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The Persecuted Church

 

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Who is Jesus according to the Watchtower?  Michael or another angel

According to the Bible there are many "sons" of God but only one begotten son of God. There is a difference of humanity being begotten the What it means about the “only begotten” as the son of God.

The Son is attributed to be co-creator with the Father in Prov.30:1-4 Agur writes, “Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son's name, if you know? Asking “what is his Sons name?” along with His name does imply them to be co creators.

God’s Son is not an angel that was created as the Jehovah Witnesses insist but was with the Father creating. God said that He is the creator by himself.

The Watchtower teaches that Jehovah, the Father only created only one thing directly, the Logos, or Jesus. It was Jesus according to the Watchtower who created "all other things" (Colossians 1:16 NWT; Insight, Vol. 1, p. 527).

"Michael the Archangel is no other than the only begotten son of God, now Jesus Christ. That Jehovah directly created only one thing, Michael the arch angel and that Michael created all other things". (United in worship p.29)

Jesus who is an angel who was the first and only thing created by Jehovah God (the father)…. this Son was actually a creature of God” (Aid to Bible Understanding p. 918)

"The Logos was the first and only direct creation of Jehovah; and thereafter God's creation was performed through his Logos. This is the thought expressed by the apostle Paul, who said Jesus "is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature; for by him were all things created, that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist." - Colossians 1:15-17. (The Harp of God, 1928, p. 99, emphasis mine)

So we have a conflict with the Bible, specifically Isaiah 44:24 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and He who formed you from the womb: "I am the LORD, who makes all things, who stretches out the heavens all alone, who spreads abroad the earth by Myself”

Rev.4:11 "you are worthy O Lord to receive glory honor and power, for you created all things and by your will they exist and were created."  Are Jehovah's Witnesses saying this is Jesus?

So immediately we seer that what the Watchtower teaches is wrong. It is God that made All things, not an angel called Michael in heaven and is Jesus on earth.

The witnesses position is that God created the Son and nothing else and the son created all other things made (Col.1:15)

The New World Translation (NWT) of the Jehovah's Witnesses, 1950 edition, translates this scripture

"For example, to which one of the angels did he ever say: You are my son; today I have become your Father? And again: I shall be a Father to him, and he shall be a son to me? But when he again brings his firstborn into the inhabited earth, he says: And let all God's angels worship him." Heb. 1:5,6, NWT

(Subsequent revisions of the NWT have changed the content of verse 6 considerably by changing worship to obeisance)

As we look at these two verses (Heb. 1:5,6) we are able to determine two things.

1. In verse 5 the scripture says:

"For to which of the angels did He ever say....?"

This verse is stated in the form of a question with an obvious implied answer, none of them! The same thing is true of Jeremiah 49:19 where God asks: "Who is like Me?" Certainly there is no one like God and so the answer was implied in the question. Not only did God not call an angel His Son, but the scripture makes it very plain that Jesus did not take on the nature of an angel.

"For verily He took not on Him the nature of angels; but He took on Him the seed of Abraham." Heb. 2:16,

What does the Bible say of Michael who is an arch angel and just one of the other chief princes. Three of the five time times Michael is mentioned is in the book of Daniel.

Dan 10:13: "But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.”

Dan 10:20-21 Then he said, "Do you know why I have come to you? And now I must return to fight with the prince of Persia; and when I have gone forth, indeed the prince of Greece will come. "But I will tell you what is noted in the Scripture of Truth. (No one upholds me against these, except Michael your prince.

Dan 12:1"At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book.

Can we draw from this that Michael incarnated on earth as Jesus? No we cannot. What about the other two times Michael is mentioned?

Rev 12:7-8 “And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.”

From Daniel we already seen him as guardian angel of the people of God- Israel. Now he is fighting with the angels under him, as the archangel.

Jude 1:9 “Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"

The Jehovah Witnesses teach that God made only one creature- Michael who is an angel made all of creation. Jesus is stronger than Satan. But here we have Satan stronger than Michael; so how can Michael be Jesus? Yet here we see that he did not have the authority over the fallen angel Satan. So how can Jesus who made him not have this authority that he defers to the Lord to rebuke the devil. The answer is obvious- he is not Jesus

Not one verse of Scripture says, "Jesus is Michael" or "Michael is Jesus"! Why isn't Jesus called Michael now since he went back to heaven as a spirit creature?

To make matters worse the Jehovah Witnesses show their ignorance by going against their own founder Charles Taze Russell.

Charles Taze Russell the founder of the movement said that God created angels to remain angels. In his book, "Studies in the Scriptures" vol. I pg. 182, said, "When God made angels he doubtless intended them to remain angels forever, and so with men, each being perfect on his own plane."So who is wrong- their founder who began the organization or the memberstoday?

