Page 6: Since we do not know exactly when the present system of things will end, Jesus gave us this warning: "Know one thing, that if the householder had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have kept awake and not allowed his house to be broken into. On this account you too prove yourselves ready, because at an hour that you do not think to be it, the Son of man (Jesus) is coming." - Matthew 24:43, 44. Jesus' words show that the cataclysmic end of this system will catch this world by surprise.
Correction: The actual physical return of Jesus Christ will catch the world by surprise.
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 6: The first step in becoming a disciple is 'taking in knowledge of God and of the one whom he sent forth, Jesus Christ.' (John 17:3)
Note: Peter mentions Jesus only!
2 Peter 3:17-18 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
Page 6: The Witnesses visit millions of homes every week in order to help people to gain "an accurate knowledge of truth." (1 Timothy 2:4) They would be delighted to conduct free Bible studies with you in you home.
Note: Unfortunately, the Witnesses are not Jesus witnesses.
1 Timothy 2:5-7 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle; I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying; a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
Page 10: In one case he gave them a composite sign, and in the other he said that 'it did not belong to them to get knowledge of the times or seasons which the Father had placed in his own jurisdiction.' - Acts 1:7. Although Jesus is Jehovah's only-begotten Son, he himself has not always known his Father's timetable for events.
Correction: Jesus did not know the time since He laid aside His divine attributes while on earth.
Philippians 2:5-7 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
Note: The corporate name of God is Jehovah.
Matthew 28:19-20 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
Page 10: In his prophecy regarding the last days, Jesus humbly acknowledged: "Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father." (Matthew 24:36) Jesus was willing to wait patiently for his Father to reveal to him the exact time for destructive action to be taken against this wicked system of things.
Correction: "That day and hour" refers to the physical return of Jesus Christ to the earth.
Luke 21:27 "Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory."
Page 13: So should we not be willing to display our faith and await Jehovah's due time for his great day? (2 Peter 3:11-13)
Correction: True Christians place their faith in Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 3:14-15a 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.
Page 13: The 69 "weeks" (483 years) of Daniel 9:25 began in 455 B.C.E., when Persian King Artaxerxes authorized Nehemiah "to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem." (Nehemiah 2:1-8)
Correction: The command was given on March 14, 445 BC after Nehemiah was made governor.
Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia: He held a position of honor in the court of the Persian king Artaxerxes I (r. 464-424 BC) and in 444 BC was appointed by the king to the governorship of Judea, with authorization to rebuild Jerusalem.
Page 13: They ended 483 years later - in 29 C.E., when Jesus was baptized and anointed with holy spirit, thus becoming the Messiah, or Christ. - Matthew 3:13-17.
Note: Prophecy is based on 360 day years.
Correction: Jesus was made manifest to Israel on Palm Sunday, April 6, 32 A.D.
Pages 14-15: True, Daniel's prophecy of the symbolic weeks mentioned the destruction of that system. (Daniel 9:26b, 27b) But this would occur after the end of the "seventy weeks" (455 B.C.E. - 36 C.E.). In other words, after the first Gentiles became Jesus' followers in 36 C.E., Christians were beyond the chronological milestones of Daniel chapter 9.
Correction: The Watchtower calls Daniel a false prophet.
Daniel 9:24 "Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy."
Note: There is a break between the 69th and 70th week which is the age of grace.
Ephesians 3:1-7 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles; if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.
Page 15: Like Noah, Moses, and first-century Christians in Judea, we today can confidently leave the times and seasons in Jehovah's hands. Our conviction that we are living in the time of the end and that our deliverance is drawing near depends, not merely on chronological computation, but on real-life events in fulfillment of Bible prophecies.
Note: The Watchtower practices the art of lying.
Page 15: Similarly, a prophecy providentially caused sincere 19th-century Bible students to be in expectation. By linking the "seven times" of Daniel 4:25 with "the times of the Gentiles," they anticipated that Christ would receive Kingdom power in 1914. (Luke 21:24, King James Version; Ezekiel 21:25-27)
Page 16: True, a prophecy put Christians in a state of expectation before Christ was invested with Kingdom power in 1914.
Page 16: Although present as King since 1914, Jesus Christ must yet judge systems and individuals before executing judgment on those he finds to be wicked.
Back page: For over 120 years, Jehovah's Witnesses have pointed to 1914 as the end of what Jesus called "the appointed times of the nations." (Luke 21:24) In that year, the resurrected and glorified Jesus Christ was enthroned as King of the heavenly Kingdom.
Note: 1914 is based on a bogus date of 607 B.C.E. for the destruction of Jerusalem.
Page 16: And most of these would be seen after his presence had begun. Such events - wars, food shortages, earthquakes, pestilences, increased lawlessness, persecution of Christians, and the worldwide preaching of the good news of the Kingdom - serve as the major proof that we are now living during Christ's presence in kingly power. - Matthew 24:3-14; Luke 21:10, 11.
Correction: The physical return of Jesus Christ is after the tribulation events.
Mark 13:24-26 "But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory."
Page 16: A careful reading of the context of these exhortations to watchfulness shows that Christ was not primarily speaking of keeping a close watch for the sign of the beginning of his presence. Instead, he was ordering his true disciples to keep watchful during his presence.
Note: The presence of Christ began at Pentecost for true Christians not in 1914.
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."
