20 Answers to "20 Questions Jehovah's Witnesses Cannot Answer"

#9 Why don't Jehovah's Witnesses go door to door talking about Jesus instead of Jehovah?

2008-03-29T17:27:00.000-07:00

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Let's turn that question around and ask: Why don't "christians" of any denomination go door-to-door talking about Jesus? Or more specifically, Does the author of the 20 questions go door-to-door preaching Christ?

I doubt it. If he does he is an exception.

Another question thinking people might ask is this: Who did Christ preach about when he was on the earth? The answer, of course, is that Jesus preached about Jehovah, his Father. Isn't it reasonable that those who try to follow Christ's footsteps will also do the same?

The fact of the matter is, though, Jehovah's Witnesses do preach about Jesus. The sub-heading of the Watchtower carries the caption: Announcing Jehovah's Kingdom Who is the king of Jehovah's kingdom? Jesus, of course. The Watchtower publishes numerous articles about the life, ministry and kingdom of Christ. Here is a link to the Watchtower's website with articles about Jesus.

Watchtower.org

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#8 CAN YOU FIND JUST ONE SCRIPTURE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT THAT SAYS YOU SHOULD TELL EVERYBODY THAT GOD’S NAME IS JEHOVAH?

2007-06-30T06:53:00.000-07:00

There is no reason to confine the answer to the New Testament, other than the fact that the questioner wishes to restrict Jehovah’s Witnesses from using the entire Bible to present an answer. But even confining the answer to the Greek Scriptures, the 19th chapter of Revelation uses the expression “Hallelujah.” That expression literally means “Praise Jah.”

Jah is the shortened form of the name Jehovah and it appears dozen of times in the Hebrew Scriptures, especially in the Psalms. (See Wikipedia) So even though Bible translators have gone to great lengths to sanitize their versions of the Bible of all traces of God’s personal name, they have not been entirely successful.

Reasoning on the 19th chapter of Revelation, given the fact that God’s worshippers on earth will be given the rousing exhortation to “Praise Jah” it means that they are familiar with the name of God prior to that event. Undoubtedly, Jehovah's Witnesses will be the ones who respond to the angelic exhortaion to "praise Jah" when he exectues judgment upon Babylon the Great.

Question #7: CAN YOU GIVE JUST ONE SCRIPTURE WHERE JESUS SPECIFICALLY TOLD HIS DISCIPLES TO TELL EVERYONE ABOUT THE NAME OF JEHOVAH?

2007-06-25T06:01:00.000-07:00

Of course, the answer is no. But, as with some of the author’s other questions, this question seems intended to primarily prevent Jehovah’s Witnesses from reasoning upon the Scriptures. After all, if a person really wanted to know the truth, why would they phrase questions in such a way that required the answerer to simply cite a verse or two from what Jesus spoke? Persons who are genuinely interested in knowing the truth will be willing to reason upon the Scriptures as a whole.

The truth is, there has been a sustained effort over many centuries by enemies of the truth, both human and superhuman, to conceal the name of God from mankind. It began before the time of Christ, when a Jewish superstition developed that the name of God was too holy to be pronounced. For instance in the 23rd chapter of Jeremiah Jehovah stated: “They are thinking of making my people forget my name by means of their dreams that they keep relating each one to the other, just as their fathers forgot my name by means of Baal.”

Some years after Christ the custom was renewed and the Christian Greek Scriptures were purged of any mention of YHWH. And of course, the vast majority of Bible translations today have followed the satanic practice of not publishing the personal name of the Creator. This was done in order to better promote the outrageous lie that Jesus is God.

But how likely is it that Jesus and his apostles followed the superstitious customs of the Jewish clergy?

Here’s a question for thinking persons: When Jesus read from the Scriptures or quoted verses where the name of God appeared in the Hebrew text, would Christ have refrained from speaking the personal name of his heavenly Father? That is not likely. Especially in view of the fact that Jesus once said in prayer to God: “I have made your name manifest to the men you gave me out of the world.”
And Jesus frequently cited texts in the Hebrew Scriptures where the divine name appeared. For instance, on the occasion when he was tempted by the Devil three times each time that Jesus responded by saying “it is written,” he then went on to quote a verse that contained the personal name of God.

