What Does the Bible Really Teach?

Jehovah’s Witnesses are often recognized for their door-to-door evangelism, their use of the name Jehovah, and their claim to follow the Bible closely. Many Jehovah’s Witnesses are sincere people who genuinely believe they are serving God and following the only true Christian organization on earth. But sincerity alone cannot determine whether a religious teaching is true. The Bible repeatedly encourages us to examine what we believe and compare religious claims with the Word of God.

The apostle Paul wrote:

“Keep testing whether you are in the faith; keep proving what you yourselves are.” —2 Corinthians 13:5, New World Translation

So how do the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses compare with the Bible?

Here are 10 important beliefs every Christian—and every Jehovah’s Witness—should carefully examine.

FACT #1: Jehovah’s Witnesses Believe Jesus Is Michael the Archangel

The Bible distinguishes Jesus from the angels and identifies Him uniquely as God’s Son.

One of the most important questions anyone can answer is: Who is Jesus Christ? Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that before coming to earth, Jesus existed as Michael the archangel and that after His resurrection He once again became known as Michael. Their publication Reasoning from the Scriptures states:

“…the evidence indicates that the Son of God was known as Michael before he came to earth and is known also by that name since his return to heaven where he resides as the glorified spirit Son of God.” —Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, p. 218.

But Hebrews chapter 1 draws a deliberate distinction between Jesus and God’s angels:

“For to which of the angels did He ever say, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You’?” —Hebrews 1:5

The writer continues by describing the Son as superior to the angels and worthy of a position never given to them. Hebrews 2:5 further explains that God did not subject the world to come to angels. If Scripture goes out of its way to distinguish the Son from the angels, we must ask an important question: Where does the Bible ever actually say that Jesus is Michael the archangel? That identification is not explicitly stated in Scripture. Instead, the New Testament repeatedly presents Jesus as uniquely above the angelic creation.

Learn more:
http://www.4jehovah.org/is-jesus-christ-the-archangel-michael/

FACT #2: Jesus Is Not Considered the Mediator for All Jehovah’s Witnesses

The Bible teaches that there is one Mediator between God and mankind—Jesus Christ.

Many people, including some Jehovah’s Witnesses, may be surprised to learn what Watchtower literature has taught concerning Jesus as Mediator.

The Bible says:

“For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all.” —1 Timothy 2:5–6

Yet the Watchtower publication Worldwide Security Under the “Prince of Peace” states:

“Jesus Christ is not the Mediator between Jehovah God and all mankind. He is the Mediator between his heavenly Father, Jehovah God, and the nation of spiritual Israel, which is limited to only 144,000 members.” —Worldwide Security Under the “Prince of Peace,” 1986, p. 10.

This raises a deeply personal question for the millions of Jehovah’s Witnesses who do not consider themselves members of the 144,000:

If Jesus is not your Mediator, who stands between you and God?

Paul does not describe Jesus as the Mediator for only a small spiritual class. He connects Christ’s mediation with His giving Himself as a ransom “for all.” This is much more than an obscure theological disagreement. It concerns a person’s relationship with Jesus Christ and access to God through Him.

Learn more:
http://www.4jehovah.org/is-jesus-christ-your-mediator/

FACT #3: Most Jehovah’s Witnesses Do Not Expect to Go to Heaven

The Bible describes a “great multitude” in heaven that no one could number.

Jehovah’s Witness theology divides faithful believers into two groups. A limited group of 144,000 is said to have a heavenly hope and reign with Christ, while the vast majority of faithful Jehovah’s Witnesses expect to live forever on a restored paradise earth.

The Watchtower publication Knowledge That Leads to Everlasting Life asks:

“How many will God take to heaven to rule with Christ?”

Its answer is:

“According to the Bible, only 144,000.”

But does the Bible actually say that only 144,000 people will ever be in heaven?

Revelation 7:9 describes something much larger:

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number…standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”

Revelation 19:1 similarly describes the sound of “a great multitude in heaven.”

The passages identifying the 144,000 in Revelation 7 and 14 certainly deserve careful study, but neither passage simply states, “Only 144,000 people will go to heaven.” Therefore, rather than beginning with a predetermined number, Christians should allow the complete testimony of Scripture to determine who shares in the promises of Christ.

Learn more:
http://www.4jehovah.org/is-the-new-covenant-only-for-a-group-of-144000-people/

FACT #4: Most Jehovah’s Witnesses Do Not Believe They Are Spiritually Adopted as God’s Children

The New Testament connects belonging to Christ with receiving God’s Spirit and being adopted into His family.

