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The Persecuted Church

 

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The Way of Salvation

Jehovah’s Witnesses are taught that the 'born again experience, the right to be a child of God, belongs only to a elite group consisting of only 144,000 followers. Christ is their mediator only and they are the only ones going to heaven. This group is known as the anointed class who have being gathered out of all nations since Pentecost. "Only a limited number are born again. The great crowd does not need to be born again. Their life is earthly, not heavenly." (WT p.4 4/1/1988,)

We need to understand the witness is taught  all the references that Christians normally understand and the promises belonging to the believer, are not applicable to them. He is taught that these refer only to the special anointed class, the born-again ones, the 144,000 who become the mediators for the rest of the earthly class. Titles used for the 144,000 are spiritual Israelites 'the Body of Christ, 'the mighty God 'God's spiritual children and heirs', ‘spirit-anointed congregation,’ 'sons' and 'spirit-begotten Christians'. The scripture speaks about heaven and being absent from the body is to be with the Lord or our citizenship is heaven Statements like the Christian Congregation' and 'the congregation of the first-born who have been enrolled in the heavens are all passed by. Why? When the Jehovah’s Witness reads the Watchtower literature and it refers to any of these titles or scriptures, they understand it as not addressing the average Witness, that are of the earthly class. Because they will on paradise earth. It is only the 'little flock (144,000) who go to heaven, Jesus is their mediator only, they are the Christians so to speak because they follow Jesus.

When the bible is read it is reinterpreted with this premise, so passages such as 1 Jn. 3:2, "Beloved now we are children of God," are written to this 'little flock" of 144,000 spiritual Israelites. All other Witnesses are known as the "great multitude" or "other sheep," "the earthly class" who are working to develop a special character which Jehovah will one day look at to give them approval, rewarding them by adoption into His family. The timing of this is crucial, this does not happen within their lifetime, it doesn’t happen at Armageddon either. They must prove their loyalty, by passing a test that will take place after a 1000 years from now. After their clone duplicate is made and resurrected to live in paradise earth, at the end of the millennial Kingdom: Jehovah will once again for the final time give them the opportunity to show their loyalty to him. When he releases Satan and his demons from their condition of restraint in the 'abyss'. (Revelation 20:7)... Those who stay loyal to God will be judged worthy of everlasting life ... any who rebelliously turn against God will be destroyed …( THE TRUTH THAT LEADS TO ETERNAL LIFE 1968 pp. 112-113)

The great crowd is tested as to the people's integrity, their continued faithfulness. The final test will result in Jehovah declaring them righteous.(WT 10/1 511985, p. 31)

This is why they come to your door so they can be found loyal to publishing Jehovah's Kingdom news and not be destroyed when Armageddon comes.

So we need to ask the witness how they were saved? Of course they will not answer that they are saved unless they lie. I have had only one person say they were saved, but when further pursued he had to admit that his definition was different  than the bibles. Share your testimony of how you came to know the Lord. This is something lacking in their organization that always seem to stump them.

The Bible teaches that salvation is by grace through faith, not as a result of works; but with a goal of walking in the good works for which we have been created for (Eph.2: 8-10). For the Christian, salvation is dependent upon acceptance of Christ's finished work at the cross. This is not what is taught by the Watchtower, one does good works to be created in Christ Jesus the very opposite meaning of the text. Since faith is not sufficient for the Jehovah’s Witness , one has to wonder what other works are required of those who hope to live on Paradise Earth forever?

Salvation to a JW goes like this, "Jesus Christ identified a first requirement when he said in prayer to his Father: 'This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you... Many have found the second requirement more difficult. It is to obey God's laws, yes, to conform one's life to the moral requirements set out in the Bible...A third requirement is that we be associated with God's channel, his organization...To receive everlasting life in the earthly Paradise we must identify that organization and serve God as part of it...The fourth requirement is connected with loyalty. God requires that prospective subjects of his kingdom support his government by loyally advocating his kingdom rule to others..." (four requirements for salvation taught by the Watchtower magazine p.12, Feb. 15, 1983,.)

4 requirements are 1)Prayer- taking in knowledge, 2) obey Gods laws, 3) join Gods only organization. 4) be loyal by advocating his kingdom rule to others.

