In a recent encounter with the friendly people, who go door to door (Jehovah’s Witnesses), I found myself without my handy notepad with all of my notes…all of the scriptures that disconfirm the theology of JWs. So, I’m converting my notes to a blog post to help myself and others, who encounter these very friendly people. They need to be confronted with the problems in their theology and the Solution, who is the eternal Creator: Jesus Christ.
Steps
- When the Jehovah’s Witnesses identify themselves, I ask, “How much time do you have to talk?” My experience is that they are ready to talk, so they will generally answer that they have all the time in the world to talk. Don’t forget to pray silently for wisdom and grace.
- Next, I invite them inside to sit and look at the Bible. They will always prefer the New World Translation, which is a perverted translation from Watchtower. Watchtower is the authoritative entity that guides the doctrine of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. We’ll press them later at the end of the blog post to question this authority. But for now, almost all of the verses shown below in their perverted translation still reveal the divinity of Jesus as the 2nd person in the Godhead. So, don’t worry about showing them these references in their translation as they have failed to change them. The most notable problem in their translation is the added word ‘a’ in John 1 that does not appear in the original Greek. They think that saying that Jesus was ‘a god’ somehow gives them license to deny the Trinity. Keep praying that the Holy Spirit would guide the conversation.
- They want to talk about God’s Kingdom here on Earth. So, I ask “How does one become a citizen of God’s Kingdom?”. Their answer is to read the Bible and do good works. They believe in works-based-salvation. So, the answer that we as Christians can give them is that we can never do enough good works or read enough to get us into God’s Kingdom. The analogy from the movie Courageous is so good. A good Judge does not weigh the amount of good deeds vs. the bad deeds. Everyone is guilty because we have all rebelled against the Holy Triune God.
- Next ask them “What is the gospel of Jesus?” They almost certainly will not know the answer to this question, because they have not been trained on it. The gospel of Jesus as outlined in 1 Corinthians 15 is that we are all sinners, and we are all doomed to be judged by the Perfect Holy Creator for the sins we have done. Jesus fulfilled the scriptures. He died and rose again as the penal substitutionary atonement for the sins of his sheep. He has all authority and we owe our devotion to Him as the Eternal Monarch. It is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone for the glory of the Triune God alone as spoken in the scriptures alone that anyone can be saved. Everyone deserves the death penalty for our rebellion…but God, who is rich in mercy brings life to his sheep. And the means by which He uses to save is very often the preaching of the word of God (Rom 10).
- Ask them “How can I know for certain that I have done enough works or read enough of the Bible to be with Jesus when I die?” What is the minimum threshold that gets me into the Kingdom? They do not know. This is why they have to constantly work and strive for their salvation. 1 John 5:13. We can trust the revelation from God and be certain that faith in Jesus is sufficient.
- Next ask them: “What is the overall theme of the Bible?” Most will not know, but you might get some answers about the Kingdom of Jehovah. Jesus tells us the whole theme of the Bible in Luke 24:27, 44-45. It’s about Jesus Himself. But JWs are preaching a false Jesus. The same name, but a different gospel.
- At this point, they need to be pressed with the Truth, because they are preaching a false works-based salvation that is numbing to their own souls and giving false comfort to others. It might seem combative, but they need to understand that they are no longer the proselytizers. They are now being proselytized. As with our conversations with God-deniers, Mormons, papists…we have to trust that what God revealed to Paul in Romans 1 that everyone knows the True Creator, and the JWs are preaching a different gospel. And that gospel is just as spiritually deadly as atheism. They have missed the mark, and the correction is God’s eternal word by the power of the Spirit.
- Now they must be called to repent of teaching a false gospel (Galatians 1:8-10). Be ready to share the information below with them if they have questions about how to know the True Jesus and how we know that they are wrong.
True Jesus of Christianity vs. False Jesus of Watchtower
JWs claim to be Christians. And we claim to be Christians. Since there are are massive distinctions between the religions, we need to be prepared by knowing what God’s Words says and hold tightly to it. Some JWs might be interested in learning more, but most of what follows is information for the believer to be strengthened in their knowledge of the truth because of what God has revealed in the scriptures. Brothers and sisters, study to show yourself approved.