This distinction between the 144,000 and the “other sheep” affects much more than where Jehovah’s Witnesses expect to spend eternity. It also affects how most Witnesses understand their present relationship with God. Watchtower theology reserves spiritual adoption and the experience of being “born again” primarily for those considered part of the 144,000 heavenly class.

But notice the language Paul uses for Christians:

“For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” —Romans 8:14

Galatians 4:5–6 similarly connects redemption through Christ with adoption and receiving the Spirit of God’s Son.
Romans 8:8–9 goes even further by explaining that a person who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him.

These passages raise an extremely important question: Can someone belong to Christ while remaining outside the spiritual adoption and indwelling of the Holy Spirit described for believers in the New Testament? Biblical adoption is not merely a special privilege for an elite class of Christians. It lies at the heart of what Christ accomplished in bringing sinners into God’s family.

Learn more:
http://www.4jehovah.org/questions-for-jehovahs-witnesses-on-spiritual-adoption/

FACT #5: Most Jehovah’s Witnesses Do Not Partake of the New Covenant Bread and Cup

Jesus invited His followers to receive the life He provides through His sacrifice.

Once each year, Jehovah’s Witnesses gather for their Memorial of Christ’s death. Bread and wine are passed among those attending, yet the overwhelming majority do not partake because they have been taught that these emblems belong specifically to the 144,000. This practice deserves careful examination in light of Jesus’ own words.

Jesus said:

“I am the living bread…if anyone eats of this bread he will live forever.” —John 6:51

He also warned:

“Unless YOU eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, YOU have no life in yourselves.” —John 6:53, NWT

Christians differ in how they understand the relationship between John 6 and the Lord’s Supper, but Jesus’ message is unmistakably centered upon personally receiving and depending upon Him and His sacrificial death for eternal life. The New Covenant is not a minor theological privilege. Through Christ’s shed blood, sinners receive forgiveness and reconciliation with God.

This makes the Watchtower distinction worth asking about: Why should millions of people who claim Christ as Savior deliberately pass the symbols of His New Covenant while only a small group receives them?

Learn more:
http://www.4jehovah.org/do-you-comply-with-jehovahs-arrangement-for-life/

FACT #6: The New World Translation Obscures Important Biblical Passages About the Deity of Christ

The New Testament gives Jesus names, titles, honor, and attributes belonging to God.

Jehovah’s Witnesses strongly reject the Christian doctrine of the Trinity and teach that Jesus is a created being subordinate to Jehovah. Their New World Translation reflects this theology in several important passages. Perhaps the best-known example is John 1:1, where most major translations describe the Word as God, while the New World Translation renders the final phrase “the Word was a god.”

Yet John 1 is only one piece of a much larger biblical picture. The New Testament gives Jesus extraordinary divine titles and descriptions. Romans 9:5, for example, is rendered in the ESV as referring to “the Christ, who is God over all.” Revelation presents Christ with titles and authority that demand careful comparison with Old Testament descriptions of Jehovah. At the same time, Scripture teaches there is only one true God (John 17:3). This leaves us with an important question:

If there is only one true God, how should we understand the numerous passages that attribute divine identity, honor, works, and titles to Jesus Christ?

Rather than changing our view of Jesus to fit a theological system, we should allow all of Scripture to tell us who He truly is.

Learn more:
http://www.4jehovah.org/jehovahs-witness-bible-translation-examined/

FACT #7: The Jehovah’s Witness Teaching About Jesus’ Resurrection Differs Radically From the Biblical Meaning of Resurrection

Jesus said the same body that would be destroyed would be raised again.

Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that Jesus’ physical body was not raised from the dead. Instead, Watchtower literature has taught that His human body was disposed of and that He was raised as a spirit creature. This creates a serious difficulty with Jesus’ own prediction concerning His resurrection. When His opponents demanded a sign, Jesus answered:

“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” —John 2:19

John then explains exactly what Jesus meant:

“He was speaking of the temple of His body.” —John 2:21

After Jesus rose, His disciples remembered this statement and recognized its fulfillment. Resurrection means far more than continued existence after death. The biblical hope is that what dies is raised. Watchtower literature, however, has stated:

“The human body of flesh, which Jesus Christ laid down forever as a ransom sacrifice, was disposed of by God’s power.”

If Jesus’ body was destroyed permanently and another spirit existence replaced it, we must ask: In what sense was the body Jesus specifically identified in John 2 actually raised? The bodily resurrection of Jesus stands at the very heart of the Christian gospel.

Learn more:
http://www.4jehovah.org/the-resurrection-of-jesus-a-spirit-body/

FACT #8: The Jehovah’s Witness Shunning Policy Can Make Leaving the Organization Extremely Costly

Jesus said His followers would be recognized by their love for one another.

Leaving the Jehovah’s Witness organization can involve much more than changing one’s religious affiliation.

