Truth Magazine

By Ricky R. Gilreeth

When the Apostle Paul wrote to the saints at Rome, his prayer for the people of Israel was “that they might be saved” (Rom. 12:1). In the next verse, Paul described their spiritual condition in these words: “For I bear them record that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.” These words, written nearly 2,000 years ago, could well have been written about many religious groups today, but especially about the Jehovah’s Witnesses. It is likely that most of us have at sometime made comments similar to this: “If members of the Lord’s body only had the zeal that the Jehovah’s Witnesses have, we could accomplish much more in working for: the salvation of men’s souls.” In the second chapter of his letter to Titus, Paul wrote that the purpose of Jesus giving himself for our redemption was that he might “purify unto himself a people, zealous of good works.” Too often we, as members of the Lord’s body, fail in our responsibility to those who are lost because we lack true zeal. In contrast to this stands the Jehovah’s Witnesses, a people full of zeal. They are willing to go from door to door giving away and selling literature in an effort to convert others to their belief. But we must realize, theirs is a zeal without knowledge.

For the most part, the knowledge of the average Witness was not obtained through diligent study of God’s word. He is one who has been well trained in the art of salesmanship. Brother H. E. Phillips once wrote: “They use the Bible as if they really believed it, but they are trained experts at perverting passages and taking them out of context. They have a system of brainwashing the uninformed in the scriptures by attacking translations, faith in the Bible, and religion in general.”(1) Yes, the Witness may have zeal, but by his perversion of the scriptures and attitude toward the Bible in general, he shows he is “without knowledge.”

A witness is one who has seen something or can testify to something. Paul was a witness to the things he had seen and heard. He could testify or bear witness of those”things (Acts 26:16). Likewise, the apostles were eye-witnesses of the resurrected Lord. There is not a person living today who can testify that he has seen the resurrected Lord or Jehovah and yet, this meaning is inherent in the word “witness.” These people claim to be witnesses of God but by the definition of witness it is impossible for them to be a witness because John declared, “No man bath seen God at any time” (Jn. 1:18). It was not until 1931 at a convention in Columbus, Ohio that the name “Jehovah’s Witness” was adopted by this organization. Note the following quotation taken from a Watchtower publication:

In 1931 their representatives from many countries assembled in convention in America, resolved that they desire to be known as and called by the name which the mouth of the Lord God has named, to wit, `Jehovah’s Witnesses’: ‘Ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah’ (Isa. 43:10; 44:8).(2)

We might well note here that if Isa. 43:10 teaches that those who are God’s true witnesses must be designated by the name “Jehovah’s Witnesses,” then God had no witness until the year 1931.

The “Witnesses” teach that Christ was the “faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God,” and takes preeminence amqng all the witnesses. Furthermore, they teach that Jesus appointed others to be witnesses in His words spoken in Acts 1:8. The New Testament teaches that only a select group of people were to be witnesses, and this in a special sense. Jesus gave the promise of the baptism of the Holy Spirit to those who were to be His witnesses-the apostles (Acts 1:8). It is apparent from the context that only the apostles were being addressed. Who were to be witnesses? The twelve apostles. For a Witness to cite Acts 1:8 is damaging to them in still another way. Keep in mind that God said to Israel, “Ye are my witnesses” (Isa. 43:10). In Acts 1:8, however, there is a change in the one of whom a person is to be a witness. Speaking to the twelve. Jesus said, “Ye shall be my (Christ’s) witnesses.” There is a clear shift in the one concerning whom testimony is being given. Of this, Van Baalen observes,

The clear shift from the command to be Jehovah’s witnesses to my witnesses’ in Acts 1:8 is ignored because to note this change to ‘the only name under heaven that is given among men wherein they must be saved’ would be to put our Lord Jesus Christ on a footing of equality with God.(3)

Thus one can readily see that these people are witnessing for the wrong personality. Their zeal in this respect falls under the same category as did Israel’s-zeal without knowledge. Certainly zeal is an attribute every Christian should possess. But in our zeal, may we always strive to have a zeal governed by a pure knowledge of God’s word, something the Jehovah’s Witnesses are without.

Endnotes

1. H. E. Phillips, “The Jehovah’s Witnesses Cult,” Truth’s Appeal, Vol. 4, No. 22 (Sept. 2, 1970), p. 2.

2. Let God Be True, 2nd Edition, (Brooklyn, N.Y.: The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society), p. 213.