1)Prayer taking in knowledge, How does a J.W’s dedicate themselves to Gods service.You should approach God in Jesus name and tell him in prayer that you want to be his servant that you want to belong to him. In this way you dedicate Yourself to God. This is a personal Private matter. No one else can do it for you. After you have made Your dedication to God he will expect you to live up to it. So prove that You are a person of your word by sticking to this decision, or dedication as long as you live. (YOU CAN LIVE FOREVER IN PARADISE ON EARTH, 1982, p. 251)

Notice first the personal emphasis on you; your prayer; and then prove your dedication. The Christian on the other hand responds to the voice of Christ, who personally comes to him through the Scripture and the Spirit. "Behold I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door. I will come in to him, and will dine with him and he with me (Rev. 3:20). The Witness makes the decision that he wants to belong to God, (which is through the organization) there is no invitation, no spiritual birth, no born again experience.

The Christian's prayer is not only in the name of Jesus but it a response to his voice in the Scriptures to repent and believe on him, it is also Jesus that one calls upon in prayer. Romans 10:13 says, "Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.' Paul is quoting Joel 2:32 and applying it to Jesus "for whoever shall call on the name of the LORD, Yahweh shall be saved." Paul applies the name Lord to the person of Christ. Jews always called on God to be saved and delivered. Paul as a Jew called Christ Lord not only as a theologian, but also as a worshipper of God. By this Paul presents Jesus as THE GOD of the Old Testament. Acts 4:12, speaking of Jesus, 'There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved." The Witness' prayer may be in Jesus name, but it is not to Jesus Himself, since they consider him an angel and prayers are only to God. God gave him a name which everyone except a Jehovah's Witness can be saved by!

The Christian receives salvation and becomes one Of God's children. But as many as received Him, to them he gave the right (power) to become children of God to those who believe on his name (John 1:12) Who do we receive? Jesus and his work for us, only those who do so will have the authority of God to be children. Contrary to this biblical truth, the Witness receives the opportunity to obey and serve with the possibility that he may get saved later. The Christian receives the absolute assurance of eternal life. 1 John 5:13 "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life."

They also have a baptismal question: "(1) On the basis of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, have you repented of your sins and dedicated yourself to Jehovah to do his will? (2) Do you understand that your dedication and baptism identify you as one of Jehovah's Witnesses in association with God's spirit-directed organization?"( WT, p. 30, 6/1/1985)

When an evangelical Christian says to a J W at his door salvation is by grace through faith their understanding is to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. This really means they are all under the gun with fear and guilt trembling to get it, not the biblical meaning of bringing to completion what you have already received. They teach if you have no works then you can’t be saved, so one must go door to door to be found faithful. "God has arranged for the 'good news of the kingdom' to be proclaimed so that each individual will have opportunity to work out his own salvation." (WT 2/1/1985, p. 5)

The society teaches for their slaves to have accurate knowledge of the scriptures to gain salvation. But where do they get this knowledge? From the Watchtower magazine of course." "It should be expected that the Lord would have a means of communicating to his people on the earth, and he has clearly shown that the magazine called The Watchtower is used for that purpose." (1939 Yearbook Of Jehovah's Witnesses, P 85) And I thought It was the Bible! The Bible tells us how we are drawn to God. In John 6:44 Jesus says "No one can come to me unless the Father draws him ... John 16:8 tells us He does this through the Holy Spirit who convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment, and in verse 13--'He will guide you into all the truth which is found in the word, not the Watchtower.

The Watchtower Society contradicts the Bible and have taught, 'The answer is that the drawing cannot be done through the Holy Spirit; for the world has not yet received that Spirit.'(WT p.84 3/15/1913) He does not impart his holy spirit and an understanding and appreciation of his Word apart from his visible organization." (WT 7/1/1965, p. 391)

They have said the shape of a persons brain determines" whether he can be drawn to God They go on to say: Some have a strong desire to worship God, others have a weak desire, and others have no desire at all 'This difference is due to the shape of the brain. ( WT p.84 3/15/1913) I’m going to try and refrain from making a comment about the shape of peoples brains and how much brain some may or may not use.

The Watchtower declared that some with superior brains will come to God, while others with inferior brains will not.( ibid.) This was such an important issue that the Society's first president, Charles Taze Russell, had his own skull shape examined for determining his moral character. The Superior Court record concerning Russell's divorce from wife Maria: He repeatedly states The proper 'brain and head' shape was supported by the 'science' of Phrenology, of which Russell was a great believer: ' 1 am not self-conceited, no as far as 1 am aware; on the contrary, two phrenologists who have examined my head have told me that 1 am deficient in self-esteem.' (Russell Vs. Russell 1906 divorce trial, testimony by Charles Russell, p. 223) so he had his head examined (the outside) and found it to be in the right shape. While Russell had the shape examined, most psychiatrists will look at how someone thinks to see if they are in their right mind

So according to Russell, brains and 'brain power' are the necessary element for ones ability to gain salvation.

