What are Jehovah's Witnesses thoughts on these questions?

Question

I have a few questions for you. Who is your prophet? Did the Jehovah's Witnesses predict that the Battle of Armageddon would be fought in 1914, followed by the end of the world? Did, in 1954, J.W. president Frederick Franz become exposed as a fraud as the most learned Hebrew scholar? Under oath in a court of law, he proved incapable of handling even the most basic Hebrew. Is Jesus God? Did Jesus' death accomplish everything needed to save us? Why is the NWT not recognized by Greek and Hebrew scholars? Is salvation received by faith? (Titus 3:5), Eph. 2:8-9. ) Is Christ God? (John 5:18, and John 20:28) Is the Holy Spirit God? (Acts 5:3) Do you recognize the KJV or the 1901 American Standard Bible?

Answer 1

Jehovah's Witnesses look to the Bible as the only infallible inspired Word of God available today. They apply the term "prophet" only in a very limited sense to themselves as a religion, not to individuals. The Scriptures indicate that whenever Jehovah purposes to execute judgment upon a people, he always makes arrangment for a 'prophet's work' as a warning. Their self-description as a "prophet" (in this limited sense) does not indicate special inspired knowledge or foreknowledge, but their willingness to perform Christ's assigned warning work.
http://watchtower.org/library/w/1999/7/15/article_01.htm
http://watchtower.org/library/dg/article_04.htm

What group is working harder than Jehovah's Witnesses to preach God's message globally?
(Amos 3:7) For the Sovereign Lord Jehovah will not do a thing unless he has revealed his confidential matter to his servants the prophets.
(2 Peter 2:5) Noah, a preacher of righteousness...
(Matthew 24:14) And this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come.
http://jw-media.org/people/statistics.htm
http://jw-media.org/people/ministry.htm

Jehovah's Witnesses have always looked to Christ Jesus as their leader, and not to any human. Even so, no fairminded person would pretend that F.W. Franz was ever "exposed as a fraud", or that anything about the man ever embarassed the Jehovah's Witness religion. Anti-Witnesses have slandered Jehovah's Witnesses unjustly for decades, so this questioner's accusations are nothing new:
http://watchtower.org/library/g/2000/6/22/article_03.htm
http://watchtower.org/library/w/2001/8/1/article_01.htm
http://watchtower.org/library/w/1998/10/1/article_01.htm

Jesus certainly is a god, but he is not equal his Father, the Almighty God Jehovah.
(Philippians 2:5-6) Christ Jesus, who, although he was existing in God's form, gave no consideration to a seizure, namely, that he should be equal to God
(1 Corinthians 8:5,6) For even though there are those who are called “gods,” whether in heaven or on earth, just as there are many “gods” and many “lords,” there is actually to us one God the Father
http://watchtower.org/library/g/2005/4/22/article_01.htm
http://watchtower.org/library/ti/index.htm

Jesus' ransom sacrifice did accomplish all that was needed to save mankind in general.
(John 3:16) God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, in order that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life
http://watchtower.org/library/w/1999/7/1/article_02.htm
http://watchtower.org/library/hb/article_05.htm

Jehovah's Witnesses use dozens of different bible translations, and attach no special infallibility to their New World Translation.
http://watchtower.org/bible/
Both the KJV and the American Standard have actually been distributed by Jehovah's Witnesses, and continue to be widely used and quoted by them. Incidentally, NWT actually *IS* recognized and well-appreciated by SECULAR scholars of Greek and Hebrew, even while the Translation's precision frustrates the closed-minded prejudice of theologians among Christendom.

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/library/jt/index.htm

Answer 2

I think it's interesting that the first 6 people who answered this aren't Jehovah's Witnesses.

I don't have a prophet.

I follow the teachings found in the bible.

1914 is the "end of the Gentile times" and unlike the apostles who could ask Jesus if he was restoring the Kingdom at this time, they had to wait to see. (Acts 1:6) what would happen.

F. Franz wasn't exposed as a fraud, he answered the question truthfully.

Faith in Jesus' shed blood provides the ransom and is the basis of my salvation. Salvation is a free gift, because it can never be earned.

As to Jesus being God, please note what these

rs p. 405 pars. 1-2 Trinity ***
The New Encyclopædia Britannica says: “Neither the word Trinity, nor the explicit doctrine as such, appears in the New Testament, nor did Jesus and his followers intend to contradict the Shema in the Old Testament: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord’ (Deut. 6:4). . . . The doctrine developed gradually over several centuries and through many controversies. . . . By the end of the 4th century . . . the doctrine of the Trinity took substantially the form it has maintained ever since.”—(1976), Micropædia, Vol. X, p. 126.
The New Catholic Encyclopedia states: “The formulation ‘one God in three Persons’ was not solidly established, certainly not fully assimilated into Christian life and its profession of faith, prior to the end of the 4th century. But it is precisely this formulation that has first claim to the title the Trinitarian dogma. Among the Apostolic Fathers, there had been nothing even remotely approaching such a mentality or perspective.”—(1967), Vol. XIV, p. 299.