3. J. K. Van Baalen, The Chaos of the Cults, (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1962), p. 262.

Truth Magazine XIX: 26, pp. 413-414
May 8, 1975

By Warren E. Berkley

Joseph Franklin Rutherford was president of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society from 1917 until 1942.(1) During and subsequent to his tenure, millions of his writings were distributed by “Jehovah’s Witnesses.” If “Pastor” Russell’s writings formulated and initiated Watchtower doctrine (and they did), Rutherford’s essays became the sustenance of the “Jehovah’s Witness” movement. Our present inquiry is this: Was J. F. Rutherford inspired by God to impart the doctrines he published? “Jehovah’s Witnesses” hold Watchtower officials in high esteem. They view Russell and Rutherford in the same category as Abraham, Moses, the apostles of Christ, and even the Lord (Let God Be True, p. 222)! On a back page advertisement in Rutherford’s book Religion, he is exalted as “an acknowledged authority on questions concerning the Bible . . . .” Too, the Watchtower organization demands that its adherents can understand the Scriptures only as interpreted by Watchtower leaders (Let God Be True, pp. 223, 225).(2) We are persuaded, therefore, that the question at hand is essential to an examination of Watchtower claims.

Rutherford’s Prophetic Blunder

Rutherford’s most famous book, Millions Now Living Will Never Die, is a clear manifestation of his unreliability as a prophet. He predicted that 1925 would be the end of the present order of things and the beginning of a new era in which millions then living would never die (p. 88).(3) But, obviously, it did not happen! Fortunately for Rutherford, the Mosaic law was not in effect at the time of his blunder! Had the law been operative he would have died! God said, `But the prophet who shall speak a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he shall speak in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die. And you may say in your heart, `How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’ When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him” (Deut. 18:20-22). This single point cannot be taken lightly! We urge our “Jehovah’s Witness” friends to devote earnest thought to this fact. Anyone who honestly considers this argument will naturally suspect -the present appeals of Watchtower ministers. But there’s more!

On The Deity of Christ

It is the great proposition of the Bible, and the grandest truth known to the human mind, that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God; He was, and is, in His own person no less than God (John 1:1-18; 3:16; 5:18; 8:23; 20:30-31; 1 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 1:3; Rom. 1:1-4, etc.). But Rutherford, the “acknowledged authority on questions concerning the Bible,” expressed a hearty distrust in the divine nature of God’s Son. The following quotations from his writings leave no doubt:

“The sinless life that is accepted in the place of the man Adam, who committed sin, must be a perfect human life. It could be nothing more, and certainly nothing less, in order to meet the requirements of God’s law” (Riches, p. 17, emphasis added, web).

“Some have earnestly believed that Jesus was God himself. But such a conclusion is not warranted by the Scriptures” (The Harp of God, p. 19; also, see page 101).

This is not without significance! The man who played a major role in the formation .of the Watchtower doctrines currently propagated by `7ehovah”s Witnesses” denied the deity of Jesus Christ! One cannot be a Christian while denying the divine nature of Christ (Acts 8:37; 1 John 4:15). Are we, in the light of these facts, to regard J. F. Rutherford as an inspired man, or an “acknowledged authority” on Bible subjects?(4)

Sufficiency of New Testament Truth

Christ promised the Holy Spirit to His apostles (Rutherford excluded), to guide them (not Watchtower officials), into all the truth (see John 16:13; Luke 24:4649; 1 Cor. 2:1-16; 2 Pet. 1:16-21; Gal. 1:6-12). This promise was fulfilled and the New Testament was completed about 1,700 years before the birth of J. F. Rutherford! (See also Heb. 1:1,2; 2:3,4; 2 Pet. 1:2,3; Jas. 1:25; Jude 3.) The complete and sufficient nature of the New Testament revelation of truth, as attested to by the passages just cited, negates the possibility of Rutherford being inspired-as well as ‘any and all Watchtower officials! We do not need the Watchtower, the Pope, or any other source of latter day, extrabiblical revelations. The New Testament is sufficient!