This is so important that the Watchtower's views about brain capacity have even been inserted into their Bible translation in two Scriptures. In 1 John 5:20 which reads in their version: "But we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us intellectual capacity that we may gain the knowledge of the true one ".... How different is this verse in accepted Bible translations. The other reads: And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding, in order that we might know Him who is true." Of course the rest of the passage that explains the deity of Christ which is ignored as well ..."And we are in him who is true, his son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life." Also in their translation of Jn.17:3 "This means everlasting life , their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God and of the one whom you have sent forth Jesus Christ." The actual text reads and this eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." It is not just taking in knowledge. It couples them both together, we are to know both the father and the Son as God. The Scriptures say we can know God not just gain head knowledge' about Him. There is a big difference. One stops short of a real personal relationship that is the main purpose Jesus came, to restore what has been breached. This is why J.W’s study intently the Watchtower magazine because this knowledge is supposedly given through the anointed men sitting in the ivory tower at Watchtower headquarters in Brooklyn N.Y. Which is the place where Christ came in invisibly in 1874 and then 40 years later in 1914 came to inspect Watchtower headquarters publications.

Jesus said to the people in Jn.5:39-40 " You search the scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life and these are they which testify of me. But you are not willing to come to ME that you may have life."

The Watchtower said God draws people by the shape and power of their brains, but the Bible says we can know Him, by being drawn by the Holy Spirit not by something we have. It is by being convicted of sin through the Holy Spirit and accepting Jesus as our Savior and LORD. As a child knows his daddy we can know God, no child calls their daddy by his first name, but simply dad showing they are in a family relationship accepted as his child.

2) Obey the laws For the Jehovah's Witness, This means all the laws of the organization "It is necessary that belief be demonstrated by works.1. Does this mean that everlasting life is earned? No, the Society says. 'Life cannot be earned by imperfect humans but is the free gift through faith in Jesus Christ.( COMMENTARY ON THE LETTER OF JAMES 1979 p. 27) Sounds right doesn't it? Too bad what they say is not what they mean, as it hardly ever is.

The Watchtower Society gives the impression that they are a 'Christian' organization. But they don’t have any Christian distinctive, they will readily admit they are not following Christ but Jehovah, so there is nothing Christian about them. While they profit, numerically and financially by their works-oriented doctrine through their slaves, they must maintain the facade of salvation by grace. In order to do this ' they play word games, and use the biblical vocabulary like 'free gift' from Eph.2:8. But by further examination we find that what the Society says is not what we as Christians mean when using the same words. Its not the words themselves that are vague but the meaning poured into them by those who have been taught the Watchtower Publications message. They are not in agreement with the Scripture on this main issue.

"free gift" means to them that Christ's death only wiped away the sin inherited from Adam (only). They teach that without this work of atonement men could not work their way toward salvation. In other words, without Christ's sacrifice the individual wouldn't have a chance to get saved. But in view of His work the free gift which removed the sin inherited from Adam, the individual now has a chance. "Working hard for the reward of eternal life. (WT 8/15/1972 p.491) Instead of the bibles teaching of working because one has already received the free gift of eternal life. This has been there position since the "When Uranus and Jupiter meet in the humane sign of Aquarius in 1914, the long-promised era will have made a fair start in the work of setting man free to work out his own salvation," … (Watchtower, pp.130-131, May 1, 1903, p.3184 Reprints)

3) Join Gods only organization A third requirement is that they be associated with Gods channel, his organization .. to receive everlasting life in the earthly Paradise we must identify that organization and serve God as part of it.

The Jehovah Witnesses deny the cross and Christ as the head of the Church and exalt their Organization in its place they say. "Respond to the directions of the organization as you would the voice of God. (WT 6/15/1957, p. 370) This is a perfect example of how a cult operates..

Witnesses must believe there is no hope outside the Watchtower organization: "come to Jehovah's organization for salvation . . ." (WT 1/15/1981, p. 21)

The Bible is an organizational book.... For this reason the Bible cannot be properly understood without Jehovah's visible organization in mind."(WT 10/1/1967, p. 587) So, "recognition of that governing body and its place in God's theocratic arrangement of things is necessary for submission to the headship of God's Son." (WT 12/15/1972, p. 755)

The Society is the perfect example of another mediator between God and man. All cults replace Christ with a leader, a prophet, an apostle or other literature. This gives us insight into the mindset of the Organization and the people who are in it.

