[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="yes" overflow="visible"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" layout="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none" last="no" hover_type="none" link="" border_position="all"][fusion_text] This article appears in BELIEFS of Jehovah's Witnesses category. Although it is utterly beyond the capacity of humans to comprehend, there is a Being who has always existed. He had no beginning. He is the only person who was never born. He is not a creature. He will never have an end either. He simply exists. For good reason he is called the King of eternity. God. It is impossible to wrap your mind around —to use the common jargon —how someone could just Be. But just because we cannot fathom the unfathomable or comprehend the incomprehensible does not mean that it cannot be true. To illustrate the point, a few generations ago it would have been deemed impossible for men to walk on the moon or to transmit sound and images by means of invisible waves of energy, and many, many other things that are now commonplace were once beyond the imagination of most people. Rather than stumbling over what we cannot understand though, consider what we know. Everything and everyone in our physical realm had a beginning. Scientists now believe that the universe, in all its vastness and complexity, began from a tiny point of origin. Some say the entire cosmos originated from a super dense, teaspoon-size, dollop of matter and exploded in what is euphemistically called the Big Bang . Whether or not scientists want to admit it the modern theory of the origin of the universe basically confirms the truthfulness of the opening words of the Bible - “In the beginning…” So, that’s a start in our consideration of the truth. But here is where it gets a little tricky. The beginning described in the book of Origin, or Genesis, was not the only beginning, or even the first. Genesis 1:1 is merely in reference to the beginning of the material universe of the heavens and earth — the material being atoms and all sorts of sub-atomic particles that make up the cosmos of which we are a part. But prior to that beginning there was another beginning —the beginning of the creation in the superior, non material realm —a world inhabited by a variety of spirit persons. The creation of the invisible world preceded the making of the material heavens and earth. That beginning is what the opening words of the New Testament book of John is referring to, which states: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god. This one was in the beginning with God.” In regards to the inhabitants of the invisible realm the Creator once posed a question to a man, asking him: “Brace yourself, please, like a man; I will question you, and you inform me. Where were you when I founded the earth? Tell me, if you think you understand. Who set its measurements, in case you know, or who stretched a measuring line across it? Into what were its pedestals sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, When the morning stars joyfully cried out together, and all the sons of God began shouting in applause?” —Job 38 The sons of God who witnessed the creation of the earth obviously were not humans. The reference to the “morning stars” is intended to convey that the sons of God are heavenly persons, otherwise known as angels. So, when did they come into existence? Was there a very first heavenly son of God? Surely, there must have been. Although the casual reader and those indoctrinated in trinitarianism may not grasp it, John 1:1 could not possibly apply to the King of eternity, since he had no beginning. The beginning is in relation to an entity called the Word. His apostle John wrote concerning him at 1John 1:1: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have observed and our hands have felt, concerning the word of life…” Since God had no beginning “in the beginning” is meaningless in relation to him. As is obviously the case in connection to the creation of the heavens and the earth “in the beginning,” the same phrase in connection to the Word must relate to a starting point of reference to God’s ungraspable eternal existence. To better grasp the intended meaning of the beginning, consider Revelation 3:14. It states, simply: “These are the things that the Amen says, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation by God.” The Amen is a title given to Jesus, similar to his title “the Word.” And the context of Revelation 3:14 clearly indicates Jesus to be the one spoken of as “the faithful and true witness” and “the beginning of the creation by God.” In Greek the phrase “the beginning” used in Revelation is the same phrase used at John 1:1 and translated “in the beginning.” With no ambiguity Revelation reveals that not only did Jesus have a pre-human existence he was the very first creation of God. Thus, the expression the Word “was in the beginning with God” should be understood to mean the Word was the beginning of God’s creative endeavors, which have continued from that beginning to the present. Since God has always existed and there are no other non-created persons, that means he was alone forever prior to his becoming the Creator. Again, it is impossible to comprehend how someone could simply exist as an uncreated Being, but setting that aside, we can understand that God did begin creating; hence, “in the beginning.” The Christian letter to the Colossians harmonizes with this understanding. Paul explained that Jesus “is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; because