Conclusion

Obviously, we have only touched the surface of a vast maze of error. What we have said amounts to this: Current “Jehovah’s Witness” doctrine reflects the seeds of, error planted and nurtured by J. F. Rutherford-clearly, an uninspired man. The whole religious system of “Jehovah’s Witnesses” hangs on the validity of Watchtower creedmakers-a host of fallible humans. We earnestly plead with our friends who are under Watchtower bondage to seek freedom in the truth, for “the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

Endnotes

1. Rutherford is sometimes called “Judge” due to his legal background.

2. Detailed documentation available from the following sources: Jehovah’s Witnesses, Vol. 1 by Maurice Barnett (Printing Service, Cullman, Ala.), pages 8-12; Jehovah’s Witnesses by Anthony A. Hoekema (Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Mich.), pages 25-44: “The Jehovah’s Witnesses” by Gene Frost in Truth Magazine, Vol. 10, No. 1, pages 19-21; and “They Shall Know That A Prophet Was Among Them,” in Watchtower, April 1, 1972.

3. A careful reading of Rutherford’s publication will reveal that this “prophetic blunder” was one among many.

4. “Jehovah’s Witnesses” do refer to Christ as the “Son of God,” but they place a construction (misconstruction) on the title that eliminates the meaning assigned to it in the New Testament. This infidelity is reflected in their mistranslation of John 1:1 in their own New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures. (See their lengthy footnote at John 1:1.)

Truth Magazine XIX: 26, pp. 412-413
May 8, 1975

By Welton Weaver

According to the Jehovah’s Witnesses the number of the elect has been set by Divine decree at 144,000. “The church of Christ consists of Jesus Christ the head and the 144,000 members of his body.”(1) Only the 144,000 will go to heaven. “These are the only ones whom Jehovah God takes to heaven with the Son. All others who gain life in His new world will live in Paradise restored here on earth.”(2) This position is more fully developed in the following quotations:

Those who are called by God to share in such heavenly service are few in number. As Jesus said, they are a `little flock’. Years after his return to heaven, Jesus made known the exact number . . . `a hundred and forty-four thousand . . . who have been bought from the earth’ (Revelation 14:1, 3).(3)

However, the `little flock’ who go to heaven are not the only ones who receive salvation. As we have seen, they will have happy earthly subjects. Jesus referred to these as his `other sheep,’ of whom `a great crowd’ are even now serving God faithfully.– John 10:l6; Revelation 7:6, 15.(4)

This view of the 144,000 and their relationship to Jesus Christ and the rest of mankind may be diagramed as follows:

The purpose of this article is to show that Rev. 7:4 and 14:1-3 do not teach that only 144,000 will go to heaven, as the Witnesses claim. Other passages cited in the diagram, such as Rev. 5:9, 10 and 20:6, are not within the scope of this review. It should be noted in passing, however, that these passages are also grossly misused in their argument. The “first resurrection” of Rev. 20:6 is the resurrection of the cause for which the martyrs of Rev. 6:9, 10 have been slain. The reign of those mentioned in Rev. 5:9, 10 is a present reign upon the earth and has no reference whatever to a reign of the 144,000 from heaven over the rest of mankind. The “little flock” of Lk. 12:32 refers to the then small band of disciples of Jesus who were about to receive the kingdom of God (see Mk. 9:1; Lk. 24:48, 49; Acts 1:4, 5; Acts 2:1-4). The “other sheep” of John 10:16 are the Gentiles, since the gospel was first preached to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 1:6; Rom. 1:16).

Without getting into a discussion of whether the 144,000 in both Rev. 7:4 and 14:1-3 refers to the same subjects,, we need to give some attention to the matter of where they are. Are they on earth or in heaven? The Witnesses claim that since 1918 all of the 144,000, except a very small remnant, have gone to heaven. They also say that the “great multitude, which no man could number” (Rev. 7:9) is a separate group and represents all the other saved people who will remain on earth. But a careful reading of the verses in chapter seven will show that the multitude is in heaven and is contrasted with the 144,000 who are yet on earth. The 144,000 represent God’s elect on earth. These are sealed for protection against the tribulation about to be brought against the earth (7:1, 2). Their sealing does not protect them against martyrdom, for they are to be martyred by the beast which is to rise out of the sea (11:7). It only protects them against the “hurt” about to be brought upon the earth. This “hurt” is held back until the sealing is completed (7:3), or until the church on earth has been fully prepared for the coming judgments against the earth.

In addition to the 144,000, John sees “a great multitude, which no man could number . . . standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (7:9). Two factors in particular suggest that this multitude is in heaven. First, these subjects are not sealed, indicating they have passed beyond the need of protection because they have already passed through the tribulation (7:14). The 144,000 yet face the tribulation and are sealed for protection against it. Second, the multitude is “arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands.” The white robes symbolize their righteousness, while the palm branches in their hands symbolize their victory. They now appear “before the throne and before the Lamb” with the angels, elders, and four living creatures (7:11, 13).

