A Christian response to the Watchtower view of Jesus
There is only one God.
Isa 43:10 "You are My witnesses," declares the LORD, "And My servant whom I have chosen, in order that you may know and
believe me, and understand that I am He. Before me there was no God formed, and there will be none after me.
If Jesus is not Almighty God as the Watchtower would have us believe then he cannot be a god in anything other than a title of
respect because before him there was no God formed, and there will be none after him.
Isa 44:8 'Do not tremble and do not be afraid; have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My
witnesses. Is there any God besides me, or is there any other Rock? I know of none.'"
If God is unaware of the existence of another God then I would say that there is no other God. After reading the numerous
places that show Jesus is God how can we then come to the conclusion that he is not God? The context of all of the passages
that are mentioned here does not allow for the interpretation of Jesus only had a title of respect.
3. Jesus is not Michael the Archangel.
Heb 1:5-8 (5) For to which of the angels did He ever say, "Thou art My Son, today I have begotten Thee"? And again, "I will be
a Father to Him And He shall be a Son to Me"? (6) And when He again brings the first-born into the world, He says, "And let all
the angels of God worship Him." (7) And of the angels He says, "Who makes His angels winds, and His ministers a flame of
fire." (8) But of the Son He says "Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of His
kingdom.
This text makes a distinction between angels and Jesus. The question that is asked starts with "to which of his angels did He
ever say." This is our indication that what follows this was never said of an angel. Next we see that all of the angels were to
worship Jesus. The text does not say "all of the other angels were to give obeisance to Jesus." Next we see a contrast
between angels and Jesus. Verse 7 & 8 are in contrast to each other "And of the angels He says" ......"But of the Son He says"
"Thy throne, O God is forever." My point is that since this text shows a distinction between all angels and Jesus then Jesus is
not an angel. If Jesus is not an angel then he is not Michael the Archangel.
4. Jesus is worshiped in the Bible.
Heb 1:6 And when He again brings the first-born into the world, He says, "And let all the angels of God worship Him."
Matt 2:11 And they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshiped Him; and
opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. (see also Mt.2:2 & 8)
Matt 14:33 And those who were in the boat worshipped Him, saying, "You are certainly God's Son!"
Matt 28:9 And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him.
John 9:37-38 Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you." And he said, "Lord, I
believe." And he worshiped Him.
Rev 4:10 the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and
ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
(Rev.7:17 shows the lamb is on the throne. Jn.1:29-36 shows Jesus is the lamb.)
Worship belongs only to God.
Matt 4:10 Then Jesus said to him, "Begone, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.'"
5. Was Jesus resurrected bodily from the grave and is it important?
(A) If Jesus did not rise from the dead the Old Testament prophecy would not be fulfilled. Ps 16:10 For Thou wilt not
abandon my soul to Sheol; neither wilt Thou allow Thy Holy One to undergo decay.
Next we will see the fulfillment of this prophecy in the New Testament.
Acts 13:33-37 "God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second
Psalm, 'Thou art My Son; today I have begotten Thee.' And as for the fact that He raised Him up from the dead, no more to
return to decay, He has spoken in this way: 'I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.' "Therefore He also says in
another Psalm, 'Thou wilt not allow Thy Holy One to undergo decay.' "For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his
own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers, and underwent decay; but He whom God raised did not undergo
decay.
(The Apostle Paul is the one speaking in the passage above. Peter refers to this Psalm in the same way Acts 2:27-32)
(B) If Jesus did not rise from the dead we would have no forgiveness of our sins.
The next thing we read in verse 38 of this same passage in Acts Ch.13 is: "Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that
through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you" Notice the word "Therefore" Paul is saying that because Jesus rose from
the dead we have forgiveness of sins! This is also confirmed in the next passage.
1 Cor 15:14-17 " if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are even found
to be false witnesses of God, because we witnessed against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the
dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your
faith is worthless; you are still in your sins."
(C) When the Jews asked for a sign Jesus predicted he would rise from the dead. If Jesus did not rise from the dead he would
be a false prophet.
