WATCHTOWER - APRIL 1, 2000

 

Page 4: The Bible claims to contain the truth about spiritual matters. Jesus Christ, when on earth, said to his Father in prayer: "Your word is truth." (John 17:17)

Note: Have you being listening to the "Word of God?"

John 8:31-32 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

 

Page 5: Jesus Christ devoted his entire ministry to teaching others about Jehovah, "the only true God." (John 17:3)

Note: Did you know that the Father was a "Jesus Witness?"

John 8:17-18 "It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."

 

Page 5: The Bible states: "Jehovah is great and very much to be praised, and he is to be feared more than all other gods. For all the gods of the peoples are valueless gods."

Note: The Watch Tower teaches that Jesus Christ is a valueless god.

John 1:1 In (the) beginning the Word was, and the Word was a god. NWT

Note: The Father and the Son are worshipped together in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Revelation 5:13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: "Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!"

 

Page 5: For example, self-righteous religious leaders of the first century asserted that they were, in a way, sons of God and believed that they were doing the will of God. Jesus, who could discern what was in their hearts, knew differently.

Note: God searches the hearts of mankind.

1 Chronicles 28:9 "As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever."

Romans 8:27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Rev. 2:23 I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.

 

Page 6: Instead, he invites his servants to approach him for the things they need. He is the Giver of "every good gift and every perfect present." (James 1:17) The apostle John assured fellow believers: "Whatever we ask we receive from (God), because we are observing his commandments and are doing the things that are pleasing in his eyes." - 1 John 3:22.

Note: Have you prayed to Jesus Christ?

John 14:14-15 "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, keep My commandments."

 

Page 7: In contrast, Jesus spoke of only two choices. He said: "Go in through the narrow gate; because broad and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are the ones going in through it; whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are the ones finding it." (Matthew 7:13, 14)

Note: Have you entered into eternal life through Jesus Christ?

John 10:9 "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture."

 

Page 7: Naturally, we are free to choose which path to take. But since our eternal welfare is at stake, that choice is vitally important. To achieve spiritual enlightenment, we must pursue the way of truth - the way this is found only in God's Word, the Bible.

Note: Have you found Jesus Christ?

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

 

Page 8: HE WAS lame from his mother's womb. Daily, he sat at the temple gate called Beautiful in order to ask gifts of mercy from those entering into the temple. On one occasion, however, this disabled beggar received a gift that was worth far more than a few small coins. He was healed! - Acts 3:2-8.

Note: This disabled beggar was healed in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth!

Acts 3:6 Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk."

 

Page 8: At that time, such "powerful works" were provided to show that the fledgling Christian congregation had God's backing. (Hebrews 2:4) But after having served their purpose, they would be "done away with," said the apostle Paul. (1 Corinthians 13:8) Thus, we do not now observe in the true Christian congregation any God-ordained healings, prophetic messages, or the exorcising of demons.

Correction: God still uses gifts of "powerful works" at His choosing.

Romans 11:29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

Correction: The "powerful works" will be done away with at the physical return of Jesus.

1 Corinthians 13:10-12 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

 

Page 8: One operation of God's holy spirit is to inform, to illuminate, to reveal truths. Shortly before his death, Jesus told his disciples: "I have many things yet to say to you, but you are not able to bear them at present. However, when that one arrives, the spirit of the truth, he will guide you into all the truth." - John 16:12, 13.

Correction: The main operation of the Holy Spirit is to empower people to be Jesus Witnesses.

Acts 1:8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

 

Page 8: The apostle Peter was among those present for that annual festival. Filled with holy spirit, Peter "stood up" and amplified, or clarified, certain truths about Jesus.

Note: Are you a Jesus Witness?

 

Page 8: God's holy spirit also served as a teacher and remembrancer. Jesus said: "The helper, the holy spirit, which the Father will send in my name, that one will teach you all things and bring back to your minds all the things I told you." - John 14:26.

Note: The Holy Spirit is a real person just like Jesus Christ.

