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Jehovahs Witness Core Belief
Okbe Zemede St Mark Coptic Orthodox Church New
Orleans, LA April 24, 2013 _at_ 1-2 P.M.
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Overview

• Background
• Sects Schisms
• Core belief
• Jehovah Witness view on God Christ
• Summary

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The Name, Jehovahs Witness
Jehovah's Witnesses are best known for their
door-to-door preaching, distributing literature
such as The Watchtower and Awake! The name,
Jehovah's Witnesses, was adopted in 1931 to
distinguish themselves from other Bible Student
groups. Jehovah Yehowah" or "Yahweh and it
means God in Hebrew
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The Name, Jehovahs Witness
Their name is based on the following concept
10 You are my witnesses, says the Lord, and my
servant whom I have taken for myself so that you
may see and have faith in me, and that it may be
clear to you that I am he before me there was no
God formed, and there will not be after me. 11 I,
even I, am the Lord and there is no savior but
me. 12 I gave the word, and made it clear, and
there was no strange god among you for this
reason you are my witnesses, says the Lord.
(Isaiah 431012)
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The Watchtower association

• The Watchtower association is likened to the ark
  of Noah (the only place of safety), and the
  outside world is seen as a system dominated by
  Satan the Devil whose end at the battle of
  Armageddon is imminent. (http//4jehovah.org/help-
  jw-become.php)
• Governing Body (Head qaurter) ? Brooklyn, New
  York
• Organizational structure ? Hierarchical
• Congregations ? 111,719.
• Members ? 7.78 million
• Source Statistics from 2013 Yearbook of
  Jehovah's Witnesses

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Schism in Christianity
7
1521
1800s
33
451
1054
Time
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Bible Student movements Leadership
Laymens Home Missionary Movement

Associated Bible Students
Jehovahs Witnesses Watch Tower Society
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Common Traits

• They refuse military service
• They refuse blood transfusions.
• They do not observe Christmas, Easter, birthdays,
  or other holidays and customs they consider to
  have pagan origins incompatible with Christianity
• Organ donation is optional

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Core Belief
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Core Belief
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The Watch Tower Society Bible

• They use their own translation of the Bible -
  the New World Translation as their only source.
• The Watchtower and Awake!   Bible-based
  magazine is second source to Bible.
• The New World Translation was translated in 1961
  by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
• As of March 2013, the Watch Tower Society has
  published 181 million copies of the New World
  Translation in 117 language editions
• Often, the verses presented represent radical
  departures from orthodox Christian beliefs.

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God

• Jehovah's Witnesses believe in one God, the
  Creator of the universe.
• They stress that God has revealed his personal
  name to humanity, which is Jehovah.
• Jehovah has a spirit body and lives in heaven.
• They reject the doctrine of the Trinity.
• They reject the existence of Hell.
• They expect the arrival of Armageddon the end
  times.

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Is Jesus Christ an exalted creature?

• Jesus is Gods appointed Judge who determines
  what each ones future will be.
  http//www.jw-media.org/aboutjw/article31.htmbibl
  e
• They teach that Jesus was God's first creation.
  (Colossians 115)
• Christ existed in pre-human form as God's agent
  of creation and God's chief spokesman (the Word),
  
• He took on human form as the man Jesus by means
  of a virgin birth.   

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Is Jesus Christ the archangel Michael ?

• They believe that Jesus Christ is actually the
  archangel Michael because, Michael, means who is
  like God. in Hebrew.
• They further take this to mean that Jesus is not
  the eternal God but a highly exalted spirit
  creature, in fact the greatest of all created
  spirit beings, since to them Michael is a
  creature. (Sam Shamoun).

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Is Jesus Christ the archangel Michael ? By
their Inductive Reasoning

• In the book of Daniel, Michael is battling wicked
  angels in the letter of Jude, he is disputing
  with Satan and in Revelation, he is waging war
  with the Devil and his demons. By defending
  Jehovahs rulership and fighting Gods enemies,
  Michael lives up to the meaning of his nameWho
  Is Like God? But who is Michael?