On another occasion in a Jewish synagogue Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah where it said “The spirit of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah is upon me, for the reason that Jehovah has anointed me to tell good news to the meek ones…to proclaim the year of goodwill on the part of Jehovah.” Jesus read from this prophecy – obviously applying it to himself – at the very start of his earthly ministry.

So, on that occasion Jesus indicated that the good news he was assigned to preach was from Jehovah. He was anointed for the express purpose of declaring the “year of goodwill on the part of Jehovah.” So, if Jesus’ disciples follow in the steps of their Master they too will also preach the good news as emanating from Jehovah.

Is there any evidence that the first century disciples followed Jesus’ example in preaching the name of Jehovah? Yes, there is. Again, though, keeping in mind that the name of God was long ago sanitized from the Greek Scriptures, in the 15th chapter of Acts James quoted from the 9th chapter of the prophecy of Amos, saying: “‘After these things I shall return and rebuild the booth of David that is fallen down; and I shall rebuild its ruins and erect it again, in order that those who remain of the men may earnestly seek Jehovah, together with people of all the nations, people who are called by my name, says Jehovah, who is doing these things, known from of old.’”

Taking into account most translations have substituted Lord for YHWH, the text indicates that the apostles did indeed preach the name of Jehovah – as did Christ. Those able to reason on the Scriptures must concluded that Jesus was not “known from of old” in the first century. Jesus was a relative new-comer to the Jews. Jehovah, however, was known from of old and even though the Jews may not have consented to speak his name they at least were familiar with it and knew Jehovah as the historical God of Israel.

Also, the apostle Paul indicated that Christianity will ultimately accomplish God’s purpose toward it when all anointed persons will no longer teach each other to “know Jehovah,” because they will all know him. In making that statement Paul was quoting from the 31st chapter of Jeremiah. And in that Hebrew text the YHWH definitely appears.

Again, this indicates that the original Christians did indeed know and preach about Jehovah.

QUESTION #6: IF CHRIST RETURNED IN 1914 WHY DIDN’T “EVERY EYE” SEE HIM?

2007-06-21T10:20:00.000-07:00

The verse in question says in full: “Look! He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, and those who pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in grief because of him. Yes, Amen.” – Revelation 1:7

Jehovah’s Witnesses explain that by saying that even though Christ’s presence began in 1914, his manifestation to the world does not take place until during the great tribulation. Even at that, though, every eye will not literally see Jesus. As the Scripture in question says, “those who pierced him” will see him also. Obviously, the Roman soldiers who pierced Jesus’ side with a spear as he hung upon the stake will not be on hand to see Jesus return. So, it is apparent that the verse is speaking symbolically.

As for the 1914 doctrine of the parousia of Christ I have written considerably on that topic on e-watchman.com

QUESTION #5: GIVE JUST ONE SCRIPTURE WHERE IT SPECIFICALLY SAYS THAT IN THE LAST DAYS, YOU SHOULD LOOK TO AN ORGANIZATION FOR THE TRUTH.

2007-06-07T06:21:00.000-07:00

Coming from a person that professes to believe in the trinity this sort of question is truly laughable. To demonstrate that, Jehovah’s Witnesses should rightly turn the question back to the questioner and ask them to provide one verse that specifically says that God is a trinity, or even one verse where Jesus specifically said he was God. Of course, there are none.

However, although the questioner wishes to reduce the task of reasoning on the Scriptures to a simpleton’s exercise of quoting isolated verses from the Bible, every serious Bible student knows that the truth is not derived by that method. Wise king Solomon advised us to search for wisdom as for buried treasure. We don’t find diamonds and rubies paying around on the ground. Likewise, no one can comprehend the truth unless they are willing to expend the effort to honestly reason upon the Scriptures. That involves more than offering up a single verse that is supposed to encompass the truth.

Consider the method of the Apostle Paul as recorded in the 17th chapter of Acts, where we read: “So according to Paul’s custom he went inside to them, and for three sabbaths he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving by references that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying: ‘This is the Christ, this Jesus whom I am publishing to you.’”