But we are told by the Witnesses that the multitude stands before the throne, and since the earth is God’s footstool the multitude is yet on earth. The fact that this multitude stands before the throne, however, does not in itself tell us whether it is on earth or in heaven. But other factors do strongly argue against the possibility of this multitude being on earth. For example, the angels, elders, and the four living creatures also appear “before the throne” (7:11). That the multitude is with them is made clear by the question asked by one of the elders: “These that are arrayed in the white robes, who are they, and whence come they?” (7:13). The elder is told that they are the ones who came out of the great tribulation (7:14), and this is the reason given that they are now “before the throne of God” (7:15). Now notice that this multitude has come from somewhere to appear before the throne. They have come out of the great tribulation, but they have also come “before the throne.” That is where the angels, elders, and four living creatures are (7:11). There is nothing to suggest that the multitude who now stands before the throne is yet on earth, while the other members of the heavenly host who also appear “before the throne” are in heaven. In fact, all the evidence is contrary to such a view. If the multitude standing before the throne means the multitude is on earth, why does not the angels, elders, and living creatures before the throne mean that they too are on earth? We also see in Rev. 8:2 seven angels standing “before God.” In 8:3, a golden altar is “before the throne,” and the angel takes fire from it and pours it upon the earth. Are the seven angels, the golden altar, and the angel who takes fire from the altar on earth because they are all before God or the throne? The fact that the multitude is standing before the throne does not change the matter. The angels in 7:11 and 8:2 are also standing, but they are in heaven.

How are we to identify the multitude? Is it the same as the 144,000? Some think so. But whether it is or is not, if it is in heaven, as we maintain, the view that only 144,000 will go to heaven is definitely wrong. If it is the same as the 144,000, John says it cannot be numbered. If it is a separate group (as I believe), then there will be the 144,000 plus the great multitude in heaven. The 144,000 is not to be taken literally. The number simply suggests completeness. In Rev. 7:4, it represents all of God’s elect on earth, or spiritualized Israel (see Jas. 1:1; 1 Pet. 1:1; Lk. 22:30; Matt. 19:28; Gal. 6:16 and Phil. 3:3). In particular, the number refers to those saints in John’s day yet facing martyrdom, who after death will join those saints already in heaven (the great multitude).

Endnotes

1. J. F. Rutherford, The Harp of God (Brooklyn, N. Y.: Peoples Pulpit Association. 1921), p. 279.

2. From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained (Brooklyn, N. Y.: International Bible Students Association, 1958), p. 153.

3. The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life (Brooklyn, N. Y.: Inter national Bible Students Association, 1968), p. 77.

4. Ibid.

Truth Magazine XIX: 26, pp. 410-412
May 8, 1975

By Marvin Noble

If you answer your door and are greeted by neighbors who claim to be Jehovah’s Witnesses, beware! John warns that many false prophets have gone out into the world, and that we must test them to know if they are from Jehovah (1 Jn. 4:1, 6). Your visitors might tell you that they are servants of Jehovah’s organization, and that He exercises theocratic rule over the Watchtower Society in which they serve. These bold statements need to be tested by history and by the Bible. I encourage you to examine their claims concerning the second coming of Jesus. Here are some early Watchtower assertions: “Thus we found the time of our Lord’s second advent clearly proven to be 1874-in October of that year” (Studies In The Scriptures, Vol. III, p. 127); “And, with the end of A. D. 1914, what God calls Babylon, and what men call Christendom, will have passed away” (Studies, Vol. III, p. 153); “The final end of the kingdoms of this world, and the full establishment of the Kingdom of God, will be accomplished at the end of A. D. 1914” (Studies, Vol. II, p. 99). Of course history has shown these predictions to be false, and even the Society has repudiated the old dates of Christ’s presence and now says He came in 1914. Thus the Watchtower pronounces its own judgment-it was a false witness.

