have no hope.          -1 Timothy 2:5; Romans. 5:10; 8:34; Hebrews 7:25

Do you believe what the Bible says about Jesus as your Mediator, being born again, and the indwelling Christ, or what the Watchtower teaches?

"Examine everything carefully. Hold fast to that which is good." -1 Thessalonians 5:21

POINT/COUNTERPOINT:    Dialogue with Jehovahs Witnesses over the Watchtower's teaching that the great multitude of JW's cannot/do not need to be born again.

JW says: When Nicodemus was told that that one must be born again to enter the kingdom of God, he would have understood to it to mean the heavenly kingdom, not the earthly one. Therefore, the great multitude of JW's do not need to be born again.

Christian reply: There is nothing in the text or Jewish culture to substantiate that claim. Jesus plainly said that His words applied to everyone, not to a particular group. All of Israel was waiting for Messiah to arrive, overthrow Rome, and restore God's kingdom on earth. That included Joseph of Arimathea (Luke 23:50-52).

The kingdom of heaven did not need restoring, because it never fell; which is why Jesus prayed, "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10).

Jesus disciples also believed in an earthly restoration. As Luke reported in Acts 1:6 - "So, when they had come together, they [viz., His disciples] were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”

Scroll down for more evidence that the Watchtower teaches doctrines of men:

EYES OF UNDERSTANDING? Reviewing the Watchtower Society's prophetic record.  

1972  "So, does Jehovah have a prophet to help them, to warn them of dangers and to declare things to come?  These questions can be answered in the affirmative.  Who is this prophet?... This 'prophet' was not one man, but was a body of men and women.  It was the small group of footstep followers of Jesus Christ, known at that time as International Bible Students.  Today they are known as Jehovah's Christian Witnesses....

    "Of course, it is easy to say that this group acts as a 'prophet' of God.  It is another thing to prove it.  The only way that this can be done is to review the record.  What does it show?"

     –The Watchtower, April 1, 1972, p.197

1889  "In this volume we offer a chain of testimony on the subject of God's appointed times and seasons, each link of which we consider Scripturally strong...it is beyond the breadth and depth of human thought, and therefore cannot be of human origin."

     –The Time Is At Hand, 1889, p.15

    "...the 'battle of the great day of God Almighty' (Rev. 16:14), which will end in A.D. 1914 with the complete overthrow of earth's present rulership, is already commenced."

     –Ibid., p.101

1892   “The date of the close of that ‘battle’ is definitely marked in Scripture as October, 1914.  It is already in progress, its beginning dating from October, 1874.”

     –The Watchtower, January 15, 1892, p.22

1894  "We see no reason for changing the figures--nor could we change them if we would.  They are, we believe, God's dates, not ours."

     –The Watchtower, July 15, 1894, p.226

1911    “...the ‘battle of the great day of God Almighty’ (Rev. 16:14.), which will end in A.D. 1914 with the complete overthrow of earth’s present rulership, is already commenced.”

     –The Time Is At Hand, 1889 (1911 ed.), p.101

1913   "...the 'battle of the great day of God Almighty' (Rev. 16:14), which will end in A.D. 1915 with the complete overthrow of earth's present rulership is already commenced."

     –The Time Is At Hand, 1889 (1913 ed.), p.101

1916    "In the meantime, our eyes of understanding should discern clearly the Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty now in progress; and our faith, guiding our eyes of understanding through the Word, should enable us to see the glorious outcome--Messiah's Kingdom."

     –Watchtower Reprints September 1, 1916, p.5951

1917   “The present great war in Europe is the beginning of the Armageddon of the Scriptures.”

     –Pastor Russell’s Sermons, 1917, p.676

1918    "The Millennium (Rev. 20:3,4,7) began in 1874, with the Return of Christ."

     –The Finished Mystery, 1918, p.386

 

    “There will be no chance of escaping from destruction....It is the Day of Vengeance, which began in the world war of 1914 and which will break like a furious morning storm in 1918."

     –Ibid., p.404

    “Also, in the year 1918, when God destroys the churches wholesale, and the church members by millions, it shall be that any that escape shall come to the works of Pastor Russell to learn the meaning of the downfall of ‘Christianity.’”

     –The Finished Mystery, 1917, p.485

    

1920  "...the great jubilee cycle is due to begin in 1925.  At that time the earthly phase of the kingdom shall be recognized...Therefore we may confidently expect that 1925 will mark the return of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the faithful prophets of old..."