As stated in the book of Acts, Paul reasoned from the Scriptures and used biblical references to prove that Jesus was the foretold Messiah. However, if the Jews had asked Paul to provide one verse from the Hebrew Bible that specifically says Jesus is the Christ, Paul could not have done so. That’s because there is not one verse in the entire Hebrew Bible that specifically says Jesus is the Christ. No, Paul proved Jesus was the Messiah by reasoning with the Jews from the Scriptures. That proves the fallacy of this type of question. Phrasing a question in such a way and demanding that it be answered with one verse that uses the same phrase as the question does not promote reasoning but is a method of deception.

No, there is no verse that says “in the last days you should look to an organization for the truth.” In fact, the word “organization” does not appear in the Bible. But is that the end of it? No, not at all. The simple truth is: Christ has a congregation over which he is Lord and King. Furthermore, his people are not scattered among the thousands of diverse sects of Christendom. Jesus, in fact, hates sectarianism. The purpose of the congregation is to serve as a holding pen for Christ’s sheep.

Although not referred to as an organization in modern translations the New Testament uses the Greek word “adelphos,” which means a family of brothers, a brotherhood, or as the New World Translation words it: “association of brothers.” What is an association of brothers if not an organization? For example, the primary dictionary definition of “association” is “an organization of people with a common purpose and having a formal structure.”

Did first century Christianity have a common purpose and a formal structure? Absolutely. No reasonable person can deny that. Although most translations do not use the phrase “association of brothers” to translate “adelphos,” preferring instead to use “brotherhood,” a dictionary definition of “brotherhood” also relates to a fraternal organization.

Having established that true Christianity is a unified organization the only question is whether Christ's organization exists in the last days. According to Paul it does. Consider Hebrews 10:24-25, which says: “And let us consider one another to incite to love and fine works, not forsaking the gathering of ourselves together, as some have the custom, but encouraging one another, and all the more so as you behold the day drawing near.”

Reasoning on the verses above, it should be evident that the command to gather together indicates that there is only one organization that Christ recognizes as belonging to himself. Paul’s exhortation to encourage one another “and all the more so as you behold the day drawing near” is in reference to the day of Jehovah. In other words – the last days.

So, we have it on the authority of the apostle that there will be an association of true Christians on hand to behold the day of Jehovah as it draws near.

Reasoning on the Scriptures further, at 1 Timothy 3:15 Paul said that God’s household functions as “a pillar and support of the truth.” So, if Christians are expected to gather together into a brotherhood that is described as “a pillar and support of the truth,” and that brotherhood is in existence as the end draws near, then it should be obvious, at least to sensible persons, that in the last days there will be an organization that God will provide for truth seekers.

Of course, there are many other lines of reasoning we could take but this should suffice in order to demonstrate that Jehovah's Witnesses can easily answer this question.

Question #4: WHY DOES THE WATCHTOWER SOCIETY SAY THAT THE GREAT CROWD WILL LIVE ON EARTH, WHEN REVELATION 19:1 SAYS THAT THE GREAT CROWD IS IN HEAVEN?

2007-06-04T14:08:00.000-07:00

Here is what Revelation 19:1 says: “After these things I heard what was as a loud voice of a great crowd in heaven. They said: “Praise Jah, you people! The salvation and the glory and the power belong to our God, because his judgments are true and righteous. For he has executed judgment upon the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and he has avenged the blood of his slaves at her hand.” And right away for the second time they said: “Praise Jah, you people! And the smoke from her goes on ascending forever and ever.”

Although Jehovah’s Witnesses refer to “the great crowd” the Bible does not use the definite article before “great crowd” either in the 7th chapter of Revelation or in the verse above. It uses the indefinite article – “a great crowd.” That means that there is not a specific great crowd. Depending on the context it may be a great crowd of angels in heaven or a great crowd of people on earth.