Consider the claims made for Charles Russell-the one who made those early predictions. In the seventh volume of Studies In The Scriptures, The Watchtower endorsed him as “the messenger of the Church of Laodicea sent of God to this generation” (p. 3) and pronounced its blessings upon the seventh volume (p. 7) in which Russell’s inspiration was described as follows: “In all his warnings he claimed no originality. He said that he could never have written his books himself. It all came from God, through the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit” (p. 387); “The Lord assumes an interest in and responsibility for the complete series of Studies In The Scriptures” (p. 295); “Jehovah says that none of the words spoken through His servant Pastor Russell, shall wait any longer for fulfillment, but the things shall come as spoken” (p. 431). Mr. Rutherford, long time a president of the Society, wrote: “Without a doubt Pastor Russell . . . was therefore that wise and faithful servant ministering to the household of faith meat in due season” (Harp of God, 657,000 edition, p. 239). The Watchtower now contradicts these claims (Then Is Finished The Mystery Of God, pp. 110, 111), but cannot do so without making itself a liar, and Rutherford a false witness.

The “Witnesses” have taught that when Jesus comes, the faithful on earth will begin to be restored to perfect health. Rutherford made such predictions in the Watchtower book, Millions Now Living Will Never Die. He said, “In 1925 Abraham, Isaac and Jacob would be fully restored to perfect humanity and made the visible representatives of the new order of things on earth” (p. 88). He further wrote, “When the restoration begins (1925 according to Rutherford) a man of seventy years of age will gradually be restored to a condition of physical health and mental balance. The Lord will teach him how to eat, what to eat, and other habits of life; and above all, the truth, how to fix his mind upon holy things. And by the gradual process of restoration he will be lifted up by the great Mediator and restored to the days of his youth and live on the earth forever and never see death” (p. 100). Did such take place? Certainly not. Moreover, the Watchtower now says this is yet to be fulfilled. (See Life Everlasting, p. 395-400.) If Rutherford’s predictions were false, how could he be Jehovah’s witness?

The Bible teaches, “When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him” (Deut. 18:22). Russell and Rutherford do not pass the test. Some of their predictions have failed. Therefore, they were false prophets. But this is a society which boasts of theocratic rule “from the top down.” Thus, if their leaders are in error, then the whole group becomes false witnesses-not Jehovah’s witnesses. Jesus’ words describe them well: “They be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch” (Matt. 15:14).

This year should present a great opportunity to teach many Watchtower believers; 1975 is their crucial year. The Society has put itself on record that by this autumn, the 1000 year reign of Christ shall begin. The book, Let God Be True, states: “And now the battle of Armageddon is near and Christ’s reign of 1,000 years will begin immediately after it, during which time redeemed mankind will be given the privilege of entering into God’s rest . . . It being the seventh day of a week, the weekly sabbath foreshadowed the last 1,000 years of God’s rest day of 7,000 years. That thousand years God has assigned to the Lord Jesus, to reign then without disturbance from the Devil’s organization in either heaven or earth” (pp. 178, 179). Life Everlasting gives the date: “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” (p. 29). “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” (p. 30). Their teachings demand that all earthly government be destroyed, all false religions be put down, and that the devil be bound before the millennium begins. (See God’s “Eternal Purpose” Now Triumphing, pp. 185, 186.) “The visible part of the new world will be a disease-less ‘new earth’, for the curative power of the divine Physician will be turned toward mankind. Aches and pains will die out, ,as radiant health, unmarred by cancer, influenza, or even a toothache implants itself in every soul . . . ” (Let God Be True, pp. 267, 268).

“Jehovah’s Witnesses” should be made aware that Jesus has been reigning over his kingdom since Pentecost (Acts 2:30-36); that no man knows before hand the time of Christ’s coming (Matt. 24:36); that when He does come, everyone will know it (Rev. 1:7); and that “at His corning” it will be “the end when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God” (I Cor. 15: 23, 24). False witnesses testify that He returns to receive a kingdom, but the Bible testifies that He returns to deliver up the kingdom. Warn these people that they dare not have hopes of continuing on this earth. On “the day of the Lord” (when Christ comes, 2 Thes. 2:1) this earth shall be destroyed completely by fire (2 Pet. 3).

Try to help these neighbors to see that they are working for an organization that was founded upon deception, proved untrue by history, and is against the teachings of the Bible. Point out their folly when they waste their lives and jeopardize their souls by trusting their future to an organization with ‘such a history of blunders. Rescue them from the faith shattering experience of seeing 1975 pass without the fulfillment of their expectations. Help them to see that Jehovah has no connection with the Watchtower Association. When it fails, He has not failed; “He abideth faithful.”

Truth Magazine XIX: 26, pp. 409-410
May 8, 1975