John 14:16-17 "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever; the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."

 

Pages 8-9: For example, the apostles knew that during his trial, Jesus told the Roman governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate: "My kingdom is no part of this world." Yet, at the time of Jesus' ascension to heaven over 40 days later, the apostles still had the mistaken view that the Kingdom would be established here on the earth. (John 18:36; Acts 1:6)

Correction: The spiritual Kingdom of God is within you thanks to the Holy Spirit.

Luke 17:20-21 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."

Romans 14:17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

 

Page 9: Recalling Jesus' teachings enabled the apostles boldly to defend their position before kings, magistrates, and religious leaders. - Mark 13:9-11; Acts 4:5-20.

Note: Are you suffering for the name of Jesus?

Matthew 10:22 "And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved."

 

Pages 9-10: Holy spirit has likewise been working in behalf of true Christians in our day. This became evident to a small group of Bible students in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., in the latter half of the 19th century. These earnest students of the Bible yearned to know "the truth."

Correction: These cult members did not know the truth who is Jesus Christ.

John 14:7 "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."

 

Page 10: One member of this group, Charles Taze Russell, said regarding his quest for Scriptural truth: "I prayed ... that I might be enabled to rid my heart and mind of any prejudice that might stand in the way and be led of his spirit into the proper understanding." God blessed this humble prayer.

Correction: This phony Christian drew attention to the Great Pyramid of Egypt.

Wt January 1, 2000; page 9: In 1886 when C.T. Russell published a book that came to be called The Divine Plan of the Ages, this volume contained a chart linking the ages of mankind with the Great Pyramid of Egypt.

 

Page 10: Through the pages of Zion's Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence, Russell and his associates courageously denounced false religious doctrines that misrepresented God. They discerned that - contrary to popular religious opinion - the soul is mortal, that at death we go to the grave, and that Jehovah is the only true God and therefore nor part of a Trinity.

Correction: Russell forgot to read the Bible and discover that the soul lives on after death.

Revelation 6:9-10 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"

 

Page 10: As you can imagine, though, such exposing of false teachings angered the clergy of Christendom. Eager to hold on to their influential positions, many Catholic and Protestant clergymen organized campaigns aimed at discrediting Russell.

Correction: The clergy exposed the false teachings of Russell.

The Millennium began in 1874, with the Return of Christ." Studies in Scriptures, Vol. 7, P. 386

 

Page 10: These sincere Bible Students continued to take in the pure waters of truth from the Bible and proclaim them worldwide. - Revelation 22:17.

Correction: True Christians and Bible Students will proclaim Jesus Christ.

Acts 8:5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.

 

Page 10: The modern-day organization of Jehovah's Witnesses has remained sensitive to the leadings of God's holy spirit for well over a century now. As Jehovah's spirit progressively enlightens their spiritual vision, the Witnesses willingly make the needed adjustments to conform to updated understanding. - Proverbs 4:18.

Correction: The Bible warns people about the Watch Tower.

Prov 24:21 My son, fear the LORD and the king; Do not associate with those given to change;

 

Pages 10-11: Jesus identified yet another manifestation of God's holy spirit when he told his disciples: "You will receive power when the holy spirit arrives upon you, and you will be witnesses of me ... to the most distant part of the earth." (Acts 1:8) Jesus' promise to infuse his disciples with "power" and "holy spirit" in order to carry out their God-assigned work still applies today.

Note: Are you a Jesus Witness? Are you afraid of the Watch Tower elders?

Acts 4:1-2 Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

 

Page 11: As a group, Jehovah's Witnesses are well-known for their preaching activities. Indeed, Jehovah's Witnesses speak the message of truth in over 230 lands and island groups. Under every imaginable condition, including risking their lives in war-torn areas, they courageously raise their voices in support of God's Kingdom.

Correction: True Christians will preach Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,

 

Page 11: Last year, for example, well over one billion hours were devoted to preaching the good news of God's Kingdom.

