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Our Friends the Jehovah's Witnesses

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Our Friends the Jehovah's Witnesses Our Friends The Jehovah’s Witnesses E. Bruce Price Tenth Edition 2005 www.maranathamedia.com.au Contents Page 1. Working for Jehovah’s Witnesses 2. Soul Winning Methods and Techniques 3. The History of the Watchtower Society 4. The Authority of the Watchtower Society 5. Jehovah’s Prophet 6. False Prophecies 7. Altered & Discarded Teachings 8. The 1914 Date 9. The 1925 Date and Beth-Sarim 10. The 1975 Date 11. Chronology Babylonian Chronology Watchtower Chronology & Scholarship The Astronomical Diary VAT 4956 12. The Second Coming of Christ 13. Parousia 14. The Millennium (Thousand Years) 15. Christ’s Bodily Resurrection & Return 16. Man’s Condition in Death 17. The Trinity 18. The Divine Names 19. The Only True God 20. The Deity of Jesus Christ 21. Is God More Than One Person? 22. The Personality of the Holy Spirit 23. Objections to the Trinity 24. Salvation 25. The 144,000 - Heavenly Class 26. The Memorial Service 27. War & Alternative Military Service 28. Attitudes to Governments 29. The Ten Commandments 30. The Sabbath 31. The Days of Creation 32. The Cross or “Torture Stake”? 33. Vaccinations & Blood Transfusions 34. Giving to Charities 35. Birthdays, Christmas, Mother’s Days etc 36. Appendix Our Friends The Jehovah’s Witnesses Preface One of Jehovah’s Witnesses, (then known as Bible Students) called on my mother in the late 1920’s and began to share with her the teachings of the Watchtower Society. A warm friendship grew between the two. My mother was deeply impressed with the sincerity and zeal of this lady, but as time went on doubts began to grow concerning the organization she represented. The literature she brought to my mother was a mixture of Pastor Russell’s publications. And those of the new society president, judge Rutherford. These publications contradicted themselves. Russell’s books taught that Christ returned in 1874 and the resurrection took place in 1878. Now Rutherford was changing these dates to 1914 for Christ’s return and 1918 for the resurrection. The earlier publications had large sections outlining the pyramid prophecies which supported the 1874 and 1878 dates. The later editions “re-measured” the pyramid passages to prove the new 1914 and 1918 dates. However the End had not taken place in 1914 as predicted, nor had Christendom been destroyed in 1918 or the Republics disappear in 1920. Such false prophecies could not be hidden from sincere seekers after Truth. My mother became suspicious something was seriously wrong! During this time Judge Rutherford had also printed the book, Millions Now Living Will Never Die, in which he had foretold the end to come in 1925 and the Princes to be resurrected back on the earth. Details of exactly what was going to happen after 1925 was given in the book, The Way to Paradise . It even outlined how one would be able to call up Abraham and the other Princes in Jerusalem and make application to have loved ones resurrected. (See the Appendix for photocopies of these statements). However, this date had also passed, - to the further disappointment of the Bible Students. Finally in 1929, Judge Rutherford built the Beth Sarim mansion, for the long over due Princes. It was not built in Jerusalem but in Diego, California, with Judge Rutherford moving into it! By now my mother realized that if she was going to find the Truth she would have to look elsewhere. This was not God’s organization! A few years later Mother felt she had at last found the Bible Truth that she was looking for, and she joined the Seventh-day Adventist church. For the rest of her life she worked zealously to share with family and friends these truths. She had no doubt that they were the people described in the last days before Christ’s Return: “Here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of Man.” (See Revelation 14:12-15) However, although my mother became a Seventh-day Adventist and never joined the Jehovah’s Witnesses, she never lost her love and concern for them. From a small child she instilled in me this burden to work with pen and voice for these sincere and zealous people, who are perishing with bibles in their hands! I view our friends, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, as a special group of people. They are loyal to their organization, and sincerely follow what they are taught by the Watchtower Society. They did not become Jehovah’s Witnesses because it is a popular organization. Most have made big sacrifices for it. Some have died for it. Among them, those needing a blood transfusion after being badly hurt in a car crash or a young mother hemorrhaging in child birth. Such sincere people deserve