by means of him all other things were created in the heavens and on the earth, the things visible and the things invisible, whether they are thrones or lordships or governments or authorities. All other things have been created through him and for him.” Although some may object to the insertion of the adjective “other” in the text, it is perfectly within the parameters of acceptable translation since it is implied that the son did not create himself and in fact was merely an agent “through” whom Jehovah created everything else. The firstborn has the distinction of being the only person/thing that God personally, directly brought into existence, which is why Jesus is also called the only-begotten Son of God. All other sons were begotten indirectly, “through him” —through the firstborn. This partnership in creation is exhibited in Genesis, where God said to an unnamed person: “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness…” Although unnamed throughout the Hebrew Scriptures that were written before the Word appeared in the flesh as the man Jesus, it is apparent that the Word is speaking in the eighth chapter of Proverbs —personified as the repository of the wisdom of God. Referring to his own beginning, the beginning of wisdom, it is written: “Jehovah produced me as the beginning of his way, the earliest of his achievements of long ago. From ancient times I was installed, from the start, from times earlier than the earth. When there were no deep waters, I was brought forth, when there were no springs overflowing with water. Before the mountains were set in place, before the hills, I was brought forth, when he had not yet made the earth and its fields or the first clods of earth’s soil. When he prepared the heavens, I was there; when he marked out the horizon on the surface of the waters, when he established the clouds above, when he founded the fountains of the deep, when he set a decree for the sea that its waters should not pass beyond his order, when he established the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him as a master worker. I was the one he was especially fond of day by day; I rejoiced before him all the time; I rejoiced over his habitable earth, and I was especially fond of the sons of men.” Although the eighth chapter of Proverbs personifies wisdom, it is apparent that “wisdom” is an actual person. That is evident since wisdom rejoiced before God and was particularly fond of humanity. Could a mere quality rejoice or express fondness for something? Of course not. Whereas, the angels were merely described as observers of the creation of the earth, “Wisdom” actually participated in creation, being “beside him as a master worker.” That being true, and the fact that God produced his master worker “as the beginning of his way,” the eighth chapter of Proverbs confirms that the Word had a beginning —a birth, the firstborn of all of God’s achievements. Understanding Christ’s unique role in God’s eternal purpose is essential. We cannot really know God without understanding what took place “in the beginning” with the Word. Jehovah’s Witnesses are privileged to know the truth. In that respect we have conquered the wicked one. It is Satan’s intention to deceive us. One way in which the Devil seeks to do that is by promoting the lie that Jesus is God. He has trained and deployed a virtual army of theologians to twist and distort the simple truth about the relationship between Jehovah and his firstborn Son. That is why the apostle John wrote to the precious few who know the truth about he that is from the beginning. “I am writing you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for the sake of his name. I am writing you, fathers, because you have come to know him who is from the beginning. I am writing you, young men, because you have conquered the wicked one. I write you, young children, because you have come to know the Father. I write you, fathers, because you have come to know him who is from the beginning. I write you, young men, because you are strong and the word of God remains in you and you have conquered the wicked one.” [/fusion_text][fusion_separator style_type="shadow" top_margin="10" bottom_margin="20" sep_color="#999999" border_size="" icon="" icon_circle="" icon_circle_color="" width="" alignment="center" class="" id="" /][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" layout="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none" last="no" hover_type="none" link="" border_position="all"][fusion_youtube id="RZ1xUqbyXO0" alignment="center" width="600" height="350" autoplay="no" api_params="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" css_id="" /][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="no" equal_height_columns="no" menu_anchor="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="center center" background_repeat="no-repeat" fade="no" background_parallax="none" parallax_speed="0.3" video_mp4="" video_webm="" video_ogv="" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_loop="yes" video_mute="yes" overlay_color="" video_preview_image="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" padding_top="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" padding_right=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" layout="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_position="all" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" center_content="no" last="no" min_height="" hover_type="none" link=""][fusion_text] [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

When Jesus was on the earth he instructed his disciples to go through the entire length and breath of Israel declaring the exciting message that the kingdom of God had drawn near. Originally the apostles and other disciples were under the impression that the kingdom of God they were preaching would be a restoration of the kingdom of Israel. Likely they wrongly assumed that Jesus would throw off the Roman yoke and sit upon a throne in Jerusalem. Even after Jesus was resurrected and opened up their minds to the prophecies pertaining to the Christ the apostles were still in the dark as regards the true nature of the kingdom, reflected in the fact that even at the very moment immediately before Jesus ascended to heaven, his apostles put the question to him: “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?” When Christ ascended into the invisible realm from where he had come and poured out the promised holy spirit upon them ten days later, only then did their minds began to grasp the awesome reality that the kingdom of the heavens really is a heavenly institution. The reason the apostles asked if Christ was going to restore the kingdom to Israel is because Jehovah had originally seated David on the throne of Israel and made a covenant with him, declaring that a son of his would sit upon the throne to time indefinite. In the case of David’s dynasty, though, time indefinite proved to be less than 500 years, ending when Nebuchadnezzar sacked Jerusalem, capturing and blinding the wicked Judean king, Zedekiah, slaying his sons, princes and nobles. Not only that, but the kings from David’s royal line did not even rule over all of Israel, for the reason that God ripped away ten tribes due to Solomon’s apostasy - leaving David’s kingly sons only Judah and Benjamin to rule over - not exactly the kingdom of Israel. But, again, when Jesus was on the earth he told the Jews: “the kingdom of God will be taken from you and be given to a nation producing its fruits.” In other words, because of their rejecting Jesus, the restored nation of Israel was no longer God’s nation and the Jews were no longer God’s people. The kingdom was going to be given to those who follow Christ. And the true followers of Christ would become the new “Israel of God.” On Pentecost, 33 C.E., the holy spirit began to be used to anoint Christ’s followers. The anointing constituted a calling, an invitation, to share with Christ in his kingdom. As called ones they were under the command to preach Jesus impaled and to serve as earthly ambassadors of the heavenly kingdom. Through his message to the seven congregations of Revelation, Jesus assured his anointed followers who would be living during the conclusion of the system of things that if they are faithful to their deaths they would be blessed with the privilege of smashing the warring nations with an iron rod and sit upon thrones with Christ himself and rule as kings over the world for 1,000 years – ultimately undoing all the evil that the Devil has wrought these past 6,000 years. Revelation also reveals that a total of 144,000 persons will ultimately be chosen to become immortal kings in the kingdom. Obviously, God’s kingdom will be the most powerful institution ever conceived. When being interrogated by the Roman ruler, Pontius Pilate, Jesus explained that his kingdom was not part of the political world. Jesus said: “My kingdom is no part of this world. If my kingdom were part of this world, my attendants would have fought that I should not be delivered up to the Jews. But, as it is, my kingdom is not from this source.” Jesus impressed upon his disciples that if they were to be true to their calling they too must be no part of this world. But just as Satan infiltrated and corrupted the original Israel, the Devil also corrupted Christ’s congregation on earth. After the apostles died off wicked agents of Satan crept into the congregations and assumed leadership positions. In the span of three hundred years Christians went from being hounded and persecuted by the Roman Empire to being the official state religion, with the emperor as the ruling head. But instead of being a pillar and support of the truth, as the original organization Jesus had founded had been, the Roman church became the new Babylon – a pagan system of worship. The bloody and sordid history of Christendom proves without a doubt that the Catholic Church and her Orthodox, Protestant, Lutheran and Anglican offshoots are not Christian at all. Nevertheless, Jesus assured his followers that his congregation and kingdom will prevail. Although Jesus is the King of kings, the Lord of lords and the Prince of princes, he is not at this present moment exercising his authority to the full extent. That is because it is God’s will that he sit at his Father’s side until the pre-appointed day and hour that Jehovah has chosen. Of course, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Jesus began ruling with full authority in 1914. Just as the apostles and original disciples of Christ were blind to the spiritual nature of Christ and the kingdom, so too, God has allowed an operation of error to go to believers in the immediate prelude to the actual manifestation of Jesus Christ. The genuine presence of Christ will result in a sifting, what Jesus referred to as the harvest – the conclusion of a system. Once the kingdom comes to power war will erupt in heaven. The 12th chapter of Revelation sheds light upon this event. “And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels battled with the dragon, and the dragon and its angels battled but it did not prevail, neither was a place found for them any longer in heaven. So down the great dragon was hurled, the original serpent, the one called Devil and Satan, who is misleading the entire inhabited earth; he was hurled down to the earth, and his angels were hurled down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven say: ‘Now have come to pass the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ, because the accuser of our brothers has been hurled down, who accuses them day and night before our God! And they conquered him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their witnessing, and they did not love their souls even in the face of death. On this account be glad, you heavens and you who reside in them! Woe for the earth and for the sea, because the Devil has come down to you, having great anger, knowing he has a short period of time.’” As the above passage indicates the hurling down of the Devil and his demon angels will signal that the Christ has begun to rule as king with full power and authority. (Michael the archangel is in fact, Jesus Christ.) Although Jesus long ago exhorted his followers to pray for God’s kingdom to come, as the above passage also indicated, the coming of the kingdom does not immediately result in blessing for mankind. Just the opposite – “woe for the earth and sea.” Understandably, the murderous god of this world is not going to go quietly into the abyss. If there was a war fought in heaven among powerful spirit entities to force the demons from that realm, there will surely be a war upon this earth between Satan’s minions and Jehovah’s chosen ones. But how will mere humans conquer powerful wicked spirits? Revelation provides the answer: By the blood of the Lamb and the word of their witnessing and by sacrificing their souls in death. Just as Jesus himself was killed in the flesh and many apostles and first century chosen ones were killed by the Devil, the remaining ones of the kingdom who are on earth when the Devil is cast down will face certain death. But just as Jesus conquered by being faithful unto death, so too, the sealed chosen ones will follow the Lamb’s faithful course clear to the end. Ultimately, the killing of the sons of the kingdom during Satan’s “short period of time” will serve as the trigger for the final battle called Armageddon. But how long is the “short period of time” Satan is allowed to bring untold calamity and woe upon the earth. Again, Revelation and the prophecy of Daniel provide the answer: The “short period of time” is three and a half years, expressed variously as times, time and half a time, 42 months and 1,260 days. As an immediate knock-on effect of Satan being hurled down from heaven, the entire global political and economic system will suddenly collapse and world war will ensue. This is presented in prophecy in various ways, most dramatically in the 13th chapter of Revelation, where the ruling head of the seven-headed wild beast (itself a mere reflection of the angry seven-headed heavenly dragon that is hurled down from heaven) is slaughtered, but miraculously revives – only to persecute and ultimately kill all of the sons of the kingdom. The now-imminent collapse of the Anglo-American dominated system will signal that the kingdom has at last begun to reign, that the demonic hordes have been evicted from Jehovah’s heavens, and that the short period of “woe” for this planet has begun.

Beliefs | The Watchman's Post

In the Beginning
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In the Beginning

This article appears in BELIEFS of Jehovah's Witnesses category. Although it is utterly beyond the capacity of humans to comprehend, there is a Being who has always existed. He had no beginning. He is the only person who was never born. He is not a creature. He will never have an end either. He simply exists. For good reason he is called the King of [...]

Robert King2019-10-21T20:41:03-04:00July 5th, 2016|Categories: Beliefs|36 Comments

Are Jehovah’s Witnesses part of a cult?
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Are Jehovah’s Witnesses part of a cult?

In recent years, especially since the advent of the Internet, the Watchtower Society has been increasingly cast as a secretive and dangerous cult. Various outreach groups have as their goal rescuing Jehovah's Witnesses from the clutches of the Watchtower. Some of those who accuse Jehovah's Witnesses of being members of a cult do so for the reason that Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe in the Trinity. But that is simply ridiculous. Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe in the Trinity because it's not a biblical teaching.

For example, the "Christian answers" website lists the Watchtower Society as the second most dangerous cult in America, supposedly because "they deny the essentials of Christian faith," which is to say Jehovah's Witnesses do not accept the babylonish claptrap that churches consider to be Christian essentials.

However, other more credible sources of the same accusation come from ex-Jehovah's Witnesses, who claim to have “escaped.” These do not necessarily believe the Trinity either.