- The biggest and most important difference between Christianity and the theology of the Jehovah’s Witnesses is “Who is Jesus?” If they have stuck around long enough for you to ask this question, this is the issue we can deal with them on what the Bible says…and for the most part, you can even use their perverted translation of the Bible to expose their theological problems with the person of Jesus. They believe that Jesus is a created being. They think God the Father (who they call Jehovah) made Jesus at some point in the past. They believe that Jesus has taken the form of Michael the archangel and that Jesus is just the created personification of wisdom from Proverbs 22. But we can show them from the Bible that Jesus is the second person of the Trinity using both Old and New Testament verses. Titles and authority that only YHWH (Jehovah) has for Himself, Jesus claims for Himself. When the 1st century Jews and Christians heard Jesus claim for Himself, the titles from the Old Testament, they would have thought it blasphemy because Jesus was claiming to be God Almighty. Let’s look at the many scriptures that show that Jesus is the eternal God Himself. Note, not every verse is a ‘slam dunk’ proof but many are. And taken together, the case for the eternal divinity of Jesus is undeniable. Some of these verses also affirm the Godhead, the Trinity…on which we base all of Christian doctrines
- Exodus 3:14 God identifies Himself as “I AM”. In John 8:58 Jesus claims this title for Himself. The pharisees understood what Jesus was saying, and they picked up stones to stone Him because they thought He was committing blasphemy
- Exodus 4:11 YHWH is the Creator. John 1:3 Jesus is the Creator
- Exodus 12:51 YHWH brought his people out of Egypt, Jude 1:5 Jesus brought his people out of Egypt
- Exodus 20:5 Worship only God. Luke 24:52 Jesus received worship from his disciples
- Exodus 23:21 God’s name is in Jesus
- Leviticus 26:11-12 YHWH will dwell among his people. John 1:14 Jesus dwells with his people
- Deut 6:16 Don’t test the LORD your God. Matt 4:7 Don’t test the LORD your God
- This section of Scripture identifies YHWH as Creator, and we know from John 1:3 and Col 1:16 that Jesus is the Creator of ALL things.
- Nehemiah 9:6
- Job 40:15
- Psalm 8:3
- Psalm 95:6
- Psalm 102:25
- Psalm 115:15
- Psalm 121:2
- Psalm 123:8
- Psalm 146:6
- Psalm 148:5
- Proverbs 22:2
- Isaiah 37:16
- Isaiah 40:28
- Isaiah 41:4
- Isaiah 42:5
- Isaiah 44:24
- Isaiah 45:8
- Isaiah 45:12
- Isaiah 45:18
- Isaiah 48:13
- Isaiah 48:13
- Isaiah 51:13
- Isaiah 54:5
- Isaiah 57:16
- Isaiah 66:2
- Jeremiah 10:12
- Jeremiah 27:5
- Jeremiah 32:16
- Jeremiah 33:2
- Jeremiah 51:15
- Amos 4:13
- Jonah 1:9
- Zechariah 10:1
- Zechariah 12:1
- Malachi 2:10
- Deuteronomy 32:6
- Psalm 82:8 God inherits the nations. Jesus inherits the nations
- Psalm 89:9 YHWH stills the raging seas, Luke 8:24-25
- Psalm 102:27 God’s years have no end -> Hebrews 1:10-12 Jesus’s years have no end
- Psalm 110 Jesus is God
- Isaiah 7:9 Immanuel, God with us
- Isaiah 8:11-14 YHWH will become a stumbling block, Acts 4:11 Jesus is the stumbling block
- Isaiah 9:6 Jesus is Mighty God
- Isaiah 17:7 Holy One : Maker (Luke 1:35, Luke 4:34, Isaiah 41:14,20)
- Isaiah 35:4 Jesus will save
- Isaiah 41:4 YHWH is the 1st and the last. Revelation 1:8, 22:13 Jesus is the 1st and the last
- Isaiah 44:6 YHWH is the 1st and the last. Revelation 1:8, 22:13 Jesus is the 1st and the last
- Isaiah 48:12 YHWH is the 1st and the last. Revelation 1:8, 22:13 Jesus is the 1st and the last
- Isaiah 43:25 Only YHWH forgives sins. Luke 5:20-21 Jesus forgives sins