John 2:18-22 "The Jews therefore answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, seeing that You do these things?"
Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews therefore said, "It took
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.
When therefore He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture,
and the word which Jesus had spoken.
The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society claimed that Jesus " materialized fleshly bodies to make himself visible, he did so
only in the presence of his disciples." Furthermore they stated that "Jesus was put to death in the flesh and was resurrected an
invisible spirit creature" The problem is these statements are not Biblical. The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ arose in the
same exact body of flesh and bones in which he had lived and died. It is this same body in which He ascended into heaven.
This is not only what the Bible teaches. It is also the historical teaching of the church.
We will address the quotes from the Watchtower Society as follows:
(C-1) First of all Jesus did not appear "only in the presence of his disciples." He appeared also to unbelievers.
(C-2) The Bible teaches that Jesus rose from the dead in the same physical body in which he died.
(C-1) Jesus did not appear "only in the presence of his disciples." He appeared also to unbelievers. Paul was a hostile
unbeliever before Jesus appeared to him. This can be seen in Acts 9:1-30. He is called Saul in the context there but we see in
Acts 13:9 & Acts 22:1-21 that Saul is indeed the same person who is latter known as the Apostle Paul. This is after the 40-day
period that Jesus appeared to the rest of the disciples.
In John 7:5 we are told that not even the brothers of Jesus were believing in Him. James and Jude were sons of Mary and
Joseph and were half brothers of Jesus since they had the same mother. Later both become believers. Although it cannot be
shown as to exactly when they became believers it seems likely that it was after the resurrection. We have no reference to them
being believers until after his resurrection. We see in 1 Cor.15:7 that Jesus appeared to James after he arose from the dead.
As for reference to show they were the brothers of Jesus the following verses should be read. Jude1:1 & Mark 6:3.
(Note Jude is short for Judas see Greek word #2455 in the Strong's.)
(C-2) The Bible teaches that Jesus rose from the dead in the same physical body in which he died.
John 2:18-22 "The Jews therefore answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, seeing that You do these things?"
Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews therefore said, "It took
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.
When therefore He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture,
and the word which Jesus had spoken.
When Jesus made this statement he had a physical body of flesh and bones. This is the temple or body that he said he would
raise in 3 days. Since Jesus said he would raise this physical body, reason and logic tells us it was a physical body not a
spiritual body that was to be resurrected. Also we have already seen in Ps.16:10, Acts 2:27-32 & 13:34-38 this body would
never undergo decay. What is the purpose of preserving the body if it is not raised from the dead and being used? I have had
some Jehovah Witnesses tell me that it did not decay but God destroyed it by gases. Of course they could offer no biblical
reference for such a view but they had to rationalize it in some way to support this un-biblical doctrine. Jesus took great pains
to show them that it was he himself that rose from the dead and not a spirit. Let us consider the following scripture.
Luke 24:39-43 "See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as
you see that I have." And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. And while they still could not believe
it for joy and were marveling, He said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish;
and He took it and ate it before them."
Everything Jesus offered them for evidence of his resurrection was of the physical nature. He spoke to them to them so they
could hear and recognize his voice. Jesus showed his wounds from the crucifixion inviting them to touch him. In John 20:27
Jesus told Thomas to put his finger into the wounds in his hands and to put his hand into his side. Jesus purposely asked them
for something to eat and ate fish in front of them. Jesus declared that a spirit did not have a body of flesh and bones as he had.
He did things like this on several occasions over a period of 40 days. They watched him bodily ascend into heaven Acts 1:9.
Jesus never said anything to them that would indicate these "convincing proofs" as we are told in Acts 1:3 should be
interpreted as a spiritual body. If this was merely one of several fleshly materialized bodies to make himself visible as the
Watchtower claims then Jesus purposely deceived his disciples. The moral implications of this are absolutely contrary to the
Jesus we read of in the Bible.
There is only one God.
Isa 43:10 "You are My witnesses," declares the LORD, "And My servant whom I have chosen, in order that you may know and
believe me, and understand that I am He. Before me there was no God formed, and there will be none after me.