Correction: The good news of the Bible is Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the good news which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you; unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,

 

Page 11: All told, 24,607,741 books, 631,162,309 magazines, and 63,495,728 brochures and booklets were placed. What a powerful testimony to God's spirit in action!

Correction: It is a testimony of the Watch Tower publishing efforts.

 

Page 11: When an individual responds favorably to the good news, conforms his life to God's standards, and expresses faith in the ransom provision, the way is opened for a clean standing with God. To such ones the apostle Paul said: "God ... put his holy spirit in you."

Note: True Christians will have the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit residing with them.

John 14:23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him."

 

Page 11: For one thing, God's inspired Word says: "The fruitage of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, (and) self-control." (Galatians 5:22, 23) Therefore, God's holy spirit is a powerful force for good, enabling one to display godly qualities.

Correction: The Watch Tower teaching that the Holy Spirit is a force is a farce.

1 Corinthians 12:11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

Note: A force can not think and give.

 

Page 11: Additionally, if you read the Bible and apply what you learn, God's spirit can help you to grow in wisdom, knowledge, insight, judgment, and thinking ability.

Correction: The Watch Tower teaching that the Holy Spirit is a force is a farce.

John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."

Note: A force can not personally teach you.

 

Page 11: Holy spirit may not remove trials or temptations; it can, however, help you to endure them. By relying on God's spirit, we can receive "power beyond what is normal" to deal with any trouble or distress. - 2 Corinthians 4:7; 1 Corinthians 10:13.

Correction: The Watch Tower teaching that the Holy Spirit is a force is a farce.

Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Note: You can not grieve a force.

 

Page 11: When you consider all the evidence, there is little doubt that God's holy spirit is operating today. Jehovah's spirit energizes his servants to bear witness about his grand purposes.

Correction: The Holy Spirit energizes true Christians to bear witness of Jesus.

John 15:26 "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me."

 

Page 11: It continues to reveal flashes of spiritual light, and it fortifies our faith, helping us to remain loyal to our Creator.

Correction: The Watch Tower teaching that the Holy Spirit is a force is a farce.

Acts 5:3-5 But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God." Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things.

Note: You can not lie to a force and God is not just a force.

 

Page 12: The transfiguration was a prophetic event. Said Jesus: "The Son of man is destined to come in the glory of his Father with his angels ... Truly I say to you that there are some of those standing here that will not taste death at all until first they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom." (Matthew 16:27, 28)

Note: God does not share His glory with anyone.

Isaiah 42:8 I am the LORD, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to carved images.

 

Page 13: One reason Jesus called it a vision was that long-dead Moses and Elijah were not literally present. Only Christ was actually there. (Matthew 17:8, 9)

Correction: The Watch Tower teaches that Jesus was talking to Himself.

Matthew 17:3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.

 

Page 14: Of utmost importance was God's proclamation: "This is my Son, the beloved, whom I have approved; listen to him." This statement focuses attention on Jesus as God's enthroned King, to whom all creation must render obedience.

Note: Have you bowed your knee to Jesus Christ?

Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Jehovah), to the glory of God the Father.

 

Page 14: The overshadowing cloud indicated that the fulfillment of this vision would be invisible. It would be discernible only with the eyes of understanding on the part of those who recognize "the sign" of Jesus' invisible presence in Kingdom power. (Matthew 24:3)

Note: The Watch Tower makes theology out of the disciples ignorant question.

Matthew 24:3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"

Correction: Jesus Christ will return visibly and physically.

Matthew 24:30 "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."

 

Page 14: The transfiguration underscores the reliability of God's prophetic word. We must pay attention to that word and not to "artfully contrived false stories" that do not have divine backing or approval.

Note: Are you getting tired of the "artfully contrived false stories" of the Watch Tower?

Watchtower December 1, 1916, page 5998. Pastor Russell believed and taught that we are living in the time of the second presence of our Lord, and that his presence dates from 1874.

