Episode 3: Defender Of The Faith - Vol 3 (Jehovah's Witnesses) | By Dr. Bern Zumpano

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Jehovah's Witnesses operate as a cult, not a Christian denomination, due to their doctrinal deviations.

Here's a summary of the refuted Jehovah's Witness doctrines:

• Watchtower Society as the Voice of God: Jehovah's Witnesses believe the Watchtower Society is the voice of God, a claim not supported by the Bible. The speaker also notes that the Watchtower Society has made four publicly announced prophecies about the coming of Christ and the end of the world, all of which were 100% erroneous, leading to the conclusion that they are false prophets according to biblical standards.
• God's Name and Salvation: Jehovah's Witnesses believe God's name is Jehovah, and its correct use is necessary for salvation, rather than salvation being through Jesus. The speaker argues that the word "Jehovah" is an Anglicized form of the Hebrew "Yahweh" or "Yave," and that salvation is through Jesus Christ, as stated in Romans 10:13 (referring to Jesus as "Lord") and Acts 16:31.
   
• Nature of Christ: Jehovah's Witnesses teach that Christ was the firstborn of all creation and is Michael the Archangel, and that Jesus is not to be worshiped like the Father. They consider Jesus a created being, not the creator. Bern states that to be Christian, one must accept the divinity of Christ and that he is one with the Father.
   
• Jesus' Resurrection and Second Coming: They believe Jesus was raised from the dead as an invisible spirit after crucifixion, and his second coming occurred spiritually and invisibly in 1914, with him ruling as king through the Watchtower Society since then.
• Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is considered a force, not a person, by Jehovah's Witnesses.

 

• Salvation: Jehovah's Witnesses believe grace is an opportunity to earn salvation through total obedience to the Watchtower Society, requiring faith and works, and that salvation is not a free gift. They teach that only Jehovah's Witnesses can be saved, specifically 144,000 "anointed" ones who are born again and go to heaven, while other Jehovah's Witness "sheep" will live on earth in paradise. The speaker refutes this with Ephesians 2:8-9, stating salvation is a free gift by grace through faith, not by works. Titus 3:5 is cited to further emphasize that salvation is not based on deeds. The speaker also clarifies that the 144,000 mentioned in Revelation are all Jews, not Jehovah's Witnesses. 1 John 5:1 and Matthew 7:7 are used to show that "whosoever" believes in Jesus is born of God and can be saved, not just a select few.
• Soul, Death, and Afterlife: Jehovah's Witnesses assert that man does not have a soul distinct from the body that survives death, therefore there is nothing immaterial to survive, and man is not conscious after death. They believe hell is the grave and not a place of conscious suffering, and unbelievers are annihilated at death. The speaker challenges this with Psalm 116:15 ("Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his godly ones") and Ecclesiastes 7:1 ("the day of one's death is better than the day of one's birth") to suggest an afterlife. Philippians 1:21-23 and 2 Corinthians 5:8 are presented as evidence for an afterlife and being "at home with the Lord" after death. Matthew 25:46 and Revelation 14:9-11, and Revelation 20:15 are cited to support the existence of eternal punishment and the lake of fire for unbelievers.