"Jehovah's Witnesses have existed for thousands of years"?

Question

I've heard a Jehovah's Witnesses say this.
Here are some questions.

Since Jehovah's Witnesses appeal to Isa 43:12; 44:8 for Scriptural support that they should be called, "Jehovah's Witnesses" then what was the "new name" prophesied in Isa 62:2?
It Can't be "Jehovah's Witnesses", for God already used it 20 chapters earlier.
Could the new name be "Christian" after our savior "Christ"?

Why would the name God gave to His people not be "Christians" since Acts 11:26 says, "The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch"?
Why is the name "Jehovah's Witness" found Nowhere in the New Testament, if that is God's divine name for His people under the New Covenant?

Why would God wait almost 2000 years to suddenly start using the name "Jehovah's Witness".
Does this mean that First Century Christians were Not known as Jehovah's Witnesses"?

Answer 1

Yes
(to the first question in bold).

Jehovah's Witnesses cite Isaiah 43:10,12 to show that Almighty God can and does use a human organization of thousands or millions to serve as His witnesses. Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe the bible to teach that Christianity as a whole replaced the nation of Israel as a whole.

At Scriptures such as Isaiah 62:2, it seems rather obvious that Israel represents Jehovah's figurative "wife" or "woman", that is, God's heavenly organization. That "wife" becomes a "mother" when it produces its "Seed" (primarily Jesus) by which Satan is defeated.
...(Isaiah 62:2-4) And the nations will certainly see your righteousness, O woman, and all kings your glory. And you will actually be called by a new name, which the very mouth of Jehovah will designate. And you must become a crown of beauty in the hand of Jehovah, and a kingly turban in the palm of your God. No more will you be said to be a woman left entirely
...(Genesis 3:14-15) Jehovah God proceeded to say to the serpent: “...And I shall put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed. He will bruise you in the head and you will bruise him in the heel.”
...(Revelation 12:1-5) .And a great sign was seen in heaven, a woman...and she was pregnant. And she cries out in her pains and in her agony to give birth. And another sign was seen in heaven, and, look! a great fiery-colored dragon...And the dragon kept standing before the woman who was about to give birth, that, when she did give birth, it might devour her child. And she gave birth to a son, a male, who is to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod. And her child was caught away to God and to his throne.
...(Isaiah 54:5) “For your Grand Maker is your husbandly owner, Jehovah of armies being his name
...(Galatians 4:26) But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.

Thus, the "new name" involves motherhood for Jehovah's wifely heavenly organization. Similarly, a human woman or wife receives the new name of "mother" when she finally gives birth.

Early Christians were called "witnesses", there is no doubt. Like those early evangelizers, Jehovah's Witnesses both witness personally and bear witness to others regarding God's personal name, his majestic personality, and Kingdom purposes. In doing so, they align themselves with Jesus Christ and the prophets.

(Isaiah 43:10) “You are my witnesses,” is the utterance of Jehovah

(Isaiah 43:12) So you are my witnesses,” is the utterance of Jehovah, “and I am God.

(Hebrews 12:1-2) Because we have so great a cloud of [Jehovah's] witnesses surrounding us, let us also put off every weight and the sin that easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, as we look intently at the Chief Agent and Perfecter of our faith, Jesus

(Revelation 1:5) Jesus Christ, “the Faithful Witness”

(Acts 5:38,39) Do not meddle with these men, but let them alone; (because, if this scheme or this work is from men, it will be overthrown; but if it is from God, YOU will not be able to overthrow them;) otherwise, You may perhaps be found fighters actually against God.”

Learn more:
http://watchtower.co.uk/e/jt/
http://jw-media.org/people/ministry.htm

Answer 2

I want to say this to Vickie N:
okay first of all Jehovah's Witnesses are not off the track! How should I know because I'm a Jehovah's Witness myself! I read the bible and attend meetings 4 times a week. I have all the evidence that Jehovah is the all mighty god. People in this world right now are doing imorality <--- that will NOT get you in heaven. Plus, only the chosen remnants one will join Jesus in heaven, not all of us. People who continue to serve Jehovah is promised to be in Paradise. Therefore, I have to disagree with you. :/ All the Bibles thousands of years ago, were in different language, such as Greek and Hebrew,
People this days have the knowledge of translating to english. Jehovah's name was mentioned in Bible a lot of times, as "Yahweh" in hebrew meaning Jehovah God.

Answer 3

Read Hebrews 11:1- 12:1 for the list of some of the Witnesses of Jehovah who've lived for thousands of years.

Answer 4

In the first century Jesus followers had been commanded by Jesus to make disciples of people of all the nations. (Matt. 28:19,20) Many of the people to be preached to had no conception of the God who had revealed himsself to the Jews by the name Jehovah. How would the Christians be albe to identify the true God to them? Would it be enough to call him God or Lord? NO. the nations had their own gods and lords. (1Corinthians 8:5) How could the Christians have made a clear difference between the true God and the false ones? Only by using the true God's name.

thus, the disciples James remarked during a conference of the elders at Jerusalen: "Symeon has reated thoroughly how God for the first time turned his attention to the nations to take out of them a people for his name. and with this the words of the Prohpets agree." (Acts 15:14,15) the aposttle Peter, in his well-known speech at Pentecost, pointed out a vital part of the Christian message when he quoted the words of the prophet Joell: "Everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will get away safe." Loel 2:32; Acts 2:21.