 

Page 14: Peter used the word "daystar" to refer to Jesus after He received Kingdom power. At that time, Jesus rose in all the universe, including our earth! As the Messianic Daystar, he heralds the dawning of a new day, or era, for obedient mankind.

Correction: The truth of Jesus Christ is confirmed within true Christians.

2 Peter 1:19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;

 

Page 14: Many Bible translations foster the idea that the apostle Peter's words recorded at 2 Peter 1:19, refer to the physical human heart. An adult heart weighs but 9 to 11 ounces. How could Jesus Christ - now a glorious immortal spirit creature in heaven - rise in these small human organs?

Note: There is nothing spiritual about the Watch Tower.

1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Note: The Watch Tower does not have the love of God.

Romans 5:5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Note: Jehovah Witnesses are not children of God

Galatians 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!"

 

Page 14: But look carefully at 2 Peter 1:19, and you will see that the New World Translation uses commas to set off the parenthetical phrase "until day dawns and a daystar rises" from earlier words in the verse and from the expression "in your hearts."

Note: The New World Translation is a bogus translation of the Word of God.

Dr. Walter Martin: There is not a single Greek scholar in the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. I did everything I could to find out the names of the translating committee of the NWT, and the Watchtower wouldn't tell me a thing. Finally, an ex-JW who knew the committee members personally told me who they were, and the men on that committee could not read New Testament Greek; nor could they read Hebrew; nor did they have any knowledge of systematic theology - except what they had learned from the Watchtower. Christian Research Institute.

 

Page 15: If we are true Christians, however, it is as if we have a lamp shining in our hearts, which would be by paying attention to God's illuminating prophetic word that genuine Christians would keep alert and enlightened to the dawn of a new day.

Correction: True Christians will pay attention to Jesus not WT misinterpreted prophecies.

John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."

 

Page 15: Today, we are experiencing its fulfillment in such events as unprecedented wars, famines, earthquakes, and the worldwide preaching of the good news. (Matthew 24:3-14)

Note: Jehovah's Witnesses are not suffering for the name of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 24:9 "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake."

 

Page 15: Though the difficult conditions that Jesus foretold also affect us as Christians, we are able to endure with peace and joy of heart. Why? Because we pay attention to God's prophetic word and have faith in what he promises for the future.

Correction: True Christians will pay attention to Jesus not WT misinterpreted prophecies.

John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

 

Page 15: A person must humbly pay attention to God's prophetic word now, before it is too late. People of honest heart need to turn to Jehovah God, the Source of life and light.

Correction: True Christians will pay attention to Jesus not WT misinterpreted prophecies.

2 Timothy 1:10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the good news,

 

Page 16: The Scriptures make it clear that Jesus Christ is now ruling as King. Because of his coming to power in 1914, wonderful prophecies will yet be fulfilled.

Correction: Jesus has been in charge of the universe for almost 2,000 years.

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."

Note: The date 1914 is based on the bogus date of 607 BCE for the destruction of Jerusalem.

 

Page 16:As noted, Peter said:"No prophecy of Scripture springs from any private interpretation." Humans alone cannot come up with true prophecy, but we can have full faith in all of God's prophecies. These originate with Jehovah God himself. By holy spirit he has enabled his servants to understand how Bible prophecies are being fulfilled. Indeed, we are grateful to Jehovah that we have seen the fulfillment of many such prophecies since the year 1914.

Note: The Watch Tower will be destroyed during the "great tribulation."

2 Peter 3:14-16 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.

Note: The date 1914 is based on the bogus date of 607 BCE for the destruction of Jerusalem.

 

Page 16: How thankful we are that Jehovah is causing 'light to flash up for us in the dense darkness' enveloping the earth today! - Isaiah 58:10.

Note: Jehovah's Witnesses are in spiritual darkness. The WT has never established a food bank.

Isaiah 58:10 If you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday.