In the case of Revelation 19:1, as well as Revelation 19:6, that great crowd is obviously in heaven. However, a careful reading of the passages in question ought to make it plain that that great crowd is different than the great crowd that comes out of the great tribulation. How so? Because the great crowd in the 19th chapter are exhorting people to praise Jah. People are not angels. People are human. The fact that the great crowd are said to be in heaven yet speaking to Jehovah's people on earth indicates that they are a great crowd of angels. After all, before Jehovah created people he bore the title of Jehovah of armies. The reason being he is the commander of an army of spirit creatures – a great crowd of angels indeed!

The point at which the angelic crowd say “praise Jah you people” is immediately following the destruction of the infamous harlot of Babylon, which occurs as a prelude to the marriage of the Lamb. The fact that the context refers to the Lamb’s bride as well as a people who praise Jah harmonizes with what is conveyed in the 7th chapter concerning two separate groups composed of the 144,000 and a great crowd. In the case of the great crowd that comes out of the great tribulation they are said to be thanking God and Christ for their salvation. Since the 19th chapter of Revelation indicates that there is a group of people on earth that will praise Jehovah as the source of salvation they must be the same as the great crowd previously mentioned that attribute their salvation to God.

It is noteworthy that the great crowd in the 19th chapter does not attribute their salvation to God. That’s because angels do not need to be saved from sin and death.

So, the answer to the question is that there are two great crowds. There is a great crowd of angels in heaven that praise Jehovah and there will be a great crowd of people on earth that will respond to the angelic exhortation to praise Jah.

QUESTION #3: SO DO JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES TEACH A LIE THAT THE GREAT CROWD WILL LIVE ON THE EARTH?

2007-06-04T04:57:00.000-07:00

This seems like a wasted question. The answer is no. Jehovah’s Witnesses teach the truth as regards the great crowd being the earthly survivors of the great tribulation. The fact is, the Bible teaches that the meek will inherit the earth. Even if God intended the great crowd of the 7th chapter of Revelation to symbolize a heavenly group we are still left with the fact that the Scriptures clearly teach that God is going to destroy the present system of things and replace it with a new system – otherwise known as a new earth. The new earth is not a new planet but pertains to a new society of righteous persons who will take over the earth after God destroys the wicked. Whether a person chooses to call them the great crowd or the new world society or some other name does not matter. What does matter is the truth and the truth is, that, God’s purpose encompasses the salvation of both a heavenly and an earthly group.

Question # 2…WHERE SPECIFICALLY DOES IT SAY THE GREAT CROWD WILL LIVE ON EARTH?

2007-05-29T08:03:00.000-07:00

The book of Revelation is the last book of the Bible for a good reason. It draws upon a wealth of symbolisms from the entire body of established truth contained in the whole Bible. It is a fool’s game to build an entire doctrine from one verse in the Bible, particularly from a book of symbolisms such as Revelation. No serious Bible student will allow themselves to be tricked by a one verse methodology of Bible interpretation.

Whereas, the span of verses in Revelation does not explicitly say that the great crowd are upon the earth, neither does it say they are in heaven. Instead we are presented with a number of symbols such as God’s temple, throne and tent. Discerning the meaning of the symbolism employed is the task at hand.

However, before we can hope to discern the sacred secrets of Revelation it is vital to have a solid grasp of the fundamental teachings of the Bible. One of the most basic teachings of truth is that it is God’s purpose to establish a heavenly kingdom that will rule over the earth.

There are many places in the Scriptures that reveal vital details regarding Jehovah God’s purpose to create a new global society composed entirely of his worshippers. Perhaps the simplest and most straightforward passage is the statement Jesus uttered in the so-called beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount: “Happy are the mild-tempered ones, since they will inherit the earth.”

It would appear that Jesus was actually alluding to the 37th Psalm, which similarly says: “But the meek ones themselves will possess the earth, and they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.”

The entire 37th Psalm contrasts the reward given to the righteous with the punishment due to be meted out upon those judged as being wicked. The contrast is not heaven or hell. The wicked are simply going to be destroyed and the righteous are going to be saved and remain on the earth. It is that simple. Here are a few Psalms that convey that truth:

“For evildoers themselves will be cut off, but those hoping in Jehovah are the ones that will possess the earth.” (Verse 9)

“For Jehovah is a lover of justice, and he will not leave his loyal ones.To time indefinite they will certainly be guarded; but as for the offspring of the wicked ones, they will indeed be cut off. The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it.” (Verse 28-30)

“Hope in Jehovah and keep his way, and he will exalt you to take possession of the earth. When the wicked ones are cut off, you will see it.” (Verse 34)

It is indisputable: The Bible teaches that Jehovah’s purpose involves destroying all wicked people and leaving the meek and righteous on earth.

