THE HISTORY OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESS Charles Taze Russell, born Feb. 16, 1852, was the founder
THE HISTORY OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESS
A
Charles Taze Russell, born Feb.
16, 1852, was the founder of "Zion's
Watch Tower Tract Society", who later
became known as Jehovah's Witnesses.
Russell lived in Pittsburg and He was
not educated beyond the seventh grade,
he had no theological training, and knew
neither Greek nor Hebrew. Russel's
church background was Scotch-Irish
Presbyterian, although he became an
agnostic early in life. Later he
returned to the study of the scriptures
and became convinced that the Bible did
not really teach such doctrines as the
Trinity, the Diety of Christ, the Bodily
resurrection of Christ and the existance
of hell. In 1884 he and a group of like
minded people formed the "Zion's Watch
Tower Tract Society". Russell perjured
himself in court, and his wife was given
a decree of divorce because the Judge of
the High Court of Ontario opined that no
woman of ordinary sensibility could live
with a man of so much egotism and
arrogance. Russell wrote numerous
articles and published a six-volume
series of books entitled, "Studies in
the Scriptures". Russell proclaimed
himself "the faithful and wise servant"
of Luke 12:42. Russell died in 1916.
B
Joseph Franklin Rutherford succeeded
Russell. Joseph Rutherford or "Judge
Rutherford" as he was called, was sent
to the Atlanta penitentiary for sedition
in 1918, and was released in March,
1919. He became a martyred hero to the
Witnesses. Rutherford was a lawyer and a
special judge in the absence of the
regular judge of the Eighth Judicial
Circuit Court of Boonville, Missouri
prior to 1909. In 1917, he was
unanimously chosen to succeed Russell.
He held the position of President of the
Society until his death in 1942. Some
of his accomplishments were as follows;
1. He wrote a book a year, plus
numerous articles for the
"Watchtower" and "The Golden Age"
and successive editions of the
"Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses".
2. He revealed the new name for the
Society as "Jehovah's Witnesses" in
1931. The name was supposedly
revealed by God from Isaiah 43:10.
3. He did help the cause of religious
freedom by winning many cases in
the U S Supreme Court as well as in
State Supreme Courts.
C
Nathan H. Knorr succeeded Rutherford as
President of the Jehovah's Witnesses
immediately after Rutherfords' death.
Knorr had been a bodyguard for
Rutherford, so he was familiar
with the duties of the President. Knorr
founded a committee that set the groups'
doctrine and published its' articles,
instead of having one man doing all the
writing. Two of the most popular and
dangerous books to come out of this
committee were "Let God be True" and
"The New World Translation of the Holy
Scriptures".
JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES
THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST
I. THE J.W. POSITION ON THE RESURRECTION
OF CHRIST
A
"THE KING, CHRIST JESUS, WAS PUT TO
DEATH IN THE FLESH AND WAS
RESURRECTED AN INVISIBLE SPIRIT
CREATURE." WATCHTOWER BIBLE AND TRACT
SOCIETY, PG. 22, EDITION 1946.
B
"IN HIS RESURRECTION HE WAS NO MORE
HUMAN. HE WAS RAISED AS A SPIRIT
CREATURE."-- "THE KINGDOM IS AT
HAND", WATCHTOWER BIBLE AND TRACT
SOCIETY, PG. 258.
C
THE WATCHTOWER BIBLE AND TRACT
SOCIETY, IN "STUDIES IN THE
SCRIPTURE", PG. 129, VOLUME 2, HAS
EVEN SUGGESTED THAT "CHRIST'S BODY
WAS DISSOLVED INTO GASSES" OR
"PRESERVED SOMEWHERE AS THE GRAND
MEMORIAL OF GOD'S LOVE".
D
THE J.W. BELIEF CENTERS AROUND 1
PETER 3:18. THIS VERSE SAYS THAT
CHRIST WAS "MADE ALIVE IN THE
SPIRIT".