 

Page 17: Surely we should show deep appreciation for such provisions. Let us therefore do our utmost to absorb the light of "the glorious knowledge of God" so that it illuminates our figurative heart. - 2 Corinthians 4:6; Ephesians 1:18.

Note: Jehovah's Witnesses are in spiritual darkness.

John 14:7 "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."

 

Page 17: How blessed we are to know that in 1914, Jesus Christ, the Daystar, rose in all the universe and began to fulfill the transfiguration vision!

Correction: Elijah and Moses have yet to return to fulfill the transfiguration conversation.

Malachi 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.

Revelation 11:3 "And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth."

 

Page 17: Jehovah's Daystar is now on the scene, ready to carry out God's purpose in further fulfillment of the transfiguration - "the war of the great day of God the Almighty."

(Revelation 16:14, 16)

Correction: Jesus Christ visibly returns after "the war of the great day of God the Almighty."

Luke 21:25-27 "And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory."

 

Page 18: Jehovah's people have been under attack since early in the 20th century. In many lands, men of wicked intent have sought to hinder - yes, silence - the proclamation of the good news of God's Kingdom.

Note: Jehovah's Witnesses do not proclaim Jesus Christ.

Acts 28:30-31 Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.

 

Page 18: After "the appointed times of the nations" ended in 1914, God installed his Son as earth's new King, with the command: "Go subduing in the midst of your enemies." (Luke 21:24; Psalm 110:2) Exercising his power, Christ ousted Satan from heaven and confined him to the vicinity of the earth. Knowing that his time is short, the Devil vents his wrath upon anointed Christians and their companions. (Revelation 12:9, 17)

Note: True Christians will suffer for the name of Jesus Christ.

Luke 21:12 "But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake."

 

Page 18: Anointed servants of Jehovah faced many tests of faith during World War I. They were ridiculed and slandered, chased by mobs, and subjected to beatings. As Jesus had foretold, they became "objects of hatred by all the nations." (Matthew 24:9)

Note: True Christians will suffer for the name of Jesus Christ.

John 15:21 "But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me."

 

Page 19: They falsely branded Jehovah's people seditious, and they struck at the very heart of God's visible organization. In May 1918, federal warrants were issued for the arrest of the Watch Tower Society's president, J.F. Rutherford, and seven of his closest associates.

Correction: J.F. Rutherford was a conniving attorney.

No sooner had Charles T. Russell died (1916) than there came into play a behind-the-seen tug of war for his mantle. Russell's will left instructions for certain men to succeed him. However, the legal counsel, Judge Rutherford, was able to maneuver proxies of the Corporation in such a way that he emerged President of the Watchtower Society. In order to quiet somewhat the furor which had arisen over the high-handed way in which this subversion was accomplished, he succeeded early in the war to create an issue outside of the Organization through his editorial policy of the Watchtower magazine, the outcome of which was to put him into the position of a hero. 30 YEARS A WATCHTOWER SLAVE, William J. Schnell, page 34.

 

Page 19: The case was remanded for a new trial, but later the government withdrew the prosecution, with Brother Rutherford and his associates being completely exonerated. They resumed their activities, and conventions held at Cedar Point, Ohio, in 1919 and in 1922 gave the Kingdom-preaching work renewed impetus.

Note: Jehovah's Witnesses do not proclaim Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1:27-28 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

 

Page 19: The fight against God and his people was aimed at wiping out Jehovah's Witnesses in that totalitarian domain. When the Witnesses went to the courts in Germany to fight for their rights, the Reich's Ministry of Justice prepared a lengthy opinion to ensure that they would not succeed.

Note: The Watch Tower relied on attorneys instead of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 10:19-20 "But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you."

 

Page 19: But flag-salute issues and community ordinances forbidding house-to-house preaching were fought in the courts, and favorable decisions in the United States built up a bulwark of support for freedom of worship. Thanks to Jehovah, enemy efforts did not prevail.

Note: The Watch Tower violates the Word of God.

Luke 6:27-28 "But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you."