     –Millions Now Living Will Never Die, 1920, pp.89-90

1921  "...we may expect 1925 to witness the return of these faithful men of Israel from the condition of death, being resurrected and fully restored to perfect humanity.... Then Jerusalem will become the capital of the world...."

     –The Golden Age, March 16, 1921, p.381

1922  "Lo, our King is here, and the year 1925 marks the date when all shall see His mighty power demonstrated in the resurrection of the ancient worthies, and the time when 'millions now living will never die'."

     –The Golden Age, March 1, 1922, p.350

   "...this chronology is not of man, but of God.  Being of divine origin and divinely corroborated, present-truth chronology stands in a class by itself, absolutely and un-qualifiedly correct."

     –The Watchtower, July 15, 1922

1923   "1925 is definitely settled by the Scriptures.... the Christian now has much more upon which to base his faith than Noah had (so far as the Scriptures reveal) upon which to base his faith in a coming deluge."

      –The Watchtower, April 1, 1923, p.106

1924  "The year 1925 is a date definitely and clearly marked in the Scriptures, even more clearly than that of 1914."

      –The Watchtower, July 15, 1924, p.211

1925  "We should, therefore, expect shortly after 1925 to see the awakening of Abel,  Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Melchisedec, Job, Moses, Samuel, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, John the Baptist, and others mentioned in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews."  

      –The Way to Paradise, 1925, p.224

   "The world and all the present conveniences will seem strange to them at first...for they never saw telephones, radios, automobiles, electric lights, aeroplanes, steam engines, and many other things so familiar to us."

      –The Way to Paradise, 1925, pp.226-227

1930   “But it may be asked, How are we to know whether one is a true or false prophet?  There are at least three ways by which we can positively decide: (1) If he is a true prophet, his message will come to pass exactly as prophesied.  If he is a false prophet, his prophecy will fail to come to pass.”

     –The Watchtower, May 15, 1930, p.154

   “The true prophet of God today will be telling forth what the Bible teaches, and those things that the Bible tells us are soon to come to pass.  He will not be sounding forth man-made theories or guesses, either his own or those of others.”     

     –Ibid., p.155

   “Their prophecies did not come true.  Therefore they are false prophets; and the people should no longer trust them as safe guides....”

     –Ibid., p.156

1931    “There was a measure of disappointment on the part of Jehovah’s faithful ones on earth concerning the years 1914, 1918 and 1925, which disappointment lasted for a time.  Later the faithful learned that these dates were definitely fixed in the Scriptures; and they also learned to quit fixing date for the future and predicting what would come to pass on a certain date....”

     –Vindication I, 1931, pp.338-339

1935  "There is no attempt on the part of The Watchtower to interpret prophecy, for the reason that no human creature can interpret prophecy."

     –1935 Yearbook of Jehovahs Witnesses, p.52

1938   "Those Jonadabs who now contemplate marriage, it would seem, would do better if they wait a few years, until the fiery storm of Armageddon is gone."

     –Face the Facts, 1938, p.50

1940   "The Kingdom is here, the King is enthroned.  Armageddon is just ahead....the great climax has been reached.  Tribulation has fallen upon those who stand by the Lord."

     –The Messenger, September, 1940, p.6

1941   "Receiving the gift, the marching children clasped it to them, not a toy or plaything for idle pleasure, but the Lord's provided instrument for most effective work in the remaining months before Armageddon."

     –The Watchtower, September 15, 1941, p.288

         "Meantime the German people are awakening to their horrible predicament. They no longer laugh as decent men and women were made to laugh, but their faces are white, pinched and filled with forebodings of what the near future will bring and is already hastening to bring to them--Armageddon, the battle of that great day of God Almighty."

     –Consolation, October 29, 1941, p.11

        "In this expectation the house at San Diego, California...was built, in 1930, and named 'Beth-Sarim', meaning 'House of Princes'.  It is now held in trust for the occupancy of those princes on their return."

     –The New World 1942, p.104

1942  "Proof is now submitted that we are now living at 'the end of the days', and we may expect to see Daniel and the other mentioned princes any day now!"

     –Consolation May 27, 1942, p.13

1943  "This is not giving any credit to the magazine's publishers, but is due to the great Author of the Bible with its truths and prophecies, and who now interprets its prophecies."

     –The Watchtower April 15, 1943, p.125

1958   “‘Sometime between April 15 and 23, 1957, Armageddon will sweep the world!  Millions of persons will perish in its flames and the land will be scorched.’  So prophesied a certain California pastor, Mihran Ask, in January, 1957.  Such false prophets tend to put the subject of Armageddon in disrepute.”

