Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 19
February 8, 1968
NUMBER 39, PAGE 6b-7a

The False Witnesses

Dale Smelser

The religious organization, "Watchtower Bible and Tract Society," also known as "Jehovah's Witnesses," is at some embarrassment in explaining present positions and doctrines contrary to what they formerly held. The reason for their embarrassment is obvious: Is it possible for God's true witness to have taught falsehood in the past? And if they taught error (lies), how can they be considered God's true witnesses? But partially because of the pressure of what is contemporarily palatable' in religion they have given up what they conveniently can, relinquishing doctrines they had formerly advocated in making converts — and admit the change The delusion of their present followers is evident in that an intellectually honest person would not like to have doctrines that were factors in his conversion repudiated. Would that not nullify the validity of his conversion and show that it was not to God? And if they taught false doctrine in the past, where is the assurance that doctrines they now press as they ridicule the faith of others will not someday be repudiated, thus the implied admission that others were right all along?

A person who has observed the evolution of the "Witnesses" is familiar with many changes they have tried to conceal. Perhaps though, more general awareness of this spiritual legerdemain has forced them to admit past error and seek to justify it by advocacy of a continuing progressive revelation from God, whereas the acceptable faith, though progressively revealed in the first century, became before the close of that era, "The faith that was once for all time delivered to the holy ones" (Jude 3, NW), and was recorded in the inspired scriptures, "That the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work" (II Tim. 3:17, NW). These passages leave no room for the claim that Jehovah continues to reveal his will to any people since then apart from what he gave then, which was full, complete, perfect.

Watchtower duplicity is singularly evident in that they claimed guidance from Jehovah in doctrines now repudiated. If the old doctrines were not from Jehovah, how can one be sure the new ones are? If one is sure that new ones are, he is no more sure than were earlier Witnesses of earlier doctrines. He cannot logically just put his faith in the Organization, for it is the organization that has been admittedly wrong and misled. The Witness logically makes the same plea in doing this as the Roman Catholic. The latter's hope is in one "infallible" man who changes doctrines upheld by earlier infallible men (e.g., not eating and eating meat on Friday), and his faith is not diminished or troubled thereby; whatever the "church" says is true. The hope of the Witness is identical in nature. The Catholic has his pope and hierarchy (church), and the Witness has his President and Authoritative Organization. I wouldn't sneeze for the difference. An organization that is wrong isn't the organization of omniscient Jehovah.

Rationalizing their changes, "The Watchtower" declaims: "Some have called Jehovah's Witnesses `false prophets' because, in times past, they have viewed things a certain way and, later, have made a change through their official publications...False prophets do not correct themselves" (June 1, 1966, p. 331). No? Smart ones will when there is an advantage to be gained.

The year 1914 is big with the Witnesses. They believe that then Christ began his reign and the conquering of his enemies. If this were true, which the scriptures do not allow, what does it have to do with them? They didn't begin that year. Their organization had been inexistence for years and they by their own claim didn't really get rolling good until 1919 (Loc. Cit.). Nevertheless, they needed a significant date to make them significant, and what year in that time was more so than the year World War I began? So, through verbal pyrotechnics people are led to believe that 1914 has a great deal to do with them. That year was arrived at by beginning with the fall of Jerusalem and using unrelated numbers in the scriptures with imagined and unjustified significance which they added up to 1914. To do this they dated the fall of Jerusalem at 606 B.C. and explained their calculation in a book published in 1943 (The Truth Shall Make You Free, p. 237). But because of various difficulties with history and their mathematical calculation a 1963 book of theirs changed the fall to 607 B.C. (Babylon The Great Has Fallen, p. 180). And do you know what? Using the same set of numbers and beginning with a different date they still by manipulation came' out with the year 1914. Wow!

But to the marrow: Jesus Christ is the faithful witness (Rev. 1:5), and because of this, his doctrine is true and does not change. The apostles having first hand knowledge of his resurrection, and thus the ability to so testify, are his witnesses (Acts 1:8) and their doctrine is not contradictory. It is impossible to have been truly witnesses of Jehovah all along while teaching at different times contrary doctrines. The present day sect calling themselves so indict themselves as False Witnesses.

Put your faith in the faithful witness, Christ, and His word; not in men and their organizations. P.O. Box 95, Zion, Illinois 60099