- Isaiah 45:23 Every knee will bow to YHWH. Philippians 2:10 Every knee will bow to Jesus
- Isaiah 54:5 YHWH is your husband, Ephesians 5 Jesus is the husband
- Job 9:8 YHWH walks on the sea, John 6:19 Jesus walks on water
- Jeremiah 17:10 YHWH searches the heart & tests the mind, Rev2:23 Jesus says I am the One who searches the mind and heart
- Jeremiah 23:5-6 Branch of David (Jesus) is YHWH
- Jeremiah 33:15-16 Branch of David (Jesus) is YHWH
- Jeremiah 31:10 YHWH is the shepherd of his people
- Jeremiah 46:18 YHWH is the King, Jesus is the King
- Jeremiah 51:57 YHWH is the King, Jesus is the King
- Ezekiel 34 YHWH is the Good Shepherd, John 10 Jesus is the Good Shepherd
- Daniel 6:26 YHWH is the eternal King, Jesus is the eternal King
- Daniel 7:14 God is the eternal King, Jesus is the eternal King
- Joel 2:32 Call on the name of YHWH, Romans 10:13 Call on the name of Jesus
- Joel 3:12 YHWH is the Judge of the nations, Matt 25:31-32 Jesus is the Judge of the nations
- Micah 5:2 Jesus is the eternal ruler
- Micah 7:8 YHWH is the light, John 1 Jesus is the light
- Zechariah 2:10 YHWH will dwell in the midst of his people, John 1:14 Jesus dwelt in the midst of his people
- Zechariah 3:6 Angel of YHWH claims to be God, Jesus is the Angel (messenger) of God
- Zechariah 11:7 YHWH is the Good Shepherd, John 10 Jesus is the Good Shepherd
- Zechariah 12:10 YHWH will be pierced, Jon 19:34,37 Jesus was pierced
- Zechariah 14:0 YHWH will be King, Jesus is King
- Zechariah 14:17 YHWH will be King, Jesus is King
These are all from the Old Testament. We haven’t even gotten to the New Testament fulfillment yet. So we can see clearly that the Triune Godhead is present and taught throughout the scriptures. When we overlay the New Testament revelation over these Old Testament passages, the case for the divinity of Jesus is irrefutable. Notice the usages of titles in the Old Testament: King, Mighty God, Husband, Maker, First and Last, I AM, Creator, and Good Shepherd. In the New Testament, Jesus claims all of these titles for Himself. The first century Jews who heard Jesus claim these titles for Himself would have immediately recognized these claims from Jesus as Him claiming to be God Himself. It’s why we see over and over the Pharisees wanting to stone Jesus to death. They thought Jesus was committing blasphemy. they completely failed to see the obvious Truth that Jesus is the promised Messiah and Creator God Himself.
New Testament
- John 8:58 Jesus claims to be the Great I AM
- John 10 Jesus claims to be the Good Shepherd
- Luke 5 Jesus claims to forgive sins, which only God can do
- Revelation 1 John prophesies that Jesus is the 1st and the Last just as YHWH claims
- Revelation 22:12-13 Jesus claims the title of the First and the Last for Himself as did YHWH in Isaiah 41, 44, 48
- Matthew 21 Jesus claims that his house is the house of YHWH
- Matthew 4:7, 10 Jesus tells Satan not to put the Lord God to the test as Satan tests Him
- Matthew 28 Jesus tells his disciples to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit…the Triune Godhead.
- Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus claims the He is the King spoken of in the Old Testament Daniel 9
- Mark 2:27-28 Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath
- John 10:30 Jesus says “I and the Father are One”
Perhaps an intrepid Jehovah’s Witness could disregard 1 or 2 of these passages, but both the cumulative case and the very specific claims of Jesus and the fulfillments of the old testament passages prove irrefutably that Jesus is divine, the second person in the Godhead, God Himself.
Watchtower cannot be trusted
I asked Grok to build a list of the false prophecies of the Watchtower organization. These are the times and events where they have been shown to be wrong. If the Jehovah’s Witness, to which you are talking, can be shown that the Watchtower has deceived them and that they can find the Truth of the gospel of Jesus in scripture, they will be more willing to leave their cult behind and worship the True Jesus.
Early Chronology (1870s–1880s)
- 1874: Christ’s invisible presence (parousia) / second coming began. Taught for decades.
- 1878: End of the “harvest” period; gathered saints expected to be translated to heaven.
- 1881: High calling closes / door to the “marriage” shuts; further expectation of the end of the harvest.
- These were foundational to later calculations and were later abandoned or shifted.
1914 and Immediate Aftermath
- 1914: The end of the “Times of the Gentiles.” Expected outcomes included the full overthrow of earthly governments, the complete establishment of God’s Kingdom on earth, the destruction of Christendom, Armageddon, and the translation of the remaining anointed to heaven. World War I began that year and was initially seen as confirmation, but the predicted complete overthrow and millennial events did not occur. Later reinterpreted as the start of Christ’s invisible reign and the beginning of the “last days.”
- 1915: Some publications shifted the expected end slightly later.
- 1918: Expectation of wholesale destruction of the churches and millions of church members; judgment in the temple; further crisis. (From The Finished Mystery and related writings.)
- 1920: Even the republics would disappear; anarchy and the fall of kingdoms.
1925 — “Millions Now Living Will Never Die”
- 1925: Explicit prediction that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the other “faithful men of old” (Hebrews 11) would be resurrected to perfect human life on earth and begin governing. This was tied to jubilee chronology and presented as more clearly indicated by Scripture than 1914.
The slogan and booklet Millions Now Living Will Never Die (1920) taught that millions then alive would never die because the old world was ending and the new order would begin in 1925.
When it failed, Rutherford later called the date “merely an expressed opinion.”
Beth-Sarim (“House of the Princes”), a mansion in San Diego, was built in 1929 and held in trust specifically for these resurrected patriarchs. It was sold in the late 1940s after they never appeared.Wikipedia
1930s–1940s
- Repeated strong statements that Armageddon was “very near,” “within months,” or “immediately before us.”
Examples include 1935 (Universal War Near), 1938 (discouragement of marriage/children because Armageddon was so close), 1941–1942 (only months remaining). None of these materialized as predicted.
1975
- 1975: Calculated as the end of 6,000 years of human history since Adam’s creation (using 4026 B.C.E. as the date of creation). Strongly implied and widely taught as the likely time for the start of the Millennium / Armageddon / great Jubilee.
Publications encouraged intensified preaching and preparations; many Witnesses sold homes, quit jobs, or avoided education and family planning.
When nothing happened, the organization later expressed regret over the raised expectations and attributed the disappointment to members’ “wrong premises,” while still defending the overall chronology.Wikipedia
Later Adjustments
- The teaching that the “generation of 1914” would not pass away before the end was repeatedly adjusted as that generation died out (e.g., redefinitions of “generation” in the 1990s–2010s).
- Various other near-term expectations of the end throughout the 20th century also failed to occur on the implied timeline.
Summary and Context
These are not minor miscalculations; they were official, widely published teachings that shaped members’ lives (selling property, delaying education/marriage, etc.). The organization has at times claimed to be God’s channel or guided by the holy spirit/angels, which makes the pattern significant under the biblical standard for prophets in Deuteronomy 18:20–22. After each major failure the response followed a similar pattern: disappointment, reinterpretation or spiritualization of the events, and continued emphasis on the nearness of the end without specific new dates for a time.Towerwatch
Primary sources for verification include original Watchtower issues, Russell’s Studies in the Scriptures, Rutherford’s Millions Now Living Will Never Die and related books, and historical accounts such as the Wikipedia article on unfulfilled Watch Tower predictions.
Special thanks to Sye ten Bruggencate for coaching on some points and the title! Although, I did not intentionally steal his title, it sure does look a lot like his incredible work:
If you haven’t seen it, it’s WELL worth your time to sharpen your apologetics with this content. Thanks Sye, for your faithfulness to the Eternal Monarch, Jesus Christ our Lord!!!
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