By Jason Carlson and Ron Carlson @ http://reformedevangelist.com/
When teaching on the cults, rarely do we encounter someone who hasn’t had a Jehovah’s Witness come knocking on their front door. The Jehovah’s Witnesses are notorious for their aggressive door-to-door evangelistic strategy. And while many people might view the Jehovah’s Witnesses at their door as an annoyance, they are literally a mission field at our doorstep. Therefore, we try to encourage Christians to view their visits as an opportunity, an opportunity to open their eyes to the truth and to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with them.
The next time the Jehovah’s Witnesses comes to your front door, instead of simply turning them away, why not spend five minutes and sow some simple seeds of truth into their lives? You may not convert them to true Christianity right there at your doorstep, but you can give them some important truths to consider, truths which may eventually bear genuine fruit of repentance and conversion in their lives.
The basic error of the Jehovah’s Witnesses is what we call a “theology of denial”. Jehovah’s Witnesses basically deny all of the central doctrines of the Christian faith; most significantly, they deny the Deity of Jesus Christ. Jehovah’s Witnesses wrongly believe that Jehovah alone is God almighty, Jesus is only a god- a created being (actually the archangel Michael), and the Holy Spirit is simply an active force. This is a far cry from the true biblical doctrines of the Trinity and the Deity of Jesus Christ.
Now, if you only have five minutes to spend with a Jehovah’s Witness, try walking them through the following passages of scripture, passages that bear witness to the reality of the Deity of Jesus Christ (and the beauty of sharing these passages is that you can even use the Jehovah’s Witness’ false version of the Bible, the New World Translation):
1) Begin by reading with the Jehovah’s Witness from Revelation 1:8.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “Who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
After reading this verse together, ask them the following question, “Who is the Alpha and the Omega?” They will respond by saying something like, “Well, it says right there, the Alpha and the Omega is the Lord God (or Jehovah God in their translation).”
2) Next, ask them if they will read another passage of scripture with you, and read from Revelation 22:13.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End”
After reading this verse with them, ask them, “Now, who exactly is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last?” And they will probably respond by saying something like, “We just saw who the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last is, he is the Lord God (or Jehovah God in their translation).
3) Lastly, ask them if they’ll look at one more passage with you, and read with them from Revelation 1:17-18.
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last (stop here and ask again, ‘who is the First and the Last?’). I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!”
After reading this last passage of Scripture with them, ask the Jehovah’s Witness, “So, when exactly did the Lord God (or Jehovah God in their translation) die?” And most Jehovah’s Witnesses will just look at that passage in bewilderment, for you have just shown them conclusively, even from their own translation, that Jesus is the Lord God (or Jehovah God). If you want to demonstrate this reality even further, read with them from Revelation 22:13 & 16, where the Alpha and the Omega says, “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches.”
This series of passages can be a powerful tool when witnessing to a Jehovah’s Witness. These passages demonstrate that Jesus Christ is the Lord God, or Jehovah God. Jesus Christ is not simply a god, a created being; he is the eternal Lord God.
The next time the Jehovah’s Witnesses come to your front door, instead of simply turning them away, why not try sharing these 3 passages with them? God could use you to powerfully impact the life of a Jehovah’s Witness… and it only takes five minutes!
Distributed by http://www.christianworldviewnetwork.com/
1 comment:
This line of reasoning uses a common fallacy. Just because a similar title is used for Jesus that is used of Jehovah does not mean that the two are the same person. In Revelation 1:4,5 it says, "may you have undeserved kindness and peace from 'The One who is and who was and who is coming,' . . . and from Jesus Christ." Notice that these two individuals are carefully distinguished from one another. So in verse 8 when it says, "'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God, 'Who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty,'" this is the Father talking.
Again in Revelation 22:13 the context along with the unqualified title reveal that it is the Father speaking. But in Revelation 1:17,18 we know that it is the "son of man" speaking. (vs. 13)
"After reading this last passage of Scripture with them, ask the Jehovah’s Witness, 'So, when exactly did the Lord God (or Jehovah God in their translation) die?' And most Jehovah’s Witnesses will just look at that passage in bewilderment, for you have just shown them conclusively, even from their own translation, that Jesus is the Lord God (or Jehovah God)."
Rather than showing conclusively that "Jesus is the Lord God," an attempt has been made to show that Jesus and his Father are the same person. The question should be, "when exactly did the Father die"? Even Trinitarians would object to this. But this question is based on a false premise. When Jesus calls himself "the First and the Last," it is not an unqualified title as it is used of the Father. Rather, he continues saying, "I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!" He goes on to say that he now possesses the keys to death and Hades. So Jesus' being "the First and the Last" is in relation to the resurrection. He was the first and last one to be resurrected by the Father directly. (Acts 2:32) From then on he is the one who will be resurrecting others. So even though the titles are similar, it does not make the Father and Son the same person.
As for Revelation 22:13,16, there is a change of speakers at verse 16, as there is another quick change in speakers in verse 18.
TJ
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