Responding from a request of a young man who hasa bout of JWitis. - TopicsExpress



          

Responding from a request of a young man who hasa bout of JWitis. Im posting the first two pages as from my document. The idea is not to provide other with a whip, but rather to redirect an erroneous route. I always seek to provide something that may build. Sad experience with the so-called JWs is that no matter how patiently and gentle your approach is they will rather call off any further discussions. Here is my first delivery: Jehovah’s Witnesses? Introduction: At our workplace and almost everywhere we encounter these people who call themselves “Jehovah’s Witnesses”. It is also equally true that they often are very hard working and show exemplary character and work ethics. I have had many discussions with them over many years. My position when discussing biblical matters with them is that I would refer to and call them “Russellites” after Charles Taze Russell (1852 – 1916), the founder of this movement. Alternatively I use the expression Watchtowers. This is derived from their best-known publication; The Watchtower Announcing Jehovahs Kingdom, or simply “The Watchtower” is an illustrated religious magazine, published monthly in 212 languages by Russellites via the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. The reason for my refusal to call them “Jehovah’s Witnesses” is that in calling them that is to acknowledge their claims to be what they call themselves. The name “Jehovah’s Witnesses” is based upon a text in Isaiah 43: 10 – 12. Here God speaks through His prophet, saying: “10 ‘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 no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. 11 I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior. 12 I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses,’ declares the LORD, that I am God. (The text itself contains at least two phrases which contradict their claim which states that Jesus is “a god” who was created by God (the Father). Verse 10 states; “Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.” Therefore, the claim that Jesus was created a god is refuted. The Watch Towers also teach that God brought about salvation through Jesus Christ. This contradicts the statement above where God says; “… apart from me there is no savior.” But the purpose of this study is to determine whom God is speaking of when he says; “You are my witnesses”, in both the opening words and the closing phrase. The New Testament, being the fulfillment of the Old Testament provides us with much insight. And if it is so that the Bible is a unit and that it does not contain any contradictions, this study will provide a necessary lesson for all Christians to confirm the claim that both the Old and New Testaments together makes up God’s entire self revelation. Of whom does the Bible witness? You simply cannot be God’s witnesses if you deny the One through whom He was revealed in the flesh. Let us limit our objection to the Russellites’ claims by making use of direct statements which confirms that all Scriptures witness or testifies to Jesus Christ. The Scriptures which for that time was the Old Testament: John 1: 45 “Philip found Nathanael and told him, We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. Luke 24: 27” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” Acts10: 43 “All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. Acts 13: 27 “The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.” From the testimony above, many may say that this is not true, for we do not always find direct prophecies regarding the Son. We do, however, too often forget that Jesus Christ is also the Word of God as we read in John 1: 1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1: 2 and 3, the statement that; “2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” Instead of arguing the point made in verse 1, which states that the; “Word was God”; verses 2 and 3 confirms the text on which the Russellites base their claim to be Jehovah’s witnesses. For, if in John 1: 2, we read that, “He was with God in the beginning”, then “Isaiah 43: 10; “Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after Me.”, must include the Word. We may safely conclude that when the prophets of the Old Testament spoke the Word of God and they said; “The Word of God came to… (whomever the prophet was, including Isaiah of whom many theologians have said, was the prince of the prophets); they must have spoken of Jesus Christ, for He IS the Word of God. Therefore, when Isaiah says in the opening words of Isaiah 43: 1; “…this is what the LORD says.”; he could just as well have said; “This is what Jesus the Messiah have said…” Then the whole chapter is the words of Jesus Christ. Yes, even when He says in Isaiah 43: 10; “You are my witnesses, declares the LORD”, it is Jesus Christ who spoke. This will be confirmed when we come to Jesus’ last commands to His disciples before being taken up into heaven’ Jesus, who was sent by God the Father: John 5: 39, 40; “39You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” John 8: 54 “Jesus replied, ‘If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.’ ” John 8: 56 and 58 “56Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad. 58I tell you the truth, Jesus answered, before Abraham was born, I am! The Father who sent Jesus Christ” Jesus was baptized and driven into the desert to be tempted. Both include the Father, who spoke when Jesus was baptized, so accrediting His Son and declared Him worthy of the task that lay ahead; Matthew 3: 16, 17; “16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Mark 1: 9 – 11; and Luke 3: 21, 22; where the Father addresses His Son directly. But in John 1: 29, 32, 33, John the Baptist seems to make the following statement after Jesus returned from His temptation and triumph over Satan in the desert; “29The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”, 32 I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is He who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. ” John’s testimony is spoken in the past tense and at that moment two of John’s disciples left him and became disciples of Jesus.
Posted on: Sun, 03 Nov 2013 19:27:49 +0000

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