The Jehovah’s Witnesses religious group exists almost all over the world. Millions of faithful members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses go door-to-door or can be seen amongst the general public attempting to sell Watchtower literature to anyone who is willing to give them attention.
One of the main reasons why Jehovah’s Witnesses are so faithful in distributing Watchtower Society literature every week is because their main agenda is to look for new recruits / members who will join their religious organization. The Jehovah’s Witnesses are motivated to both recruit and indoctrinate as many people as possible with their religious beliefs and doctrines.
Unfortunately Jehovah’s Witnesses are known to be cultic in both their doctrines and group social dynamics. Furthermore many former Jehovah’s Witnesses members have exposed this religious group and its Watchtower leadership as having all the major characteristics of a cult.
Therefore if you ever consider joining the Jehovah’s Witnesses, it is very important to first research and be well informed about what this religious group truly believes.
If you’re engaging with any member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses who is attempting to recruit you, it’s important to learn that there will always be a measure of deception and deliberate omission of information which is critical for you to know.
When cultic groups attempt to recruit potential new members, these groups usually omit information they know will either scare you, puzzle you or discourage you from being eager to join. Therefore cults mostly recruit people through lies and deception, or by deliberately omitting certain vital information until after you have joined the group and become too committed to the extent it would be difficult to easily leave.
Below are 10 things that most Jehovah’s Witnesses will not tell you before you join them
1. The Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that all Bible believing Christians are spiritually lost and deceived except for the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Watchtower Society.
2. Jehovah’s Witnesses are not allowed to celebrate birthdays and holidays such as Christmas or Easter.
3. They are not allowed to accept blood transfusions or save another person’s life through blood transfusion, even if a member’s life might be at stake.
4. They have falsely predicted Armageddon or the end of the world about 5 times. The Society has “prophesied” several dates for Armageddon which are 1914, 1918, 1925, 1941, and 1975 and all of these prophecies were proved to be false.
5.Jehovah’s Witnesses are taught to avoid and shun friends and family who leave the group or forsake their religious doctrines. Jehovah’s Witnesses are only allowed to have close fellowship with former Witnesses who have left the group.
6. They believe that to be eternally saved you must be a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and be led by the Watchtower Society. So Jesus Christ is not really your Mediator but the Watchtower in practice has taken over that role.
7. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe Jesus was an archangel called Michael. However the Bible reveals that the archangel Michael and Jesus Christ are two separate beings. The Bible does not ever mention that Jesus the Messiah and Michael the archangel are the same person.
8. Their understanding and interpretation of Scripture is sourced solely from the Watchtower Society leadership. They claim you need to read the Watchtower’s magazines and other Jehovah’s Witnesses literature in order to understand the Bible correctly.
Members are not allowed to question the Watchtower leadership or their teachings.
9.Jehovah’s Witnesses have their own Bible translated by the Watchtower leadership called the New World Translation. The Jehovah’s Witnesses created their own New World Translation Bible and distorted its texts so that their Bible is customized to support their cultic group beliefs and doctrine.
For example because the Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, their New World Translation Bible distorts many original texts which highlight the true identity and deity of Jesus Christ.
10.They believe that only 144,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses will go to heaven. The rest will live forever in a paradise on Earth. They do not believe in eternal damnation in hell for sinners.
What Does the Bible Say About Jehovah’s Witnesses Beliefs?
The Bible mentions that eternal salvation is possible through repenting and believing in Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour (John 1:12, John 3:16, John 14:6).
The Bible says that there is only one Mediator between God and man and it is Jesus Christ alone (1 Timothy 2:5). Therefore the Watchtower Society should not have unquestioned authority over their members. Salvation is through the Person of Jesus Christ and not by the teachings of the Watchtower.
Salvation is a free gift from God received through faith in Jesus Christ. We are not saved by our own personal effort or works – but by the grace of God.
Ephesians 2:8-9 says: For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
The Bible clearly reveals that hell is real and that eternal punishment exists for anyone who rejects the true Gospel and rejects Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Several times Jesus Himself described the nature of hell (Matthew 25:30-46).
Every human being has access to God and is capable of interpreting Scripture for themselves as long as that individual is in genuine relationship with the living God. We are also taught through the Bible that every Christian believer is a priest and minister of God whilst Jesus Christ is the High Priest (1 Peter 2:5; 1 Peter 2:9).
The priesthood of all believers also states that every Christian shares in Christ’s priestly status. So there is no special class of people who mediate the knowledge, presence, and revelation of Christ to the rest of believers. Instead every Christian believer has the right and authority to read, interpret, and apply the teachings of Scripture as lead by the Holy Spirit.
We are encouraged by Scripture to take the example of the Bereans who studied the Scriptures themselves and were not quick to accept every wind of teaching even if it came from a preacher (Acts 17:10-12).
Because of the existence of many false teachers, cult leaders and false doctrines, we should not accept a Jehovah’s Witness culture of being spiritually spoon-fed like babies – instead we must have a culture of learning to faithfully study Gods word ourselves.
Ephesians 4:14 says: So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
2 Timothy 2:15 says: Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
2 Timothy 4:3 says: For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,
2 Timothy 3:16 says: All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
The Bible consistently reveals the divinity of Jesus Christ. He is not the archangel Michael and He never was. Jesus was not created. Jesus is God and His works on Earth revealed His divinity.
John 1:1-2 says: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.
In 1 Timothy 3:16 Jesus Christ is described as “God manifested in the flesh”.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses Bible called the New World Translation is a distorted translation of the original texts which has been customized by the Watchtower Society to agree with the controversial doctrines of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
We are not meant to change the Bible to fit our personal beliefs. Instead we are meant to change our own personal beliefs, opinions and lifestyle so that they agree with Scripture.
Deuteronomy 4:2 says: You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you.
Proverbs 30:6 says: Do not add to His words Or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar.
Conclusion
Christianity is not a religion, but it is a personal relationship with God. Therefore we must relate with a personal God with Jesus Christ as our Mediator.
Jehovah’s Witnesses members have a relationship with the Watchtower Society as their mediator instead of a direct relationship with Jesus Christ.
Furthermore they’ve attempted to diminish the authority and stature of Christ through their false teachings about the origin of Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 11:4-5 says: For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses preach a different Jesus and a different gospel than what is truly taught and understood from the Bible. They have even gone to the extent of creating their own customized Bible translation to uphold their controversial doctrines amongst their own members.
Unfortunately the Jehovah’s Witnesses attempt to understand God and relate with Him through the distorted lenses and mediation of the Watchtower Society instead of knowing God through personal studying and personal interaction with Him.
If you have been reading this article and believe that you are a member of any type of cult and have thoughts of leaving please also read our article:How To Leave and Recover From A Cult
Inspired Walk is dedicated to proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ and providing a Biblical defense for the Christian faith. This ministry also seeks to provide answers to curious questions and alternative topics from a Biblical worldview. Read More ...
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