The apostal Paul leaves no doubt about the importance to him of god's name. In hs letter to the Romans, he quotes the same words by the prophet Joel and goes on to encourage fellow christians to show their faith in that statment by going out to preach about God's name to others in order that theses, too, might be saved. (Romans 10:13-15) later he wrote in his letter to Timothy: "Let everyone naming the name of Jehovah renounce unrighteousness." (2Timothy 2:19). At the end of the first centruy, the apostle John used the divine name in his writings. The experssion "Hallelujah," meaning "Praise Jah," appears repeatedly in the book of Revelation. (Revelation 19:1,3,4,6).

However, Jesus and his followers had prophesied that an apostasy would occur in the Christian congergation. The apostal Peter had written: "There will also be false teachers among you." (2Peter 2:1; see also Matthew 13:36-43: Acts 20:29,30 Thessalonians 2:3; 1John 2:18,19.)

These warnings were fulfilled. One result was that God's name was pushed into the background. It even got removed from copies and translation of the Bible!



We give witness to Jehovah and his Kingdom so how fitting it is that we are called his Witnesses.

Isaiah 43:10,11

"You are my witnesses" is the utterance of Jehovhah, "even my servant whom I have cchossen, in order that you may know and have faith in me, and that you may understand that I am the same One Before me there was no God formed, and after me there continued to be none." I-I am Jehovah, and besides me there is no savior."

Answer 5

First century Christians were known as 'The Way' but we call ourselves Jehovah's Witnesses because we call on God's name, Jehovah and we witness about Jehovah and his purposes.
Romans 10:13
For “everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved"

Most churches do not call on God by name they shun using his personal name Jehovah or Yahweh. Rather they obscure it with only by calling him by title. They do not even serve the same God since their god is a triune something that is unrecognised with the ancient Jews.

This is interesting....
Quote 2telldatruth:
"Take the Bible away from the Jehovah Witnesses and the Mormons. And see how long they can stand. Put the Bible up on its own, and it never falls."

Well 2telldatruth doesn't that just exonerate Jehovah's Witnesses since you recognise that YES it is the inspired word of God that we stand up to. Take the word of God out of our faith and there would be little. The Bible is the pillar of our knowledge, teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness. We put faith in the scriptures rather than the doctrines and traditions of men.

Christ when he was on earth prophesied apostate teachers would come and they did. Religion is recognised by many as a cause for wars, opression and torment. The history of "Christianity" is ugly reading since the completion of the Bible.

Now the end times are drawing near the preaching of God's Kingdom to the entire inhabited world is being achieved even though many religions and governments in power wish to try and stop this preaching work being done.

2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work.

Answer 6

In regards to Isaiah 62:2, I'd like to turn your attention to Jeremiah 33:16 which says, "In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem itself will reside in security. And this is what she will be called, Jehovah is our righteousness."
So the "new name" you were talking about was in reference to Jerusalem.
It's a really long story, but you can't just take one scripture and use it to your advantage. You need to read the context and sometimes that involves reading entire chapters and books to grasp the whole concept....which you have not done.

Answer 7

The biblical deity whom we call Jehovah in English, emphatically states in his word that he will have his personal name declared in all the earth and that he will produce a people who not only call on his name but who themselves are called by his distinctive name.

According to Amos, the people who are called by God's name are those who become such after the 'sifting' takes place. The sifting is when Jehovah rocks all the nations during the oncoming tribulation.

Our faith in the saving power of the name of Jehovah will become paramount at that time, as the survivors of the oncoming holocaust will be those who call upon the name of Jehovah.

"And it must occur that everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will get away safe; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will prove to be the escaped ones, just as Jehovah has said, and in among the survivors, whom Jehovah is calling."

The prophecy of Malachi likewise foretells how a distinction will be made between the righteous and the wicked; emphasizing the importance of the name of Jehovah in our salvation:

"And a book of remembrance began to be written up before him for those in fear of Jehovah and for those thinking upon his name. "And they will certainly become mine," Jehovah of armies has said, "at the day when I am producing a special property."

Take note of the fact that the prophecy indicates that those who fear the name of Jehovah and who are "thinking upon his name" become the "special property" of Jehovah at that time. Again, when does that occur?

The very next verse in Malachi indicates that Jehovah produces a special property composed of those who fear his name during the tribulation.

So, while the religion known as Jehovah's Witnesses is not fulfilling the prophecies by being "a people for his name" at this particular time, undoubtedly they are in line to become such in the very near future.

The Scriptures even say that the nominal name of "Jehovah's Witnesses" will be discarded and replaced by another name during the tribulation; perhaps based upon God's own revelation of the exact pronunciation of YHWH. Speaking of his wife-like organization, Isaiah 62:2 foretells:

"And you will actually be called by a new name, which the very mouth of Jehovah will designate."

Answer 8

There is no direct connection with Jehovah's Witnesses to biblical literature, etc etc. It is just wishful thinking on their part, that they believe they have.
Just read the history about WatchTower and the Jehovah's Witnesses to verify this.
They simply sprang up out of nowhere in recent times, along with other such movements... heard of the Mormons?

I said to my brother, who is a JW - why don't the Jehovah's Witnesses have their archeological evidence, such as ancient manuscripts and artefacts, etc etc.
The simple answer is that they have none..

Answer 9

All of Jehovah's servants are his witnesses, since they testify to his Godship. Jesus himself is called a faithful witness. Who was Jesus faithful to? -Revelation 3:14

Since there are thousands of religions claiming to be Christian, there is a need to distinguish from all of them. Hence, Jehovah's Witnesses are officially known as The Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Answer 10

Yes. Jesus was Jehovah's first Witness. Rev. 1:5: "and from Jesus Christ, “the Faithful Witness,” “The firstborn from the dead."