Acts 2:1-4 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Page 17: The apostle Paul specifically stated that Jesus Christ will destroy "the man of lawlessness" - the apostate clergy of Christendom, a prominent part of "Babylon the Great."
Correction: "The man of lawlessness" refers to a future world ruler due to singular pronouns.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man (not men) of sin is revealed, the son who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. (not sons) of perdition,
2 Thessalonians 2:8-9 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders.
Pages 17-18: Paul assured suffering fellow believers of "relief along with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels in a flaming fire, as he brings vengeance upon those who do not know God and those who do not obey the good news about our Lord Jesus. These very ones will undergo the judicial punishment of everlasting destruction from before the Lord and from the glory of his strength, at the time he comes to be glorified in connection with his holy ones."
Note: Jesus Christ will revealed from heaven not from a inner room in Brooklyn, New York.
Note: The good news is about Jesus Christ not paradise earth.
Note: People who do not obey the good news will be eternally destroyed.
Page 18: To anointed Christians, the apostle Peter wrote: "Go on rejoicing forasmuch as you are sharers in the sufferings of the Christ, that you may rejoice and be overjoyed also during the revelation of his glory." - 1 Peter 4:13.
Correction: There is no partiality with God.
1 Peter 1:17 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear.
Page 18: Concerning such faithful spirit-begotten Christians, it can be said:
Page 19: After speaking of the glorious hope of those adopted by Jehovah as his spirit-begotten "sons" and "joint heirs with Christ" in the heavenly Kingdom, Paul said:
Note: The phrase "spirit-begotten" does not exist in Scripture.
Page 18: The anointed remnant share the feelings of Paul, who wrote: "I reckon that the sufferings of the present season do not amount to anything in comparison with the glory that is going to be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18)
Correction: The remnant refers to Jewish Christians.
Romans 9:27 Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, the remnant will be saved."
Romans 11:5-7 Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work. What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded.
Page 19: The remnant of the anointed "sons of God" must first be 'revealed.' What will this involve? In God's due time, it will become evident to the other sheep that the anointed have been finally "sealed" and glorified to reign with Christ. (Revelation 7:2-4)
Correction: All true "sons of God" will be revealed from heaven at the return of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 19:11-14 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.
Revelation 19:8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
Page 18: The resurrected "sons of God" will also be 'revealed' when they share with Christ in destroying Satan's wicked system of things. (Revelation 2:26, 27; 19:14, 15)
Correction: Jesus Christ alone will judge and destroy evil.
Isaiah 63:2-3 Why is Your apparel red, And Your garments like one who treads in the winepress? " I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with Me. For I have trodden them in My anger, and trampled them in My fury; Their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, and I have stained all My robes."
John 5:22 "For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son,"
Revelation 19:15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
Page 19: Then, during Christ's Thousand Year Reign, they will be further 'revealed' as priestly channels for dispensing the benefits of Jesus' ransom sacrifice to human "creation." This will result in mankind's being "set free from enslavement to corruption" and eventually entering into "the glorious freedom of the children of God." (Romans 8:21; Revelation 20:5; 22:1, 2)
Correction: Mankind will be set free due to Jesus reigning and Satan being bound.
Revelation 20:2-3 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.
Page 20: Furthermore, consider the patience of our Lord as salvation. Because of Jehovah's patience, millions more are being given the opportunity to be saved through the "day of Jehovah," which will come unexpectedly "as a thief." (2 Peter 3:9-15)
Correction: Peter was talking about Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:1-2 Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord (kurios).
Page 20: His patience is also allowing each one of us to 'keep working out our own salvation with fear and trembling.' (Philippians 2:12)
Note: The Watchtower rarely quotes the following verse.
Philippians 2:13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Page 20: Jesus said that we must 'pay attention to ourselves' and "keep awake" if we want to be approved and succeed in "standing before the Son of man" at the time he comes for judgment.
Note: Just focus in on the Lord Jesus Christ!
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.
Page 20: Whether we are anointed Christians or we are of the other sheep, let us keep in mind the wonderful hope set before us and not give up.
Correction: Everyone may be a son of God by placing their trust in Jesus Christ.
Galatians 3:26 For you are all (not some) sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Page 20: While we await with eager expectation the exciting events ahead of us, let us be ever aware that it is still Jehovah's time and season for his people to preach the good news of the Kingdom.
Correction: The good news is about Jesus Christ not paradise earth.
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 21: Even some Christians, who have learned about God's wonderful attributes, may at times find it difficult to appreciate how real he is. Has this been your experience? If so, what can help to make Jehovah God real to you?
Answer: Get to know Jesus Christ.
John 14:6-7 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."
Page 21: To enjoy the cumulative benefit, we need to follow the "prescription" - daily consideration of God's Word with the help of Christian publications. - Joshua 1:8.
Correction: Cartoon publications are not Scripture.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Note: Make daily Bible reading your way of life.
Page 21: Would you like to make your study periods more faith strengthening? Here is one suggestion: After reading a chapter in the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures or another Bible containing cross-references, select an interesting verse and look up the reference scriptures cited.
Note: No Greek or Hebrew scholars support the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.
Page 22: An artist's personality can be revealed by his paintings. Similarly, the "invisible qualities" of Jehovah, the Designer and Creator of the universe, are clearly seen in creation.
Note: Don't forget about Jesus Christ.
Colossians 1:15-18 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.