Who Is Michael the Archangel? at
http//www.jw.org/en/publications/books/bible-teac
h/who-is-michael-the-archangel/
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Is Jesus Christ the archangel Michael ? By
their Inductive Reasoning

• The Bible states that Michael and his angels
  battled with the dragonand its angels.(Rev
  127).
• Thus, Michael is the Leader of an army of
  faithful angels.
• Revelation also describes Jesus as the Leader of
  an army of faithful angels. (Rev 1914-16)

Who Is Michael the Archangel? at
http//www.jw.org/en/publications/books/bible-teac
h/who-is-michael-the-archangel/
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Is Jesus Christ the archangel Michael ? By
their Inductive Reasoning

• The apostle Paul mentions the Lord Jesus and
  his powerful angels. (2 Thessalonians 17
  Matthew 1627 2431 1 Peter 322)
• So the Bible speaks of both Michael and his
  angels and Jesus and his angels.(Matthew
  1341)
• Since Gods Word nowhere indicates that there are
  two armies of faithful angels in heavenone
  headed by Michael and one headed by Jesusit is
  logical to conclude that Michael is none other
  than Jesus Christ in his heavenly role.

Who Is Michael the Archangel? at
http//www.jw.org/en/publications/books/bible-teac
h/who-is-michael-the-archangel/
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The purpose of Christs incarnation

• The incarnation on earth was threefold in their
  view
• (1) To teach the truth about God
• (2) to provide a model of a perfect life for
  people
• (3) to sacrifice his life to set humans free from
  sin and death.
• His crucifixion was not on a cross, but a single
  upright stake.
• After his death, God raised Jesus from the dead
  "as a spirit creature" and Jesus returned to
  heaven.
• They believe Jesus is a mighty God and Jehovah is
  the almighty.

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I and the Father are one, (John 1030)
In What Way Are Jesus and His Father One?
Jesus and his Father, Jehovah God, are also one
in the sense that they are in complete agreement
as to intentions, standards, and values. The Son
cannot do a single thing of his own initiative,
but only what he beholds the Father doing,
Jesus explained. For whatever things that One
does, these things the Son also does in like
manner.?John 519 1410 178.
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I and the Father are one, (John 1030)
Source- The Watchtower 2009-09-01
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The Holy Spirit
In accordance with their rejection of the
doctrine of the Trinity, they deny that the Holy
Spirit is one of the three Persons in the
Godhead. Instead, they believe the Holy Spirit
to be "God's active force." 8 Electricity
Source- http//www.jw.org/en/publications/books/b
ible-teach/baptism-and-your-relationship-with-god/
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Practice of Baptism

• Baptism involves complete immersion in water,
  Matthew 316.
• Steps leading to baptism begin with taking in
  knowledge and showing faith followed by
  repentance, conversion, and the dedicating of
  oneself to God.John 173 Acts 319 188.
• To make a dedication to Jehovah, you must disown
  yourself, Mark 834.
• Baptism symbolizes dying to ones former way of
  life and becoming alive to do Gods will.1 Peter
  42.
• Being baptized into an "Organization" rather than
  the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

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Human Nature
Jehovah's Witnesses trace humanity's current
situation to the sin of Adam and Eve in
the Garden. The disobedience of the first man
caused death to enter the world, and as a result,
all human beings get sick, age and die. However,
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Human Nature
However, they do not emphasize the spiritual
consequences of Adam's sin on humanity nor they
teach that human free will has been damaged. The
Witnesses expect and encourage their members to
strive to do God's will and remain pure in his
eyes.
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Meaning of Life Salvation
For them, the purpose of life is to earn the
right to participate in God's future Kingdom on
earth.  They therefore focus on living a moral,
acceptable life before God and witnessing about
their faith to others. They believe that
salvation was made possible through Christ's
death. But
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Meaning of Life Salvation
But eternal life comes not simply from faith in
Jesus but from "learning about Jehovah and
obeying his requirements, proving oneself to be
God's loyal subject, and listening to the Kingdom
message and acting on it.
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After Life

• Jehovah's Witnesses deny the existence of hell.
• Annihilation - They hold that the souls of the
  wicked will be annihilated or cease to exist. To
  them Hell is synonymous with the grave and that
  the biblical term of second death means
  extinction.
• Heaven - Jehovah's Witnesses believe that only
  144,000 people went to heaven (in 1914) to rule
  with God Jesus (Rev 74). This group is called
  the remnant, little flock or anointed class (New
  Heavens and A New Earth, p. 169).
• Paradise Earth - The remainder of the righteous
  will enjoy paradise on earth - a
  restored Garden of Eden in which there is no
  sickness, old age, death or unhappiness. (Psalms
  378)

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