     –The Watchtower, October 15, 1958, p.613

1966   "According to this trustworthy Bible chronology six thousand years from man's creation will end in 1975, and the seventh period of a thousand years of human history will begin in the fall of 1975....How appropriate it would be for Jehovah God to make of this coming seventh period of a thousand years a sabbath period of rest....It would not be by mere chance or accident but would be according to the loving purpose of Jehovah God for the reign of Jesus Christ, the 'Lord of the sabbath,' to run parallel with the seventh millennium of man's existence....Consequently there is now every reason why the human creation will yet be set free, not by men, but by Almighty God.  The long awaited time for this is at hand!"

     –Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God 1966, pp.29-30

"WHY ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO 1975?

–The Watchtower August 15, 1968, p.494

1968  "During World War I God's people expected it to lead directly into Armageddon, but Jehovah prevented such a climax at that time.  We didn't succumb to such an expectation during World War II."

   –Kingdom Ministry January 1968, p.5

     “How can it be determined when 6,000 years of human history will end?  According to reliable Bible chronology, Adam and Eve were created in 4026 B.C.E.”  “...This would leave only seven more years from the autumn of 1968 to complete 6,000 full years of human history.”

            –Awake!, October 8, 1968, p.14

   "To calculate where man is in the stream of time relative to God's seventh day of 7,000 years, we need to determine how long a time has elapsed from the year of Adam and Eve's creation in 4026 B.C.E....Adding 4,025 and 1 and 1,966 we get 5,992 years from the autumn of 4026 B.C.E. to the autumn of 1967....Eight years from the autumn of 1967 would bring us to the autumn of 1975...."

   –The Watchtower, May 1, 1968, p.271

   "Hence, when Christians note from God's timetable the approaching end of 6,000 years of human history, it fills them with anticipation."

   –Ibid., p.271

    "Still some persons may say:  'How can you be sure?...People have been mistaken about these prophecies before.' ...True, there have been those in times past who predicted an ‘end to the world,’ even announcing a specific date. Some have gathered groups of people with them and fled to the hills or withdrawn into their houses waiting for the end. Yet, nothing happened.  The ‘end’ did not come.  They were guilty of false prophesying.

   “...But what about today?  Today we have the evidence required, all of it.  And it is overwhelming!"

   –Awake! October 8, 1968, p.23

   “Adam at age 130 had a son, Seth.  Eve was also 130 years old at the time of Seth's birth....”

   –Aid to Bible Understanding, 1971, pp.333, 538

   "Just think, brothers, there are only about ninety months left before 6,000 years of man's existence on earth is completed.  Do you remember what we learned at the assemblies last summer?  The majority of people living today will probably be alive when Armageddon breaks out..."

  –Kingdom Ministry, March 1968, p.4

   "In view of the short time left, a decision to pursue a career in this system of things is not only unwise but extremely dangerous....Many young brothers and sisters were offered scholarships or employment that promised fine pay.  However, they turned them down and put spiritual interests first."

   –Kingdom Ministry, June 1969, p.3

   "In order for the Lord Jesus Christ to be 'Lord even of the sabbath day,' his thousand-year reign would have to be the seventh in a series of thousand-year periods or millenniums."

   –The Approaching Peace of a Thousand Years 1969, pp.26-27

   "Reports are heard of brothers selling their homes and property and planning to finish out the rest of their lives in this old system in the pioneer service.  Certainly this is a fine way to spend the short time remaining before the wicked world's end."

   –Kingdom Ministry, May 1974, p.3

1972    “Jehovah, the God of the true prophets, will put all false prophets to shame either by not fulfilling the false prediction of such self-assuming prophets or by having His own prophecies fulfilled in a way opposite to that predicted by the false prophets.  False prophets will try to hide their reason for feeling shame by denying who they really are.”

            –Paradise Restored To Mankind By Theocracy, 1972, pp.353-354

   "The Bible...tells us that this millennium must be preceded immediately by the most destructive war in all human history.  We can now see the political rulers of 'kings of the entire inhabited earth' being gathered, under forces beyond human control, for that War of all wars, at the place called Har-Magedon."

   –The Watchtower, July 1, 1974, p.397

   "...in September 1975 a significant point in human history was reached....Does it mean that Christ's millennial Kingdom rule, as the final 1,000 years of that 'rest day,' is to be reckoned from September, 1975?  No....the Bible record shows that God's creations on the 'day' just preceding that 7,000-year 'rest day' did not end with Adam's creation.  It shows a time lapse between the creation of Adam and that of his wife, Eve....So we do not know exactly when Jehovah's great 'rest day' began, nor do we know exactly when it will end.  The same applies to the beginning of Christ's millennial reign."