Jehovah’s Witnesses who are removed from the congregation or who formally disassociate themselves can face severe restrictions on social and spiritual interaction with believing family members and friends. For someone whose entire family and social network exists within the organization, the potential cost of questioning Watchtower teachings can therefore be enormous.

This is important because religious truth should be examined on the basis of evidence and Scripture—not fear of losing everyone we love.

Jesus said:

“By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.” —John 13:35

The New Testament certainly teaches church discipline for serious, unrepentant sin. Yet Christians should carefully ask whether every application of organizational shunning reflects the pattern and purpose of biblical discipline. Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15 gives us a beautiful picture of a father eagerly receiving his returning son. Biblical correction seeks repentance and restoration, not merely organizational conformity.

For Jehovah’s Witnesses who are afraid to investigate their religion because of what they might lose, this becomes an especially important issue.

Learn more:
http://www.4jehovah.org/do-jehovahs-witnesses-shun-family-members-who-leave/

FACT #9: Jehovah’s Witness Prophetic Claims Should Be Tested by the Bible’s Own Standard

Scripture warns God’s people not to accept religious predictions simply because they are made in God’s name.

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe their organization is uniquely directed by Jehovah. Yet Watchtower history contains numerous prophetic expectations and chronological claims that deserve careful examination. One significant example involves Christ’s invisible presence. For decades, early Watchtower teaching identified 1874 as the beginning of Christ’s invisible presence. The organization later abandoned that chronology and today teaches 1914 instead. That history matters because Scripture provides a standard for evaluating claims made in God’s name.

Deuteronomy 18:21–22 asks:

“How shall we know the word that Jehovah has not spoken?”

It answers that when a prediction spoken in Jehovah’s name does not occur or come true, “that is the word that Jehovah did not speak.” —New World Translation

Jesus also warned His followers about false claims concerning His coming and presence. Therefore, the question is not whether an organization has occasionally adjusted its understanding. Every Christian can misunderstand Scripture. The deeper question is whether an organization claiming unique divine guidance has repeatedly presented prophetic interpretations as God’s truth and later abandoned them. The Bible encourages us to test such claims rather than accepting them merely because a religious authority tells us to.

Learn more:
http://www.4jehovah.org/do-the-beliefs-of-jehovahs-witnesses-prove-they-are-the-only-true-religion/

FACT #10: The Watchtower Ban on Blood Transfusions Goes Beyond the Bible’s Commands About Blood

Scripture prohibits eating blood, but does it prohibit a medical transfusion given to preserve life?

Few Jehovah’s Witness teachings have consequences as immediate and serious as the prohibition against receiving blood transfusions. Jehovah’s Witnesses base this policy on biblical passages commanding God’s people to abstain from blood. Leviticus 17:11–12 explains:

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood… Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, No person among you shall eat blood.”

The importance of blood in Scripture is undeniable. Blood represents life, and sacrificial blood pointed toward atonement. But the question is not whether Scripture prohibits eating blood. It clearly does. The question is whether receiving donated blood intravenously as a medical treatment is equivalent to eating blood. The Bible never discusses modern blood transfusions, so applying dietary commands concerning blood to a medical procedure requires an additional interpretive step.

Interestingly, Awake! once acknowledged:

“Blood is an organ of the body, and a blood transfusion is nothing less than an organ transplant.” —Awake! August 22, 1999, p. 31.

This comparison becomes especially significant because Watchtower policies regarding organ transplantation have changed over time, while the prohibition against transfused blood remains. When a religious interpretation can determine whether a person accepts or refuses potentially lifesaving medical treatment, Christians have an especially serious responsibility to ask:

Does God actually command this—or has a human organization gone beyond what Scripture says?

Learn more:
http://www.4jehovah.org/jehovahs-witnesses-and-blood-transfusions/

So, Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Christian?

This question should never be answered merely by labels, traditions, or organizational claims. The most important question is whether the gospel being proclaimed is the gospel revealed in Scripture.

Who is Jesus?

Is He a created angel or the divine Son revealed in Scripture?

Is Jesus your Mediator?

Have you personally received the Spirit of Christ and been adopted into God’s family? Are you trusting an organization to tell you that you have God’s approval—or are you resting completely in what Jesus Christ accomplished for sinners through His death and resurrection?

The gospel is not about earning God’s acceptance through religious performance or proving ourselves worthy enough to survive judgment.

We are sinners who cannot make ourselves righteous before a holy God. Jesus Christ bore the penalty for our sins on the cross and rose bodily from the grave. Everyone who turns to Him in faith receives forgiveness and the righteousness that only Christ can provide. That is why Paul warned Christians to examine themselves: