Okbe ZemedeSt Mark Coptic Orthodox Church

New Orleans, LAApril 24, 2013 @ 1-2 P.M.

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

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 43:10–12)

Their name is based on the following concept

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 YorkOrganizational structure HierarchicalCongregations 111,719.Members 7.78 million

Source: Statistics from 2013 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses

Reformed PresbyterianismPentecostalBaptistsLutheranMethodistsChurch of GodQuakers-- Mennonites and Amish-- Church of the Nazarene Pro

test

antis

m

33

Eastern Orthodox

Greece, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, Georgia, Czech,

Serbia, Poland, Cyprus, Finland, Albania, Antiochian

Chalcedonean Orthodox

451 1054 1521 1800s

Non Chalcedonean Orthodox

Armenian, Coptic, Eritrean, Ethiopian, Indosyrian, Syrian

Time

Non

Chr

istia

ns

Mormons 1820sSeventh Day Adventists 1863Jehovah Witnesses 1870Christian Science 1879Scientology 1954 New Age 1960s

Undivided Church

Roman

Cat

holic

Old Catholic

United Catholic

Anglican, Episcopal (Church of England)

Bible Student movement’s Leadership

Laymen’s Home Missionary Movement

Associated Bible Students

Jehovah’s WitnessesWatch Tower Society

Free Bible Students

1870 - 1916Pastor Charles Russell

Joseph Franklin Rutherford in 1917-1941

Nathan H. Knorr 1942 -1977

Governing Body 1977 - present

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

They consider the above to be unscriptural doctrines

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 SocietyAs of March 2013, the Watch Tower Society has published 181 million copies of the New World Translation in 117 language editionsOften, the verses presented represent radical departures from orthodox Christian beliefs.

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.

“Jesus is God’s appointed Judge who determines what each one’s future will be. http://www.jw-media.org/aboutjw/article31.htm#bible

They teach that Jesus was God's first creation. (Colossians 1:15) 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.   

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).

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 Jehovah’s rulership and fighting God’s enemies, Michael lives up to the meaning of his name—“Who Is Like God?” But who is Michael?

Who Is Michael the Archangel? at http://www.jw.org/en/publications/books/bible-teach/who-is-michael-the-archangel/

The Bible states that “Michael and his angels battled with the dragon…and its angels.”(Rev 12:7).

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 19:14-16)

Who Is Michael the Archangel? at http://www.jw.org/en/publications/books/bible-teach/who-is-michael-the-archangel/

The apostle Paul mentions “the Lord Jesus” and “his powerful angels.” (2 Thessalonians 1:7; Matthew 16:27; 24:31; 1

Peter 3:22)

So the Bible speaks of both Michael and “his angels” and Jesus and “his angels.”(Matthew 13:41)

Since God’s Word nowhere indicates that there are two armies of faithful angels in heaven—one headed by Michael and one headed by Jesus—it 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-teach/who-is-michael-the-archangel/

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.

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 5:19; 14:10; 17:8.

Source:- The Watchtower 2009-09-01

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." ∞ Electricity

Source:- http://www.jw.org/en/publications/books/bible-teach/baptism-and-your-relationship-with-god/

Baptism involves complete immersion in water, Matthew 3:16.Steps leading to baptism begin with taking in knowledge and showing faith followed by repentance, conversion, and the dedicating of oneself to God.—John 17:3; Acts 3:19; 18:8.To make a dedication to Jehovah, you must disown yourself, Mark 8:34.Baptism symbolizes dying to one’s former way of life and becoming alive to do God’s will.—1 Peter 4:2.Being baptized into an "Organization" rather than the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

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,

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.

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

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.

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 7:4). 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 37:8)