Jesus likened the coming great tribulation to the global Deluge of Noah’s day. The Flood, of course, wiped out an entire civilization that God had condemned. Only eight persons survived; who then became the founding family of an entirely new civilization on earth. Noah and his family were not transported to another planet. They simply survived the cutting off of an entire world of wicked persons. They came out of the Deluge unscathed – just as the great crowd is destined to “come out of the great tribulation.”

It is also God’s purpose to select a chosen few to rule with Christ over the earth. Unless a Bible student accepts these fundamental truths they have no hope of understanding the deeper things. But, if a student does grasp these essential elemental truths they are in a position to comprehend the identity of the “great crowd” spoken of in the seventh chapter of Revelation.

The seventh chapter of Revelation contrasts two groups of persons. First, we are introduced to 144,000 persons who are sealed out of the 12 tribes of “Israel.” Then, afterwards, John envisions an unnumbered, international, throng of persons from all nations, tribes and tongues who are said to be standing before God’s throne and worshipping him in his temple.

Those unfamiliar with Bible symbolisms typically jump to the unfounded conclusion that the great crowd are in heaven, since it says they are standing before God’s throne. However, that is not necessarily the case. The expression ‘standing before the throne’ simply means that the great crowd is standing before God’s judgment seat. In other words, they have received a favorable judgment from the throne.

Jesus used a similar expression when he exhorted his followers to make supplication that they may succeed in escaping the dreadful things coming upon the earth during the tribulation “and in standing before the Son of man.” Standing before the Son of man is in contrast to the wicked, of whom it is said; “That is why the wicked ones will not stand up in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of righteous ones.” Also, the prophetic book of Malachi uses a similar analogy in relation to the coming of Christ, asking: “But who will be putting up with the day of his coming, and who will be the one standing when he appears?”

Standing before the Son of man is the same thing as standing before the throne of God, since Jesus will be the one sitting upon God’s throne doing the judging, as is made clear at Matthew 25:31, which says: “When the Son of man arrives in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit down on his glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will put the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left.”

Untaught persons are inclined to believe the clergy-spun fantasy that judgment day is when everyone is taken to heaven and queued up before some awe-inspiring throne where they are either ushered through the pearly gates or cast into some subterranean inferno to gnash their teeth for eternity. However, it should be noted in the context of Jesus’ parable it does not say that the nations are gathered together in heaven. It says just the opposite. It says the Son of man “arrives in his glory” with all the angels with him. The Son of man and all the angels live in heaven. That is the place of their residence. So, if they are said to “arrive,” where do they arrive to? The arrival of the Son of man has to do with Christ coming to the earth for judgment. And just as the Psalms contrasted the wicked being cut off with the righteous inheriting the earth, Jesus’ parable says the same thing; namely, the goats are cut off everlastingly and the sheep inherit the kingdom of God, which will then have begun ruling over the earth. So, the sheep remain standing before the Son of man as he is seated “on his glorious throne.”

It is in that same sense, then, that the great crowd are said to be standing before the throne and before the Lamb.

But what about the fact that the great crowd are also said to be standing in God’s temple worshipping him night and day? The untaught tend toward the simplistic notion that the temple is some sort of heavenly edifice, where God resides.