   –The Watchtower, October 1, 1975, p.579

   "Considerable expectation was aroused regarding the year 1975.... Statements published that implied that such realization of hopes by that year was more of a probability than a mere possibility.  It is to be regretted...the publication of the information that contributed to the buildup of hopes centered on that date."

   –The Watchtower, March 15, 1980, p.17

POINT/COUNTERPOINT: Dialogue with JW's concerning the Watchtower's "eyes of understanding."

JW says:  Where did you get those quotes from?  How do you know they are accurate?

Christian reply:  I assure you that these quotes can be backed up by the originals from which they came.  Question is, what will you do when they prove to be true?

JW says:  These quotes could have been taken out of context.

Christian reply:  To the contrary, these statements are very explicit.  For example, in 1916 the Watchtower said that "the Battle of the Great Day of God almighty is now in progress."  The meaning has been made very plain.

JW says:  Those weren't false prophecies, just honest mistakes made by imperfect people.  They were just trying to serve Jehovah God as best they could.  Everyone makes mistakes!

Christian reply:  While it is true that people make mistakes, God calls these kinds of mistakes false prophecies.

JW says:  But they've admitted their mistakes!  That's what I like about the Society, the fact that they're willing to admit their errors.

Christian reply:  The fact still remains that they falsely prophesied.  And God says that it only takes one false prophecy to make one a false prophet.

NOTE:  In 1931, the Society did admit that their 1914, 1918, and 1925 dates failed to come to pass, and that they learned to quit fixing dates (Vindication I, pp.338-339).  Yet, as one might expect of a false prophet, they were right back at it only a few years later!

JW says:  Was Nathan a false prophet?  In 1 Chronicles 17:1-4, Nathan told David that God was with him in his desire to build a temple.  But God told Nathan in a vision that that was not true!

Christian reply:  What Nathan said to David was not put forth as prophecy.  Nathan was making a judgment call based on David being God's annointed.  Nathan's telling David not to build God a house, however, was set forth as prophetic (shown in verses 4 and 15).

JW says:  What about Jonah?  His proclamation that Nineveh would be destroyed in forty days was definitely set forth as prophecy.  Yet it didn't happen!  Was Jonah a false prophet?

Christian reply:  No, since what Jonah said was conditional.  Jeremiah 18 shows that God on occasion makes prophecies conditional to repentance.  Certainly the situation involving Nineveh is an illustration of this.

NOTE:  According to Jeremiah 18:7-8, conditional prophecies involve a single nation and the possibility of that nation repenting.  The Armageddon prophecies set forth by the Watchtower do not fit this category.

JW says: Okay, so they were wrong!  But you can't hold the entire Society responsible for what was written by only a few of its staff members!

Christian reply:  According to the Watchtower, "The true prophet of God today will be telling forth what the Bible teaches, and those things that the Bible tells us are soon to come to pass.  He will not be sounding forth man-made theories or guesses, either his own or those of others" (The Watchtower May 15, 1930, p.155).

JW says:  But the Society doesn't claim to be inspired.  They're just a prophet in the sense that they "speak forth" those prophecies already found in the Bible.  That's what the word "prophet" means, one who simply "speaks forth" God's word.

Christian reply:  Where does it say in the Bible that 1925 would mark the return of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?  Furthermore, the Bible recognizes only two kinds of prophets:  TRUE prophets and FALSE prophets!  There's no such thing as a "prophet in the sense!"  (Cf. Deut. 18:20-22).

JW says:  Why do you focus only on the negative?  What about the many good things that the Society has done?

Christian reply:  The Bible says that we are to examine everything carefully (1 Thess. 5:21); that we are to put to the test those who claim to be prophets (1 John 4:1).  Jesus said that we would know them by their fruits (Matt. 7:15-20), and that "a good tree cannot produce bad fruit" (v.18).  Certainly what we've been looking at here is bad fruit!

JW says:  But the Bible says that the light gets brighter and brighter (Prov. 4:18).  That was just "old light" back then.  We now have "new light!"

Christian reply:  How can the Society refer to false prophecies as "old light?"  Since they did not come true, they can only be called "darkness" (cf. Isa. 5:20)

JW says:  I don't see why you must go so far back in our history.  Why don't you look at what we teach today?

Christian reply:  The Watchtower has invited us to go back.  In fact, they said that it's the  only way that we can find out whether they are a TRUE or FALSE prophet.  (Watchtower 4/1/72, p.197)