E
"DEMATERIALIZING HIS ASSUMED HUMAN
BODY AND RETURNING TO HIS INVISIBLE
SPIRIT STATE, JESUS IN HIS ASCENSION
RAN NO RISK TO HIS LIFE SUCH AS FROM
RADIATION BELTS AROUND THE EARTH OR
COSMIC RAYS IN OUTER SPACE. WHILE HE
DID NOT ASCEND TO HEAVEN IN THE HUMAN
BODY THAT HE HAD SACRIFICED AND THAT
HE LEFT FOREVER UPON GOD'S ALTAR, HE
DID RETURN TO HEAVEN WITH THE MERIT
OR VALUE OF HIS HUMAN LIFE THAT HE
HAD LAID DOWN FOR DYING MANKIND."--
"LET YOUR NAME BE SANCTIFIED", PG.
272.
II. WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES CONCERNING
THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST:
A
1 COR. 15:14 "IF CHRIST HAS NOT
BEEN RAISED, THEN OUR PREACHING IS
VAIN, YOUR FAITH ALSO IS VAIN"
B
"THE WORD "RESURRECTION" IN THE
BIBLE IS NEVER APPLIED TO SOUL OR
SPIRIT OF MAN."-- "J.W.'S AND THE
RESURRECTION" PORTLAND TRACT SOCIETY.
C
JOHN 2:19 "DESTROY THIS TEMPLE, AND
IN THREE DAYS I WILL RAISE IT UP."
THEN VERSE 21 "BUT HE WAS SPEAKING OF
THE TEMPLE OF HIS BODY." THE GREEK
WORD "SOMA" IS TRANSLATED "BODY"
THROUGHOUT THE NEW TESTAMENT, AND
THAT IS THE WORD JOHN USES.
D
LUKE 24:39 "SEE MY HANDS AND MY
FEET, THAT IT IS I MYSELF; TOUCH ME
AND SEE, FOR A SPIRIT DOES NOT HAVE
FLESH AND BONES AS YOU SEE THAT I
HAVE." THIS SHOWS THAT IS WAS NOT
ONLY A BODY OF FLESH AND BONE, BUT
ALSO THE SAME BODY THAT WAS
CRUCIFIED.
LATER IN LUKE 24, VS. 42 43 HE EATS
FOOD. SOMETIMES J.W.'S ATTEMPT TO
EXPLAIN THIS BY 1 COR 15:44 AS A
"SPIRITUAL BODY". PAUL STILL USES
THE WORD "SOMA" FOR BODY IN THIS
VERSE SO A SPIRITUAL BODY IS NOT "A
SPIRIT".
E
CONCERNING 1 PETER 3:18, THIS VERSE
ONLY PROVES THAT IT WAS BY THE SPIRIT
OF GOD THAT CHRIST WAS RAISED AS
MENTIONED IN ROMANS 8:11.
F
THE TRUE TEACHING CONCERNING THE
RESURRECTION OF CHRIST DOES INDEED
DETERMINE A PERSONS ETERNAL DESTINY,
1 COR 15: 14,17 AND ROMANS 10:9.
APPLICATION
1. WRITE THESE VERSES IN YOUR
BIBLE FOR QUICK REFERENCE AND
BECOME FAMILIAR WITH THEM.
2. WHEN DISCUSSING THIS TOPIC WITH
A J.W., DON'T LET THEM STRAY
FROM THE TOPIC. BE SURE TO
DISCUSS ONLY ONE TOPIC AT A
TIME AND REACH A CONCLUSION
BEFORE MOVING ON TO ANOTHER
TOPIC.
3. ALWAYS REMEMBER 1 PETER 3:15
WHEN WITNESSING TO A J.W., OR
ANYONE ELSE FOR THAT MATTER.
4. MEMORIZE OUR THEME VERSE: COL
2:8,9.
5. PRAY !!!
DOWNLOADED FROM COMPUTERS FOR CHRIST HQ
SAN JOSE, CA. 408-997-2790
E-Mail Fredric L. Rice / The Skeptic Tank