In the 1917 publication “The Finished Mystery” on Rev. 9:11. [And] they [had a] HAVE THEIR king [over them]. — The same king as exercises general rulership over all the ecclesiastical affairs of this present evil world. [Which is] the angel of the [bottomless pit] ABYSS. — "The prince of the power of the air." — Eph. 2:2. Whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon. — And he is "a bad one," sure enough. — 2 Cor. 4:4. But in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. — That is, Destroyer. But in plain English his name is Satan, the Devil. As a means for preventing people from seeing the Truth, Methodism has been as efficient as any of the five systems previously described, or any that follow. All have been sadly misled and deceived by our great and wily Adversary; "Taken captive by him at his will." — 2 Tim. 2:26.

So Russell taught Abaddon was Satan, the Devil

Not only do they confuse Jesus with Michael but the Witnesses have taught that Apollyon who is the Devil is Jesus.

Jesus is Abaddon and Apollyon:
In "United Against Nations in the Valley of Decision" "When Jesus was on earth as a man, he was a Hebrew, and now in his capacity as Jehovah's royal Executioner he is called by the Hebrew name Abad'don, which means Destruction. (Job 26:6; 28:22; 31:12; 12:23; 14:19) In the Greek in which the inspired Christian Scriptures were written his similar title is Apollyon, which means Destroyer." (Watchtower 12/1/1961, pp. 719 see pp. 717-720)

The May, 1 1992 Watchtower explains:

“This is a campaign extraordinaire, one that will be memorialized for all time. Wave upon wave of insects, most prominently locusts, devastate the land. What does that mean? Revelation 9:1-12 also speaks of a plague of locusts, sent forth by Jehovah under a “king, the angel of the abyss,” who is none other than Jesus Christ. His names Abaddon (Hebrew) and Apollyon (Greek) mean “destruction” and “Destroyer.” These locusts picture the anointed remnant of Christians who, now in the Lord’s day go forth to devastate Christendom’s pastures by completely exposing false religion and proclaiming Jehovah’s vengeance upon it.

This a good example of the twisted way the Watchtower interprets Scripture.  a “king, the angel of the abyss,” who is none other than Jesus Christ. They are calling Jesus the Devil.

Also from the May 1, 1998 Watchtower where the Society states on pages 9-10: ". . .Revelation 9:7, God's people are represented by locusts. The modern-day locust army is none other than the military force of Jehovah's anointed locusts, now joined by some 5,600,000 of Jesus' 'other sheep.' (John 10:16)" turn to Revelation 9:11 and you will see that the leader of this "locust" army is "Apollyon." Strong's Greek definition of Apollyon (See number #623) is that of "a destroyer (i,e. Satan)."  So in essence, by claiming that their people are represented by the "locust army" of Revelation, the Society is admitting that their people are being led by Satan Himself!

The destroying angel or prince of the underworld (Rev. 9:11), synonymous with Abaddon and yet they have claimed him to be Jesus.

In Hebrew his name was Abaddon, and in Greek he has the name Apollyon. He is the angel of the bottomless pit that is king over the other fallen angels released to torture people in the Tribulation, those who do not have the seal of God.

ABAD'DON (a-bad'don; Gk. Abaddon, "destruction"). The angel of the bottomless pit Rev. 9:11, and corresponding to Apollyon, "destroyer." The word abaddon means destruction Job 31:12, or the place of destruction, i.e., Hades or the region of the dead Job 26:6; 28:22; Prov. 15:11. (from Unger's Bible Dictionary)

Apollyon (a Greek name for "Destroyer" Απολλυων, from απολλυειν meaning "to destroy.” The term "Apollyon" was often associated by early Christians with The Devil, and fancifully described, and is still used as an alternative name for him. (Gregory K Beale, The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text, pp.504-505, 1999, Wm. B. Eerdmans)

The Watchtower has advertised themselves as “come to the “Light Bearers” District convention (1966, 1992)

Yet in their own publication they teach Lucifer name means lightbearer.

“Amongst the mighty creatures of Jehovah God is the one called Lucifer, His name means lightbearer or morning star” (p.14 1926 Watchtower book). What kind of light are they releasing to their people?

Which angel is Jesus? None of them. Not Michael and certainly not Abaddon. Jesus is the Son with the Father before anything was created just like the Bible teaches (John 17)

The members of the Jehovah Witnesses probably have no idea what is coming out of Watchtower headquarters in NY since they are so busy going door to door and doing their kingdom work. If they would stop and think and question they might just see they are bondage to n organization that is not serving God and be set free by the real Jesus who dies for them.

 

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