better than what the Watchtower Society teaches. They deserve Bible truth and every true Christian should share it with them. In the forty five years of my ministry, I have seen thousands leave the teachings of the Watchtower Society. I have personally had the joy of witnessing the baptism of well over two hundred. These people have become very happy and dedicated Seventh day Adventists, where they have not only found Bible truth, but also friends, and a place where they could work for God. They are thrilled to once more be part of a vigorous organization, that is growing even much faster than the Watchtower Society. In 1975 both organizations had reached memberships over two million, but by 1997 while the Watchtower Society claimed just over five million members, Seventh-day Adventists had grown to well over nine million! In 1968 the book, God’s Channel of Truth - Is it the Watchtower? was published. In it I told the story and reasons why some Jehovah’s Witnesses were baptized into the Adventist church. This book has now been translated in over twenty languages in over 300,000 copies. In 1973 I wrote the first edition of Our Friends: The Jehovah’s Witnesses. Since then the Society suffered the 1975 date failure for the End of the world. When this false prophecy was added to those of 1874, 1878, 1914, 1915, 1918, 1920 and 1925, many took up the challenge with renewed vigor to show the Witnesses the errors of their organization and 2 www.maranathamedia.com.au Our Friends The Jehovah’s Witnesses thousands left. The Society which once was so sure it had the Truth and could withstand any challenge or investigation, now discouraged its people from reading any literature other than their own. Those leaving the Society were cut off so they could not reveal to others the errors they had found in it. Many Witnesses today still have grave doubts about the Society, but are fearful of being dis-fellowshipped and cut off from family and friends. However, there are still those who count Truth more important than anything else and they are ready to still search for it. I pray that this publication will help them find salvation and Bible truth as it is centered in the Lord Jesus Christ, “For there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 Eric Bruce Price August 1997 Sydney, Australia 1. Working With Jehovah’s Witnesses Jehovah’s Witnesses are known to be among the most hard working and sincere of all professed Christians. However they are also known as people who are perishing with Bibles in their hands! These special people need to be led to find Bible truth and salvation in Christ. THE WATCHTOWER SOCIETY The Watchtower Society of Jehovah’s Witnesses has had a very interesting and unique history (see Chapter 3). It has been an organization that has made possibly more false prophecies and taught many erroneous doctrines (see Chapter 6) than any other professed Christian religion in the 20th Century. In one ten year period it was estimated that it changed or discarded 148 different prophecies, doctrines and teachings. One unique teaching of the organization was that the Second Coming of Christ took place invisibly in 1874. Later this date was discarded for 1914. These dates were both “proved” by the Pyramid prophecies (see Chapter 7) which were also later discarded. Prophecies were made for the End of the world such as 1914 and 1925, the last being in 1975 (see Chapters 8-10). Each time its members suffered disappointment and loss. Of greatest concern are those doctrines which threaten life and the eternal salvation of its members. DANGEROUS DOCTRINES The Society teaches that there is a heavenly class of only 144,000 people (see Chapters 24-26). Among the 5,167,258 who claimed to be faithful Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1996, only 8,757 professed to belong to this class. It is taught that only this heavenly class are to be “born again” and allowed to take the emblems of the Lord’s death at the Memorial/Communion/Lord’s Supper which is held once yearly near Easter. However, the Bible teaches in John 3:3, 5 that unless a person is “born again” they cannot be saved or enter into the kingdom of God. Furthermore John 6:53-54 says that if a person does not “eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood” which is the partaking of the emblems of the Lord’s death, they will not be resurrected and/or have everlasting life. This means nearly everyone (5,158,501 of the 5,167,258) who claimed to be one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1996, had no hope of salvation and they are perishing with Bibles in their hands! LIFE THREATENING DOCTRINES One tragic teaching of the Society was when it for over twenty years forbade vaccinations (see Chapter 33).
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