But what is a cult? And are Jehovah's Witnesses similar to the destructive cults such as Scientology or the infamous David Koresh or the Jonestown cult? To establish what is a cult I have referenced the criteria established, not by Trinitarians or ex-Jehovah's Witnesses, but by psychologists. An organization known as the International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) describes itself as “a global network of people concerned about psychological manipulation and abuse in cultic groups.” It has worked up a checklist that they describe as an analytic tool to help one discern the characteristics of an abusive cult. Over the course of the next two weeks I will consider one point each day. Here is the checklist

Robert King2019-10-01T14:43:21-04:00March 7th, 2013|Categories: Beliefs|4 Comments

Jehovah’s Witnesses – no part of the world
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Jehovah’s Witnesses – no part of the world

Going back to the days of the International Bible Students associated with Charles Taze Russell who were dubbed the “no hellers” because they rejected the myth of a fiery hell, up to the present, Jehovah’s Witnesses have been known more for what they do not believe or practice rather than for what they do believe. In more recent decades Jehovah’s Witnesses have been known as the [...]

Robert King2019-10-01T14:53:03-04:00December 27th, 2012|Categories: Beliefs|1 Comment

The Kingdom of God
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The Kingdom of God

When Jesus was on the earth he instructed his disciples to go through the entire length and breath of Israel declaring the exciting message that the kingdom of God had drawn near. Originally the apostles and other disciples were under the impression that the kingdom of God they were preaching would be a restoration of the kingdom of Israel. Likely they wrongly assumed that Jesus would [...]

Robert King2019-10-02T11:17:06-04:00November 1st, 2011|Categories: Beliefs|0 Comments

A New Heaven and a New Earth
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A New Heaven and a New Earth

After creating the first man and woman in his image, Jehovah stated his purpose for them was that they fill the earth and have in subjection every non-human creature on the planet. Being made in God’s image not only means that humans are endowed with divine characteristics, but seeing that God lives forever, those in his image are also imbued with a sense of infinite futurity [...]

Robert King2019-10-02T11:38:44-04:00January 23rd, 2011|Categories: Beliefs|2 Comments

Satan – (g)od of This World
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Satan – (g)od of This World

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Satan is the god of this world. (2 Corinthians 4:4) He became such when he misled Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, thereby effectively bringing the world under his evil influence before it even came into existence! To grasp the extent of his power over mankind consider the words of Jesus when he said that the ruler of the world [...]

Robert King2019-10-02T11:57:28-04:00September 7th, 2010|Categories: Beliefs|3 Comments

Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Christians?
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Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Christians?

Matt Slick of The Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry (CARM) asks that very question (Is the Jehovah's Witnesses religion Christian?) and conveniently supplies the reader with the answer. Here is a quote taken from the no defunct CARM website: "The answer to the question is, 'No. It is not Christian.' Like all non-Christian cults, the Jehovah's Witness organization distorts the essential doctrines of Christianity." What "essential [...]

Robert King2019-10-02T12:32:08-04:00August 29th, 2010|Categories: Beliefs|2 Comments

A Great Crowd Will Never Die
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A Great Crowd Will Never Die

Jehovah’s Witnesses have the hope of never dying – a hope solidly based upon their unique understanding of the Bible. God made man and woman to live on the earth forever. Like the loving Father he is, Jehovah desired his earthly children to have every good thing. Jehovah endowed us with his own character and personality, which is what it means to be made in his [...]

Robert King2019-10-02T12:35:48-04:00July 12th, 2010|Categories: Beliefs|46 Comments

Life, Death and Beyond
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Life, Death and Beyond

The truth is simple. The sad fact is, though, most people prefer to believe lies. And consequently, the truth is an alien thing to them. No doubt the primary reason most people embrace the prevalent lies common to the world is due to the evil influence of the one whom Jesus described as both the ruler of the world and the father of the lie – [...]

Robert King2019-10-02T12:36:45-04:00June 29th, 2010|Categories: Beliefs|2 Comments

Is Jesus Michael the Archangel?
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Is Jesus Michael the Archangel?

The simple truth revealed in the Holy Scriptures, is that Jehovah is God and Jesus is his son. More exactly, Jesus is Jehovah’s only begotten Son, being the only creation in all existence that was directly created by Jehovah himself. But Jesus is not the only son. God is also Father to millions of other sons. Long before the universe was created God had a family [...]

Robert King2019-10-02T12:38:18-04:00June 17th, 2010|Categories: Beliefs|2 Comments