As stated previously, the book of Revelation is located at the end of the Bible for a reason. It is expected that the would-be interpreter of Revelation has acquired a working knowledge of both the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures prior to approaching the book of the Apocalypse. With that in mind, what do the Scriptures say God’s temple is? Rather than being a physical structure, such as was built by king Solomon, the Christian temple is a spiritual organization composed of spirit anointed persons. Here is a sampling of verses that establish that fact:

“Do you not know that you people are God’s temple, and that the spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him; for the temple of God is holy, which temple you people are.” – 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

"What! Do you not know that the body of you people is the temple of the holy spirit within you, which you have from God? Also, you do not belong to yourselves, for you were bought with a price. By all means, glorify God in the body of you people.” – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

“And what agreement does God’s temple have with idols? For we are a temple of a living God; just as God said: ‘I shall reside among them and walk among [them], and I shall be their God, and they will be my people.’” – 2 Corinthians 6:16

“You have been built up upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, while Christ Jesus himself is the foundation cornerstone. In union with him the whole building, being harmoniously joined together, is growing into a holy temple for Jehovah. In union with him you, too, are being built up together into a place for God to inhabit by spirit.” – Ephesians 2:20-22

According to the writings of the apostle Paul the anointed congregation constitutes a spiritual temple – a place of divine habitation. Now, the question thinking persons should consider is this: Is God’s temple in heaven or upon the earth? Obviously, the place for God to inhabit by spirit is on the earth; at least that is the case as long as the anointed followers of Jesus are still in the flesh. Since that is the case – that God’s spiritual temple may exist on earth – why should we suppose that the great crowd who are merely said to worship God in his temple (as opposed to actually being a fixture of the temple) are necessarily in heaven’s realm?

But, it should be noted that at the coming of Christ the spiritual temple of God is taken to heaven. That comes about when Jesus gathers his chosen ones to himself. So, how is it possible for an earth-bound great crowd of persons to worship God by means of a spiritual temple if that temple arrangement is eventually relocated to heaven? The answer is the finished temple symbolically comes down to earth. That profound truth is conveyed in numerous places in Revelation. One instance is found at Revelation 3:12-13, which reads: “The one that conquers—I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will by no means go out from it anymore, and I will write upon him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which descends out of heaven from my God, and that new name of mine.”

Let the reader take note of the fact that the one who conquers does not merely worship God in a temple – they actually become symbolic fixtures of the temple itself. Whereas the great crowd merely comes into the temple, the anointed conquerors are the temple. And, as the above quoted verse indicates the temple and the holy city of God come down out of heaven. That means that the temple arrangement, and the governmental kingdom of God in the form of New Jerusalem, then become the center of an entirely new form of worship upon the earth; through which God receives the worship of all of mankind.

That is evident, too, from the expression found at Revelation 7:15b that says that God will spread his tent over the great crowd and wipe every tear from their eyes. That exact same expression is also found at Revelation 21:4. Significantly, Revelation 21:4 leaves no doubt that those over whom God spreads his protective tent are humans dwelling upon the earth. That verse reads: “I saw also the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: ‘Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them. And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.’”

Reasoning on the passage above, it is indisputable that God’s protective tent is spread over mankind upon the earth. God will be with them, as he originally was with Adam and Eve in the Garden; where we read in Genesis that Jehovah used to stroll about in Eden towards the breezy part of the day and converse with Adam. Revelation 21:4 clearly does not say that mankind goes to heaven to be with God. It says they become “his peoples” – not his angels. Instead of depicting mankind going to heaven Revelation 21:4 describes just the opposite: God’s city-like kingdom organization comes down out of heaven to the earth – meaning, simply, that the kingdom takes complete control of earth’s affairs and showers down untold blessings upon redeemed mankind. Furthermore, the heavenly realm has never been afflicted with death and anguish. That is the human condition, which God is determined to do away with; thus, wiping away the tears from their eyes.

The author of 20 Questions makes the claim that the anointed come out of the great tribulation. That is simply not true. (See essay: Will Christianity Survive the End of the World?) Coming out of the tribulation means that they survive the tribulation. Those who are chosen by God to become part of the heavenly kingdom must first die in order to receive their heavenly reward. And what is more, the saints who are living on earth at the outbreak of the tribulation do not come out of it alive. Revelation 6:11 describes the opening of the 5th seal, which immediately precedes the opening of the 6th seal, which initiates the tribulation, and it refers to the anointed as those who are “about to be killed.”