*** rs p. 406 par. 1 Trinity ***
In The Encyclopedia Americana we read: “Christianity derived from Judaism and Judaism was strictly Unitarian [believing that God is one person]. The road which led from Jerusalem to Nicea was scarcely a straight one. Fourth century Trinitarianism did not reflect accurately early Christian teaching regarding the nature of God; it was, on the contrary, a deviation from this teaching.”—(1956), Vol. XXVII, p. 294L.

(Romans 15:4-6) . . .” 4 For all the things that were written aforetime were written for our instruction, that through our endurance and through the comfort from the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 Now may the God who supplies endurance and comfort grant YOU to have among yourselves the same mental attitude that Christ Jesus had, 6 that with one accord YOU may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So it not just Jehovah's Witnesses that recognize that the bible does not teach this.

As to the accuracy of the NWT please read.

Old Testament:
In fact, the New World Translation is a scholarly work. In 1989, Professor Benjamin Kedar of Israel said:
"In my linguistic research in connection with the Hebrew Bible and translation, I often refer to the English edition as what is known as the New World Translation. In doing so, I find my feeling repeatedly confirmed that this kind of work reflects an honest endeavor to achieve an understanding of the text that is as accurate as possible. Giving evidence of a broad command of the original language, it renders the original words into a second language understandably without deviating unnecessarily from the specific structure of the Hebrew....Every statement of language allows for a certain latitude in interpreting or translating. So the linguistic solution in any given case may be open to debate. But I have never discovered in the New World Translation any biased intent to read something into the text that it does not contain."

New Testament:

While critical of some of its translation choices, BeDuhn called the New World Translation a “remarkably good” translation, “better by far” and “consistently better” than some of the others considered. Overall, concluded BeDuhn, the New World Translation “is one of the most accurate English translations of the New Testament currently available” and “the most accurate of the translations compared.”—Truth in Translation: Accuracy and Bias in English Translations of the New Testament.

“Here at last is a comprehensive comparison of nine major translations of the Bible:
King James Version,
New American Standard Bible,
New International Version,
New Revised Standard Version,
New American Bible,
Amplified Bible,
Today's English Version (Good News Bible),
Living Bible,
and the New World Translation.

The book provides a general introduction to the history and methods of Bible translation, and gives background on each of these versions. Then it compares them on key passages of the New Testament to determine their accuracy and identify their bias. Passages looked at include:
John 1:1; John 8:58; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:15-20; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8; 2 Peter 1:1

Jason BeDuhn
Associate Professor of Religious Studies, and Chair
Department of Humanities, Arts, and Religion
Northern Arizona University


The very word Christ, meaning Messiah, denotes someone appointed to do God's will.

Mose is called "christ" at Heb. 11:23-28

Holy Spirit please compare
Luke 11:20 to Matt 12:28 It is God's spirit, or finger not a separate individual.

I have both the KJV and the ASB bibles at home,
and have NKJV at work.

The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society have publishing rights to print and distribute both of those editions of the Bible.

Matt 5:11 is continueing to be fulfilled.

Remember they called Jesus a glutton and drunkard, John the Baptist was accused of having a demon.

So in answer to your question, I've looked into all the questions you presented. I also see you and others continue to parrot miss information cleaned from those who for some reason or other want to slander Jehovah's Witnesses.

Answer 3

How about John 8:58-59? Properly translated: 58 “What I’m about to tell you is true,” Jesus answered. “Before Abraham was born, I am!” 59 When he said this, they picked up stones to kill him. But Jesus hid himself. He slipped away from the temple area.

Clearly, the new world mistranslation fouled up translating the unquestioned Greek word, "eimi" at the end of verse 58 as perfect tense, "have been" rather than the correct present tense "am." Also clearly, the Jews THOUGHT Jesus was claiming divinity because they attempted to stone him. Even the new world perversion leads its reader to understand that point. Yet they deny the fact that led the Jews to believe Jesus was committing blasphemy.

Answer 4

Bravo J. W.'s!!!! Give God Glory, praise His Holy Name, YHWH.
The world has no concept of understanding the truth, just as is written in 2 Co. 4:1-4.

Answer 5

every Jehovah's Witness ought to have the moral courage to read up on the unexpurgated history of one Charles T. Russell and the Millennial Dawn movement, as well as the court cases directly connected to these persons and events. I'm not afraid to put my own religion under a microscope. is their god so small and powerless that he can't endure a little scrutiny? just a thought.

Answer 6

Amen to that, although I must say it with extreme sadness.

Anyone who denies the JWs follow a false prophet; read a purposefully mistranslated Bible; and that Franz really knew what he was doing should go here:

http://blueletterbible.org/study/cults/exposejw/chap1.html

There are actual copies of JW documents with PROOF the WTBS lies to its members and is a false prophet.

Answer 7

I hope you took the time to read the comments from the Jehovah's Witnesses. They answered your questions exactly. I just hope you are not too proud to read the information.

Answer 8

Hey, they're not suppose to know that stuff. It's not in "their version, The New World Bible". Watchtower is going to get upset with you.

Answer 9

Prophesies that do not bear fruit are useless. Like Nostradamus' prophesies. They are useless after the fact. A true prophesy would stop a disaster. Fruitless prophesies are just bunk.

Answer 10

If you don't agree with our opinion, you go straight to the fire. Thou art an evil one.