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Jehovah’s Witnesses:
Who is Jesus?
Ever had a knock on the door from a Jehovah’s Witness?
It is very probable that you have had an encounter with a Jehovah’s Witness
but did not know what to say in response to what they had to share.
Jehovah’s Witnesses go door to door sharing what they believe to be the Word
of God, however what they have been taught is heretical.
When encountering a Jehovah’s Witness it is
important to stay on one topic at a time. Jehovah’s Witnesses are
trained through the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society publications on how
to stump Christians on various topics and to jump from one place to another.
It is very important to be prepared when dialoguing with a Jehovah’s
Witness because you want to be able to plant solid spiritual seeds that will
cause him or her to come to know Christ personally.
The Jesus of the Watchtower
What do Jehovah’s Witnesses believe concerning
Jesus Christ? There are 4 important issues that need to be addressed when
you encounter a Jehovah’s Witness:
First, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that when Jesus is called the
"Firstborn" that means He is the first to be created by God. Quote:
"Jesus, in his pre-human existence, was 'the firstborn of all creation.'
(Colossians 1:15, NJB) (Should You Believe In The Trinity,
page 14, 1989)
Second, Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus being called "the
beginning of God's creation means He was the first to be created.
Quote: He was 'the beginning of God's creation.’ (Revelation
3:14,RS)" (Should You Believe In The Trinity, page 14, 1989)
Third, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Jesus is a created god. Quote:
"In [the] beginning was Word was, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was a god." (New World Translation, John 1:1)
Fourth, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Jesus is Michael the
archangel. Quote: "The foremost angel, both in power and
authority is the archangel, Jesus Christ, also called Michael."
(Watchtower, Nov. 1, 1995, p. 8)
These four issues are extremely important to
know when dialoguing with Jehovah’s Witnesses. It is upon the identification
of who Jesus is that demonstrates who is of Christ and who is not of Christ.
To effectively respond to Jehovah’s Witnesses one must have some basic
guidelines.
First, it is important to see the context of
what is being stated. Second, it is important to examine what words mean.
Third, it is important to look at the totality of what the Scriptures teach.
By doing these three steps you can effectively respond to what the Jehovah’s
Witnesses have been taught and Lord willing help plant spiritual seeds.
Responding to Jesus being the Firstborn of all Creation
The Watchtower teaches that Jesus is the only
creation of God directly and that all other things were created
through Jesus. The word of contention is the Greek word Prototokos
which is translated "firstborn" in Colossians 1:15. The Watchtower
has given this word the meaning of first to be created. Also, the
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society have added a word that theologically
changes the context of Colossians 1:16-17: "because by means of him all
[other] things were created in the heavens and upon the earth, the
things visible and things invisible, no matter whether they are thrones or
lord-ships or governments or authorities. All [other] things have
been created through him and for him. Also, he is before all [other]
things and by means of him all [other] things were made to exist".
(New World Translation, Col. 1:16-17) Why did the Watchtower
insert the word "[other]" four times when it is not there in the
Greek? What does firstborn mean?
Prototokos in the Scriptures is used in
various ways. It is used of those who were born first, those who were given
preeminence, those given a higher rank. Consider the following on the word
firstborn:
"Then you shall say to Pharaoh, `Thus says the LORD, "Israel is My
son, My firstborn." (Exodus 4:22 NASB)
"With weeping they will come, And by supplication I will lead them; I
will make them walk by streams of waters, On a straight path in which they
will not stumble; For I am a father to Israel, And Ephraim is My
firstborn." (Jeremiah 31:9 NASB)
In these two passages we see the word
firstborn used in a way of preeminence. The LORD calls both Israel and
Ephraim His firstborn, thus showing that being called firstborn does
not mean first to be born or created.
Scholarly resources on Prototokos and
Colossians 1:15:
Prototokos according Strongs Greek Lexicon means: "first in time
or place in any succession of things or persons; first in rank
influence, honour, chief, principal; first, at the first; firstborn,
first-begotten." (Strongs Greek Lexicon)
Spiros Zodhiates states: "In Colossians 1:15 Christ holds the
same relation to all creation not that He is included as part of the
creation, but the relation of the whole creation to Him is
determined by the fact that He is prototokos, the firstborn,
pases(3956), of all, ktiseos(2937), creation, so that without Him
creation could not be (see v. 16). It is not said of Christ that He was
ktistheis, created, and not of the creation that it was techtheisa, born
or brought forth." (Lexical Aids To The New Testament, Dr.
Spiros Zodhiates, Prototokos)
W. E. Vines states: "First-begotten, Firstborn <1,,4416,prototokos>
"firstborn" (from protos, "first," and tikto, "to beget"), is used of
Christ as born of the Virgin Mary, Luke 2:7; further, in His
relationship to the Father, expressing His priority to, and preeminence
over, creation, not in the sense of being the "first" to be born. It
is used occasionally of superiority of position in the OT; see Exod. 4:22;
Deut. 21:16,17, the prohibition being against the evil of assigning the
privileged position of the "firstborn" to one born subsequently to the
"first" child...(a) Col. 1:15, where His eternal relationship
with the Father is in view, and the clause means both that He was the
"Firstborn" before all creation and that He Himself produced creation
(the genitive case being objective, as ver. 16 makes clear)" (Vine's
Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, Prototokos)
These resources provide solid Biblical evidence
that Jesus was not the first to be created, but rather the very One who
created all things. Colossians 1:15 has to be interpreted within it’s
context.
Examining the context of Colossians 1:15-17 it
is clear that the Watchtower has added their theological interpretation to
the text with their misuse of adding the word "[other]" four times.
Not one Greek text has the word "[other]", thus showing the
Watchtower Scripture twisting. Also, there is not one English translation
that has the word "[other]" in Colossians 1:16-17. By adding the word
"[other]" four times it changes the context of what Colossians
1:15-17 is teaching. See how it reads without the word "[other]" in
it:
"15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of
all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created, both in
the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or
dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created
through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him
all things hold together." (Col. 1:15-17 NASB)
According to the apostle Paul Jesus was the very
image of the invisible God manifested in the flesh, through Him all things
have been created, and He is before all things. Common sense says if Jesus
created all things than He was not a part of creation. Therefore the
Watchtower is wrong in how they view Jesus and their misuse of changing what
the Scriptures say.
Responding to Jesus being the Beginning of God’s Creation
This belief goes along the same thought of Jesus
being the first created which is contextually inaccurate. The Watchtower
teaches that Revelation 3:14 means Jesus was the first of God’s creation.
The word for "beginning" in the Greek is Arche. Arche
means: "beginning, origin the person or thing that commences, the
first person or thing in a series, the leader that by which anything
begins to be, the origin, the active cause the extremity of a thing, of
the corners of a sail, the first place, principality, rule,
magistracy, of angels and demons."(Strongs Greek Lexicon, Arche)
According to what Arche means it is clear that Jesus is the Origin
or the Cause of all creation, not that He was the first to be created.
Greek scholar Dr. Spiros Zodhiates makes the following observation:
"The word archee, "beginning," then, can mean either the
result or the cause of something. The beginning of a line, for
instance, can mean either the point where the pencil first touched the
paper, or the person's decision or intent to draw the line. Lets look at
some passages other than John 1:1 which throw light on the subject. One of
the most important of these in Rev. 3:14, "And unto the
angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen,
the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God."
Does John here refer to Jesus Christ as the first result of the
creation of God or as the First Cause, the Creator? By virtue of other
Scriptures, we are forced to adopt the active meaning of the word archee,
that Jesus Christ was the Cause of God's creation and not the first result
of it." (Spiros Zodhiates, Was Christ God, pp. 45-46)
If Arche means first in the sense to be
created than the same meaning would apply to God being called "the
beginning and the end" in Revelation 22:13! The same Greek word Arche
is used of God in Revelation 22:13 as Revelation 3:14, but no Jehovah’s
Witness will say that God was first to be created. The proper interpretation
of Revelation 3:14 is to examine what Arche means and the context of
the Scriptures. Jesus is the One who created all things and not one thing
came into existence without Him. (John 1:3, Colossians 1:16-17, Revelation
3:14)
Responding to Jesus being a Created God
The Watchtower not only teaches that Jesus was
the first to be created but that Jesus was created a god.
This theological position comes from the way they have interpreted John 1:1.
In the New World Translation it reads this way: "In [the] beginning the
Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god." The
contention is on the letter "a" and if it should be there. In the
Greek text there is no "a" but the Watchtower has added this letter
to fit their theological position. There are various ways this can be
refuted.