In view of the fact that the Bible clearly teaches that it is God’s will to create a new earthly society composed of survivors of this world’s end; and the fact that God’s temple-like system of worship also comes down to earth – to mankind – it is evident that the great crowd who “come out of the great tribulation” and who worship God within the hallowed walls of his spiritual temple and over whom God spreads his symbolic royal tent, are the earthly survivors of the great tribulation.

Question #1...WHERE IS THE PLAN OF SALVATION IN THE BIBLE FOR THE GREAT CROWD?

2007-05-24T03:25:00.001-07:00

The simple answer is found in the context of the passage in Revelation that discusses the great crowd. Revelation 7:9-10 states: “After these things I saw, and, look! a great crowd, which no man was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes; and there were palm branches in their hands. And they keep on crying with a loud voice, saying: ‘Salvation we owe to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb.’”

The passage clearly states that the great crowd that is destined to survive the world-ending great tribulation will ultimately attribute their salvation to God and Jesus. The question is: who is Jesus in relation to God?

Charles Love’s answer is that God’s “plan of salvation” is belief in Jesus – period. He cites a number of New Testament passages as “proof texts” that mere belief in Jesus is all that is required. And as a Fundamentalist he believes that Jesus is God. It is a simpleton’s theology to be sure – a theology that in actuality leaves God out of the picture by substituting Christ for God.

Of course, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in Jesus. We believe that Jesus Christ gave his life as a ransom for all mankind. We believe that Jesus rose from the dead and now sits at the right hand of the Father. We believe that God appointed Jesus to become the Chief Agent of life. We believe that Jesus was the son of Jehovah.

Jehovah’s Witnesses also realize that nowhere in the Gospel did Jesus ever say that he was God; nor did he claim equality with God. On the other hand he often referred to God as his Father and himself as the son. No rational person believes that fathers and sons are equal. Neither Jesus nor his apostles ever spoke in terms of a trinity. In reality, triads of gods existed in the demon-inspired religions of Babylon and Egypt long before Christianity. And the evidence is there for anyone who wishes to accept it that the trinity was adopted from paganism by the Catholic Church and modified so as to encompass the Father, the Son and the holy spirit.

Charles Love goes on to say of Jehovah’s Witnesses: “They feel that there is this God named Jehovah that is so consumed with himself that all he wants “His people” to do is go door to door to tell people that God’s name is Jehovah. The problem with this doctrine is it is not found in the New Testament.”

In his ignorance the author blasphemously insinuates that Jehovah is egotistical, being “so consumed with himself” that he would want people to know his name. Of course, anyone who has ever read the Hebrew Scriptures knows that Jehovah does indeed jealously guard the honor of his name. For example, during the Exodus Jehovah told the haughty Pharaoh that the only reason God had not destroyed Pharaoh was because it was God’s intention to “have my name declared in all the earth.” Elsewhere in the prophets Jehovah reiterates his purpose to force the nations to come to know that he is Jehovah during “the final part of the days.” So, far from being an irrelevant curiosity of Bible lore, the name of God is sacred to the Possessor of the name – a fact that religionists will soon have to accept.

But Love uses an old technique of asking a question and then slyly limiting the person from using the whole Bible to answer it. Actually, the original question posed above merely asked ‘where in the Bible,’ but further in his comments he restricts Jehovah’s Witnesses to answering from the New Testament only, saying that “this doctrine is not found in the New Testament.”

Thinking persons realize, of course, that the original Christians did not have a New Testament – not at first. The collection of apostolic letters and the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life took decades to produce and compile. Jesus and the apostles, however, liberally quoted from the so-called Old Testament. In fact, Jesus and the New Testament writers quoted from the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) over 360 times and alluded to it about an equal number of times. Christ and the early Christians certainly did not avoid quoting from the Hebrew Scriptures. It was all they had!

One of the most outrageous criticisms leveled against Jehovah’s Witnesses is that we have our own Bible; one that has been altered from the original. The truth of the matter is Trinitarians are the ones that have their own Bible – one that has been altered from the original language texts. That is no more plainly evidenced then in the fact that the Bible versions most preferred by Trinitarians have been sanitized of all traces of the distinctive personal name of God – the anglicized form of the Hebrew name being Jehovah.