4) be loyal by advocating his kingdom rule to others. The final demand "is connected with loyalty." It insures that Witnesses sell Watchtower publications and keep the membership growing. A publisher is one who goes door to door faithfully proclaiming the gospel of JW’s paradise on earth. To "receive everlasting life in the earthly Paradise we must identify that organization and serve God as part of it." (WT 2/15/1983, p. 12)

It is so serious that their eternal life depends on it. They toil long after everyone else goes home to rest. This is because one must accept more than just the kingdom message to be saved. Jehovah's Witnesses participate in their door-to-door evangelism out of guilt and fear. Guilt that they may not be doing enough for Jehovah God, fear that they are not doing enough for Jehovah God and not receive the reward of eternal life.

"God requires that prospective subjects of his kingdom support his government by loyalty, advocating his Kingdom rule to others." (WT Feb.15 1983 pp.12-12). Faithfulness to the Watchtower Organization, and harmony with its teachings and requirements are necessary for the Jehovah's Witness, if he hopes to achieve everlasting life.

This leaves out many J.W’s to inherit Paradise earth considering them unfaithful in Jehovah’s work. So not only is heaven exclusive to 144,000 but paradise on earth is just as difficult to enter.

In Watchtower publications we see the doctrine of Salvation, the possibility that you might be permitted to live on Paradise Earth forever.  Its by obedience to the organization, never by grace.

Does "accepting the gracious provision" simply mean faith in God? Is having faith on what Christ has done sufficient? NO , the society absolutely declares, "However more than faith is needed." (YOU CAN LIVE FOREVER IN PARADISE ON EARTH,, 1982, p. 250)

Why? What is lacking? "There must also be works to demonstrate what your true feelings are about Jehovah."( Ibid.) What part do the works play? "Such works will show that you are choosing life. (Loc. cit., p. 251 )They give only lip service to salvation through faith in Christ, Witnesses believe that salvation is impossible apart from full obedience to the Watchtower Society and participation in its prescribed works program.

Lk.2:29 Simeon said Lord I have seen your salvation, it was the person of Christ, but his birth is not enough, it was to be at the cross that salvation would be acquired for all, by his death.

A false understanding of Jesus will always lead to a false understanding of what He has accomplished. Catholics have Mary as Co-redemptrix, the JW’s have the 144,000. Remember the Watchtower denies the deity of Christ, and calls Jesus a created being. 'If Jesus is not God but merely a creature, then salvation would is purchased by a creature, rather than by God alone." Such a means of reconciliation could never bring us all the way back to God. The bible clearly says God is the savoir, there is no other. If he was only a man his sacrifice could only have finite value, and would not be able to save today. His death would only be applied to those living at his time much like the animal sacrifices. The Bible states he died for all our sins past, present and future. A mediator is a go between for two parties that need reconciliation, since one party is of the order of eternity, the other the order of humanity, he must exist as both for there to be any reconciliation. As the mediator he must be able to perfectly represent each side. As God the Son his death had infinite value and his priesthood is an eternal one because the one who died for sin was an eternal being. If he is only a man how can he pray and intercede for everyone Only God can distribute the benefits and hear all the prayers of his people. As evidenced in the Watchtower's theology the false view of who Jesus is not only leaves out salvation for the here and now, but leaves man dependent upon his own righteousness.

So there really is No Need for the grace of Jesus.

 

Who are They?

      Tacking in the wind

     No Christmas for A J.W 

Is the Light getting Brighter? Is Jesus Michael the Archangel   Lying to the Public 
Watchtower and Believers   Shepherd of the Sheep    Who is Your mediator
Forbidding Blood Transfusions   Blood Transfusions   The Jesus of the Watchtower
Mighty or Almighty God ?      If he is NOT God then ?  Jehovah's Name is ? 
What did the apostles preach   Singing the Song of the Lamb    Secret Coming of Jesus
Communication with a dead Pastor   Angelic Direction for the Society    A Lie for a Lie
  Jehovah Witness Children    Denying the Creation Account    The 144,000
Flesh and Blood cannot Inherit the Kingdom      What does and does not happen to you when you join
The Watchtower and Pagan Pyramids     The many Gods of Jehovah Witnesses
Watchtower proclaims themselves as false prophets Answering the knock at your door  Brains for salvation 
Whose testimony do you have? Resurrection or recreation? The Way of Salvation
And the Word was what? Scholars on Jn.1:1 The next time the Jehovah Witness say 

 

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