If Jesus is not Almighty God as the Watchtower would have us believe then he cannot be a god in anything other than a title of
respect because before him there was no God formed, and there will be none after him.
Isa 44:8 'Do not tremble and do not be afraid; have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My
witnesses. Is there any God besides me, or is there any other Rock? I know of none.'"
If God is unaware of the existence of another God then I would say that there is no other God. After reading the numerous
places that show Jesus is God how can we then come to the conclusion that he is not God? The context of all of the passages
that are mentioned here does not allow for the interpretation of Jesus only had a title of respect.
3. Jesus is not Michael the Archangel.
Heb 1:5-8 (5) For to which of the angels did He ever say, "Thou art My Son, today I have begotten Thee"? And again, "I will be
a Father to Him And He shall be a Son to Me"? (6) And when He again brings the first-born into the world, He says, "And let all
the angels of God worship Him." (7) And of the angels He says, "Who makes His angels winds, and His ministers a flame of
fire." (8) But of the Son He says "Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of His
kingdom.
This text makes a distinction between angels and Jesus. The question that is asked starts with "to which of his angels did He
ever say." This is our indication that what follows this was never said of an angel. Next we see that all of the angels were to
worship Jesus. The text does not say "all of the other angels were to give obeisance to Jesus." Next we see a contrast
between angels and Jesus. Verse 7 & 8 are in contrast to each other "And of the angels He says" ......"But of the Son He says"
"Thy throne, O God is forever." My point is that since this text shows a distinction between all angels and Jesus then Jesus is
not an angel. If Jesus is not an angel then he is not Michael the Archangel.
4. Jesus is worshiped in the Bible.
Heb 1:6 And when He again brings the first-born into the world, He says, "And let all the angels of God worship Him."
Matt 2:11 And they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshiped Him; and
opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. (see also Mt.2:2 & 8)
Matt 14:33 And those who were in the boat worshipped Him, saying, "You are certainly God's Son!"
Matt 28:9 And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him.
John 9:37-38 Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you." And he said, "Lord, I
believe." And he worshiped Him.
Rev 4:10 the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and
ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
(Rev.7:17 shows the lamb is on the throne. Jn.1:29-36 shows Jesus is the lamb.)
Worship belongs only to God.
Matt 4:10 Then Jesus said to him, "Begone, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.'"
5. Was Jesus resurrected bodily from the grave and is it important?
(A) If Jesus did not rise from the dead the Old Testament prophecy would not be fulfilled. Ps 16:10 For Thou wilt not
abandon my soul to Sheol; neither wilt Thou allow Thy Holy One to undergo decay.
Next we will see the fulfillment of this prophecy in the New Testament.
Acts 13:33-37 "God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second
Psalm, 'Thou art My Son; today I have begotten Thee.' And as for the fact that He raised Him up from the dead, no more to
return to decay, He has spoken in this way: 'I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.' "Therefore He also says in
another Psalm, 'Thou wilt not allow Thy Holy One to undergo decay.' "For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his
own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers, and underwent decay; but He whom God raised did not undergo
decay.
(The Apostle Paul is the one speaking in the passage above. Peter refers to this Psalm in the same way Acts 2:27-32)
(B) If Jesus did not rise from the dead we would have no forgiveness of our sins.
The next thing we read in verse 38 of this same passage in Acts Ch.13 is: "Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that
through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you" Notice the word "Therefore" Paul is saying that because Jesus rose from
the dead we have forgiveness of sins! This is also confirmed in the next passage.
1 Cor 15:14-17 " if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are even found
to be false witnesses of God, because we witnessed against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the
dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your
faith is worthless; you are still in your sins."
(C) When the Jews asked for a sign Jesus predicted he would rise from the dead. If Jesus did not rise from the dead he would
be a false prophet.
John 2:18-22 "The Jews therefore answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, seeing that You do these things?"
Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews therefore said, "It took
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.
When therefore He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture,
and the word which Jesus had spoken.