The removal of the name of God from the Bible has served to confuse Jehovah and Jesus in the minds of millions of people, which, of course, suits the Devil's purpose.

Take the 2nd chapter of Acts, for example. At Acts 2:17-21 the apostle Peter was directly quoting from the 2nd chapter of Joel when he said: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (NIV) However, in the Hebrew text Peter quoted from it did not use the term translated as “Lord.” No, in the original language Joel 2:32 uses the four consonants YHWH, which is universally recognized by Bible scholars as the unique personal name of God. Was Peter implying that Jesus was Jehovah? Of course not. How do we know? Because Jesus himself also called upon the name of Jehovah for his own salvation.

At Luke 24:44 Jesus spoke to his disciples after his resurrection and said to them: “These are my words which I spoke to you while I was yet with you, that all the things written in the law of Moses and in the Prophets and Psalms about me must be fulfilled.”

One of the things written in the Psalms about Christ is that he would call upon the name of Jehovah. The entire 22nd Psalm, which, for the unacquainted was written nearly 1,000 years before Jesus came to the earth, is a prophetic first-hand account of the ordeal Christ experienced during his execution. Several of the expressions that are attributed to Jesus in the Gospel accounts are in fulfillment of the 22nd Psalm. For example, right before Jesus expired he cried out “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” In doing so Jesus was directly quoting from the opening verse of the 22nd Psalm. Psalms 22:18 also foretold that they would cast lots over his garments, which the Roman soldiers actually did. And then the following verses are also attributed to Christ: “But you, O Jehovah, O do not keep far off. O you my strength, do make haste to my assistance. Do deliver from the sword my soul, my only one from the very paw of the dog; save me from the mouth of the lion, and from the horns of wild bulls you must answer and save me. I will declare your name to my brothers; in the middle of the congregation I shall praise you.”

From Christ’s perspective hanging on the torture stake it was as if he was surrounded my snarling dogs, wild bulls and devouring lions. And in his plight he looked to Jehovah for salvation. And Jehovah did in fact save him by resurrecting Christ from the death he suffered at the hands of his persecutors, so that after Christ’s resurrection he continued to declare God’s name, the name of Jehovah, to his disciples “in the middle of the congregation.”

Trinitarians would have us believe that Jesus saved himself by resurrecting himself. How that is supposed to inspire our trust in God to resurrect us is beyond reasoning. It is nonsense.

But even the New Testament alludes to our calling upon the name of Jehovah as a prerequisite for salvation -- in addition to our accepting Jesus as Jehovah’s appointed king and representative.

Consider the account in the 15th chapter of Acts where James said: “Men, brothers, hear me. Symeon has related thoroughly how God for the first time turned his attention to the nations to take out of them a people for his name. And with this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, ‘After these things I shall return and rebuild the booth of David that is fallen down; and I shall rebuild its ruins and erect it again, in order that those who remain of the men may earnestly seek Jehovah, together with people of all the nations, people who are called by my name, says Jehovah, who is doing these things, known from of old.’”

The prophet from whom James quoted was Amos, from what we now call the 9th chapter of Amos. We may be certain that James did not use the generic term of “lord” when quoting the Hebrew text that contained the divine name. And we may be equally certain that James’ first century listeners did not confuse Jesus with Jehovah. That is evident from the fact that James said Jehovah was “known from of old.” Even though the Jewish religious establishment had promoted the superstitious practice of not pronouncing God’s name, much like the clergy of Christendom today, it was still common knowledge among the people that the God of Israel was Jehovah. Hence, that is why James said that Jehovah was “known from of old.” Jehovah was the historical God of the Jews. Jesus, on the other hand, was a new comer. Although Jesus had a pre-human existence he was unknown among God's people on earth. That is why the apostles and disciples preached about Jesus -- in order to introduce him to the world.

But when people of the nations or the Jews accepted Jesus they did not do so to the exclusion of Jehovah. They became believers, not in the deity of Christ, as Fundamentalists would have us believe, but that Jesus was the one whom Jehovah appointed as the Messiah and Savior of mankind; both the heaven-bound 144,000, as well as the earthly great crowd of tribulation survivors and the vast majority of those who have already died and who await the earthly resurrection.