First, to say Jesus is a created god you have to
be able to prove God was wrong in Isaiah 43:10. In Isaiah 43:10 God says:
""You are My witnesses," declares the LORD, "And My servant whom I
have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am
He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be
none after Me." This one passage of Scripture proves that Jesus
could not be a created god. Jehovah’s Witnesses acknowledge Jesus being a
God but reject Him being Jehovah God. However, God states two things
that dismantle Watchtower theology. The Hebrew word for "formed" is
Yastar which means to be made, to be created, to be formed, to be
fashioned. (Strongs Hebrew Lexicon, Yastar) This means that there
were no created or formed Gods/gods before the LORD and that there would be
no created or formed Gods/gods after Him. Therefore Jesus is not a
created god as the Watchtower teaches and their rendering of John 1:1
would be incorrect theologically making the apostle John a polytheist.
The apostle John knowing the Hebrew Scriptures
knows there is only one eternal God and that all other so called gods are
either false or not genuine. Therefore for John to be implying that Jesus
was a god in John 1:1 he would be going against what the Old Testament
Scriptures taught, thus making John a false teacher and polytheist. But John
was not a polytheist and he did not imply Jesus being a created God. John in
various places shows the eternal Deity of Jesus, thus proving John 1:1 is to
be translated "and the Word was God."
Remember in Isaiah 43:10 the LORD identifies
Himself as the "I am He". This is extremely important to see what
John wrote in regards to the identity of Jesus. For example:
"I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father who
sent Me testifies about Me." (John 8:18 NASB)
"Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless
you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." (John
8:24 NASB)
""Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died?
The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?"
Jesus answered, "If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father
who glorifies Me, of whom you say, `He is our God'; and you have not come
to know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will
be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word. "Your father
Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad." So the
Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen
Abraham?" Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before
Abraham was born, I am." Therefore they picked up stones to
throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple." (John
8:53-59 NASB)
"So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth
and said to them, "Whom do you seek?" They answered Him, "Jesus
the Nazarene." He said to them, "I am He." And Judas
also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. So when He said to
them, "I am He," they drew back and fell to the ground." (John
18:4-6 NASB)
Within these Scriptures it is clear that Jesus
was claiming something about Himself in a Divine way. Jesus states He is
"I am He" in John 8:18, that people will dies in their sins unless they
believe He is the "I am He" in John 8:24, that He is the
Eternal One (I am) in John 8:58, and in John 18 He is "I am He".
This shows John knew the eternal identification of Jesus being God
manifested in the flesh, not a created god as the Watchtower teaches. Also,
compare Isaiah 41:4 with Jesus’ "I am He’s" and see that there is no doubt
Jesus was God in the flesh..
"Who has performed and accomplished it, Calling forth the generations
from the beginning? `I, the LORD, am the first, and with the last. I am
He.’" (Isaiah 41:4 NASB)
Responding to Jesus being Michael the Archangel
The Watchtower teaches that Jesus is also known
as Michael the archangel. According to the Watchtower Michael is the
"foremost angel" in authority. Do these teachings line up in Scripture? No
they do not!
No where in the Bible is there any indication of
Jesus being called Michael. No where in any of the Gospel accounts does
Jesus ever speak of Him being a chief angel. None of the apostles teach that
Jesus is Michael. Jesus repeatedly identified Himself as the Son of Man,
the Son of God, the Lord of the Sabbath, Messiah, I am He, etc., thus
showing the Watchtower has added their own theological spin upon what the
Scriptures teach concerning Jesus.
As to Michael being the "foremost prince"
we read the following: "But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was
withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the
chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings
of Persia." (Daniel 10:13 NASB) The Watchtower said Jesus is the
"foremost angel", meaning He is the highest in rank among the angels.
However, Michael is not ‘the’ chief prince but is "one of the
chief princes." Michael is "one of", meaning there are
other angels who are chief princes (angels) along with Michael. This shows
Biblically that Jesus is not Michael because Jesus is above all the angels,
including Michael.
Jehovah’s Witnesses have been taught that Jesus
is Michael the archangel in 1 Thessalonians 4:16. Here is what Paul wrote:
"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a
shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the
trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first."
Jehovah’s Witnesses have been deceived into believing that "the voice of
the archangel" is Jesus. Simply reading this in context it is clear that
is not the case. Notice the word with used three times. If Jesus is
the archangel in this passage then Jesus is also a trumpet and God! However,
there are three things happening here at the same time. Jesus descends with
a shout, along with the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet of God. This
is all Paul is stating. The Watchtower has added their theological views
into this text and it has no warrant.
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The Jesus of the Watchtower is not the Jesus of
the Bible. Knowing the Jesus of the Bible means everything. If you have the
wrong Jesus you are wrong for all eternity. Jesus said, "unless you
believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." If you have any
comments or questions please contact us. May God bless you and guide you. |