The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society claimed that Jesus " materialized fleshly bodies to make himself visible, he did so
only in the presence of his disciples." Furthermore they stated that "Jesus was put to death in the flesh and was resurrected an
invisible spirit creature" The problem is these statements are not Biblical. The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ arose in the
same exact body of flesh and bones in which he had lived and died. It is this same body in which He ascended into heaven.
This is not only what the Bible teaches. It is also the historical teaching of the church.
We will address the quotes from the Watchtower Society as follows:
(C-1) First of all Jesus did not appear "only in the presence of his disciples." He appeared also to unbelievers.
(C-2) The Bible teaches that Jesus rose from the dead in the same physical body in which he died.
(C-1) Jesus did not appear "only in the presence of his disciples." He appeared also to unbelievers. Paul was a hostile
unbeliever before Jesus appeared to him. This can be seen in Acts 9:1-30. He is called Saul in the context there but we see in
Acts 13:9 & Acts 22:1-21 that Saul is indeed the same person who is latter known as the Apostle Paul. This is after the 40-day
period that Jesus appeared to the rest of the disciples.
In John 7:5 we are told that not even the brothers of Jesus were believing in Him. James and Jude were sons of Mary and
Joseph and were half brothers of Jesus since they had the same mother. Later both become believers. Although it cannot be
shown as to exactly when they became believers it seems likely that it was after the resurrection. We have no reference to them
being believers until after his resurrection. We see in 1 Cor.15:7 that Jesus appeared to James after he arose from the dead.
As for reference to show they were the brothers of Jesus the following verses should be read. Jude1:1 & Mark 6:3.
(Note Jude is short for Judas see Greek word #2455 in the Strong's.)
(C-2) The Bible teaches that Jesus rose from the dead in the same physical body in which he died.
John 2:18-22 "The Jews therefore answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, seeing that You do these things?"
Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews therefore said, "It took
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.
When therefore He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture,
and the word which Jesus had spoken.
When Jesus made this statement he had a physical body of flesh and bones. This is the temple or body that he said he would
raise in 3 days. Since Jesus said he would raise this physical body, reason and logic tells us it was a physical body not a
spiritual body that was to be resurrected. Also we have already seen in Ps.16:10, Acts 2:27-32 & 13:34-38 this body would
never undergo decay. What is the purpose of preserving the body if it is not raised from the dead and being used? I have had
some Jehovah Witnesses tell me that it did not decay but God destroyed it by gases. Of course they could offer no biblical
reference for such a view but they had to rationalize it in some way to support this un-biblical doctrine. Jesus took great pains
to show them that it was he himself that rose from the dead and not a spirit. Let us consider the following scripture.
Luke 24:39-43 "See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as
you see that I have." And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. And while they still could not believe
it for joy and were marveling, He said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish;
and He took it and ate it before them."
Everything Jesus offered them for evidence of his resurrection was of the physical nature. He spoke to them to them so they
could hear and recognize his voice. Jesus showed his wounds from the crucifixion inviting them to touch him. In John 20:27
Jesus told Thomas to put his finger into the wounds in his hands and to put his hand into his side. Jesus purposely asked them
for something to eat and ate fish in front of them. Jesus declared that a spirit did not have a body of flesh and bones as he had.
He did things like this on several occasions over a period of 40 days. They watched him bodily ascend into heaven Acts 1:9.
Jesus never said anything to them that would indicate these "convincing proofs" as we are told in Acts 1:3 should be
interpreted as a spiritual body. If this was merely one of several fleshly materialized bodies to make himself visible as the
Watchtower claims then Jesus purposely deceived his disciples. The moral implications of this are absolutely contrary to the
Jesus we read of in the Bible.
Major Christian Doctrines
Explained & Defended
Explained & Defended
Click on any Link below
Or use the arrows to turn the page.
Or use the arrows to turn the page.
HOME
| This is one page in a book on Jehovah Witnesses To turn the page use the arrows at the bottom of this page. Or click here to see the Table of Contents. |
