Jehovah’s Witnesses- A compound heresy containing many heresies
Jehovah’s Witnesses
A compound heresy containing many heresies¹
A Brief History
Their founder was Charles Russell from Pennsylvania. He was born in 1854 and originally belonged to the Evangelical Church, then became a disciple of the Adventists.
He claimed to know Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, but his ignorance of all of them was evident. He had no formal education and held no church degree.
He claimed that God inspired him with what he said in interpreting the Bible.
He said that Christ’s presence occurred in 1874, that the harvest began in 1878, and that Jehovah seated Christ on the throne in 1914 to begin judgment.
Several lawsuits were filed against him, including one from his wife demanding alimony, and another from farmers he deceived by selling them what he called “miracle wheat” (as seeds).
Charles Russell died in 1916 and was succeeded by Judge Rutherford.
He published many books and predicted the coming of Abraham the Patriarch with a group of prophets! He even built them a palace in California that cost $75,000 at that time. But since the prophets did not appear, he suffered psychological distress.
Jehovah’s Witnesses have issued many books and pamphlets. They established a “Books and Tracts Society,” then The Watchtower. They translated their writings into dozens of languages. They once had a society in Ramses Street in Cairo, which the government later dissolved.
They took the name Jehovah’s Witnesses from Isaiah 43:10 — “You are My witnesses, says the LORD (Jehovah).” They have a large headquarters in Brooklyn. They visit homes, invite people to their beliefs, and distribute their books. They now have branches in most countries of the world.
Among their well-known books are Let God Be True (which contains most of their heresies), Salvation, and The Harp of God, among others.
The Heresy of Jehovah’s Witnesses
Today, we will take a general brief look at Jehovah’s Witnesses, and later, with God’s will, we will discuss each heresy in detail.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are not Christians. Their name does not refer to Christ but to Jehovah (the name of God in the Old Testament), taken from Isaiah 43:10.
Nevertheless, they claim to believe in the Holy Bible—but they have their own translation called New World Scripture, a distorted translation written in a way that tries to prove their doctrines. They argue using this translation, which contradicts the true Holy Bible.
They are against religion—against all religions.
They believe religion is the work of Satan to turn people away from worshiping Jehovah. They say religion was founded by Nimrod, who was “a mighty one before the Lord” (Genesis 10:9). They claim that clergy are tools in Satan’s hand used to plant false teachings in people’s minds, and that religion is a deadly trap and a form of robbery and humiliation.
They even say Christ Himself was innocent of religion—that He fought religion and religion fought Him (Riches, p. 104). They claim Satan uses religion to hinder people from worshiping Jehovah (The Truth Shall Make You Free, pp. 12–23).
They are also against governments, believing they are the work of Satan.
Thus, they boycott governments, refuse to vote, refuse military service, and deny obedience to rulers or leaders. They refuse to salute the flag, calling it idolatry, and claim they have their own divine government—they are God’s special organization, His ambassadors and witnesses on earth.
They say Jehovah’s Witnesses now proclaim God’s righteous judgment to destroy all the governments of this wicked world and to establish God’s eternal righteous kingdom (Let God Be True, p. 295).
They claim all worldly systems are run by Satan, who mocks God. They oppose all world institutions, including the United Nations, the World Council of Churches, the Vatican, and all ecumenical organizations.
They deny the immortality of the human soul.
They teach that the soul dies with the body—that there is no difference between humans and animals. Humans are merely higher animals, and after death, the soul has no feeling or awareness; it ceases to exist completely. This belief is similar to that of the Adventists.
They claim only Jehovah’s Witnesses will gain immortality.
They say the first to preach the immortality of the soul was Satan himself when he told Adam and Eve, “You shall not surely die” (Genesis 3:4)—his great lie, since he is the father of lies.
They even say that Christ Himself did not have an immortal soul but received immortality as a reward for obedience.
Jehovah’s Witnesses speak disrespectfully about angels.
First, they say angels are not immortal and will eventually perish (Reconciliation, p. 91).
They claim that in Noah’s days, some angels fell and became wicked (The Truth Shall Make You Free, p. 135), interpreting “the sons of God” in Genesis 6:2 as angels who took human wives. They say angels can take human bodies, have relations with women, and produce powerful offspring (giants, such as Nimrod) (Salvation, p. 440ff).
They even claim Satan tempts angels with women (Creation, p. 103) and that angels who took human bodies committed every kind of vile sin (Creation, pp. 100, 103, 112).
Jehovah’s Witnesses reject eternal punishment.
They believe all wicked people simply perish; their punishment is annihilation.
They teach that Adam “died and went into annihilation… he will never live again, never see light, never feel or perceive” (Let God Be True, p. 127).
They say the same about all the wicked, and even about Satan, who will not suffer eternal torment (contrary to Revelation 20:10). They interpret “hell” as the grave, and “the lake of fire and brimstone” as the second death, claiming eternal punishment is Satan’s invention.
They have a strange doctrine about judgment.
They say Judgment Day is a thousand years long and that there is no judgment for sins before 1914. Each person will have a thousand-year trial period; afterward, the wicked will perish and have no eternal life. They even say the people of Sodom and Gomorrah will rise and be given another chance to repent!
Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in more than one resurrection.
The first resurrection is for the Little Flock (Luke 12:32)—Jehovah’s Witnesses who died, and those still alive until the number reaches 144,000. They claim this resurrection began in 1914 and is a heavenly resurrection.
The second resurrection is the earthly resurrection for the Other Sheep, who will live on earth in physical bodies under the heavenly rule of the 144,000. This includes the righteous of the Old Testament—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Daniel—called “Princes of the earth.” It also includes those who did evil but will have a thousand-year chance to repent.
A third group includes good people who are not Jehovah’s Witnesses; they will rise during the second resurrection in the second millennium. They claim some, like Adam, will never rise at all.
Jehovah’s Witnesses deny original sin and its inheritance.
They call it a “corrupt theory” (Reconciliation, p. 97), claiming God’s judgment on Adam did not include his descendants—contrary to Romans 5:12.
Their doctrine about Christ is Arian and full of contradictions:
He is a god, not God—a mighty god but not Almighty.
He is Jehovah’s first creation, the firstborn of all creation, and therefore not eternal, with no natural sonship from God (Let God Be True, pp. 42–43).
He became the Son of God at His baptism—His “second birth.”
He had pre-existence in heaven, and came to bear witness to Jehovah’s kingdom.
He is the archangel Michael, the commander of Jehovah’s armies.
God used Him in creation, but He is not its source.
He had no immortal soul but was granted immortality as a reward for obedience.
They deny the Incarnation, saying it was unnecessary—God could have created a perfect man without it (The Truth Shall Make You Free, p. 249).
They deny Christ’s bodily resurrection, saying He rose only in spirit, and that His body either remained somewhere on earth or was annihilated.
They deny His bodily ascension, saying His body was deformed (Let God Be True, p. 53; The Truth Shall Make You Free, p. 468).
They deny His equality with the Father—their arguments are purely Arian.
They claim judgment began in 1918.
And they hold many other heresies about Christ.
¹ Article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III – El-Keraza Magazine, Year 25, Issue 9–10 (March 14, 1997)
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