 

Page 20: Jehovah's Witnesses in Malawi experienced savage persecution beginning in 1967. Because of their neutral stand as true Christians, our fellow believers there would not purchase political party cards. (John 17:16)

Note: Jehovah's Witnesses are suffering due to a curse from God.

Galatians 1:8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other good news to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.

 

Page 20: Apostates, clergymen, and others cannot put up with our message from God's Word. Under pressure from religious quarters of Christendom, opposers look for a so-called legal way to justify their fight against us.

Note: The Watch Tower violates God's Word.

Matthew 5:44 "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,"

 

Page 20: Today, opposers likewise look for a pretext. They clamor about "dangerous cults" and try to pin this label on Jehovah's Witnesses. By misrepresentation, innuendo, and falsehood, they attack our worship and our adherence to godly principles.

Note: The Watch Tower violates godly principles.

Romans 12:14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

 

Page 20: In some lands, religious and political elements refuse to acknowledge that we practice "the form of worship that is clean and undefiled from the standpoint of our God." (James 1:27)

Note: The Watch Tower has never established one orphanage.

James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

 

Pages 20-21: A few days later, another newspaper in the same city quoted a church spokesman as saying: "(Jehovah's Witnesses) cannot be 'a Christian congregation,' since they have nothing in common with the Christian faith in the person of Jesus Christ." This is amazing, for no other religious group puts more emphasis on imitating Jesus than do Jehovah's Witnesses!

Correction: Jesus Christ is not "first place" in the lives of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Colossians 1:18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

 

Page 21: The foremost example in uncompromising devotion to Jehovah is Jesus, who was falsely accused of sedition and of disturbing the established order.

Note: The Father was a Jesus Witness.

John 8:18 "I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."

 

Pages 21-22: Though Jesus died on a stake the heinous satanic attack on the innocent Son of God failed completely, for Jehovah resurrected Jesus and exalted him to His own right hand.

Note: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead.

Acts 2:32 "This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses." (The Father)

John 2:19-21 Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?" But He was speaking of the temple of His body. (The Son)

Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. (The Holy Spirit)

Correction: Jesus died on a cross since there was one nail for each hand.

John 20:25 The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord." So he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe."

 

Page 22: Soon the apostles were again ordered to stop preaching, but Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God as ruler rather than men." (Acts 5:29) Threats, arrests, and floggings could not deter them from expanding their Kingdom activity.

Note: The apostles were suffering for the name of Jesus.

Acts 5:40-41 And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.

 

Page 22: Of course, our adherence to God's Word displeases Christendom's clergy and other leaders of Babylon the Great, the world empire of false religion. (Revelation 18:1-3)

Note: The Watch Tower contradicts itself by slandering then praising clergymen.

Page 26: An observation made by Dutch clergyman Johannes J. Buskes, who was imprisoned with some of the Witnesses, confirms Lages' statement.

Note: The Watch Tower never reports the clergymen who are suffering for Jesus Christ.

One of the leading organizations that is gathering information about martyrs around the world and providing help for them is The Voice of The Martyrs (VOM). It was founded in 1967 by Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, who spent fourteen years in Romanian prisons for his faith, and is directed in the United States by Tom White, who spent seventeen months in a Cuban prison for the same reason. The New Foxe's Book of Martyrs, page 327.

 

Page 28: It is with good reason, therefore, that some secular authorities have remembered Jehovah's Witnesses for the courageous stand they took in the face of Nazi rule. More important, however, the sterling record of these wartime Witnesses will be remembered by Jehovah and Jesus. (Hebrews 6:10)

Correction: These wartime Witnesses were not confessing Jesus Christ.

Matthew 10:32 "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven."

 

Page 28: During the approaching Thousand Year Reign of Jesus Christ, these faithful and fearless Witnesses who gave their lives in God's service will be raised from the memorial tombs, with prospects of everlasting life in a paradise earth! - John 5:28, 29.

Correction: In context, they never honored Jesus as Jehovah? Have you?

John 5:23 "that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father."

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