the introduction:
It is a terrible distortion that we adopt in our discussions with Jehovah’s Witnesses the method of confronting one verse with another verse, as if the book were divided into two parts, one for them and one for us. Cutting out passages is nothing but a distorted response to heresies. Interacting with the Holy Bible is the only way to preserve our faith and show it as a testimony to the Lord before others. What is required is to be familiar with the Holy Bible and not to waste time searching for heretics.
Written by: Nabil Zagheib
List of topics:
- The unity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
- Holy Trinity
- Explaining the verses they distort to deny the divinity of Christ
- The deity of the Son
- The eternity of Christ
- Holy Spirit
- The divinity of the Holy Spirit
- Cross
- The bodily resurrection of the Savior
- eternal life
- The meaning of the formula of eternity in the commandments and laws of the Old Testament
- the name
- mortal earth
- The kingdom and the end of times
- Old era and new era
- Honoring the lady
- Brotherhood of Christ
- The virgin virgin
- Priesthood and priest
- The priest is a father
- Priest allowances
- Accept the priest's weaknesses
- Confession
- Divine sacrifice
- Chrism anointing (Chrism)
- Anointing of the Sick (Anointing of the Sick)
- Baptism
- Infant baptism
- Icon
- Feasts
- hell
- Intercession
- Honoring relics (relics of saints)
- Incense
In this study, we provide written testimonies on matters of faith that Jehovah’s Witnesses reject. We also do not address what is specific to church life, such as monastic life, liturgical matters, the arrangement of fasts, honorable tradition, prayer for the dead, etc., nor do we mention the concepts that are specific to them.
1. The unity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
When we say that God is one, this does not mean that He is not two, three, or four... That is, God transcends number just as He transcends time and space. God is one, meaning that there is no one like Him. We cannot place Him within the framework of a specific time, place, or number. The Father is the source, and this source poured itself into the Son, and divinity was also poured into the Holy Spirit, so that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit became one entity and one life.
So the three hypostases do not mean three gods. In true faith, God is not limited by time, place, or number. He is in the fullness of time, in the fullness of space, and infinite in number. He is the Infini in the language of mathematics, and he is unique, nothing and no one is similar to him, alone in his nature, he is three persons in one entity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The word “Trinity” was well received by Christians who were looking for phrases and words to defend the correct faith, because it was the closest to expressing the truth, and therefore it was not the phrase “Trinity” that created faith.
Trinitarian reference: Genesis 1:1-3 The Bible begins with the mention of God, the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God.
Genesis 18: 1-15 Abraham’s hospitality to the Trinity. 1 Kings 17:21-22, Isaiah 6:3, Matthew 28:19,
2 Corinthians 13:14 Revelation 4:8
The plural form in Genesis 1:26, Genesis 3:22, Genesis 11:6-7, and similar verses.
And a group of verses in a specific context: Genesis 19-24, Isaiah 48: 12-16, Zechariah 2: 6-9, 2 Timothy 1: 18. And the divine manifestation of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: Matthew 3: 16-17, Mark 1: 10-11, Luke 3. : 22.
3. Explaining the verses that are distorted to deny the divinity of Christ
John 17:3: Jehovah's Witnesses consider that Christ is not the true God, but rather sent by Him. The funny thing is that the passage that includes this verse, John 17:1-13, is one of the most important passages presented at the First Ecumenical Council to highlight the divinity of Christ. The Church reads this passage in one of the fathers of the First Council. The passage begins by talking about the divine glory of the Son until it reaches in verse 10 the idea that everything that the Father has is the Son’s and everything that the Son has is the Father’s. The idea that Christ is sent by God confirms God’s love (John 3:16) and does not deny the divinity of Christ.
Matthew 27:46, 1 Corinthians 11:3, John 20:27, and 1 Timothy 2:5 This group of verses, and every verse similar to it, and every verse in which Christ says “divine,” refer to Christ’s human nature, and this matter does not contradict his divine nature.
John 14: 28. The Father is the source, and this source gave all that He had to the Son: John 16: 15. The Father is the source, and the Son is born of the Father. The Father has his distinction and greatness as the source of divinity, and this matter does not mean that the Father did not put everything and everything that belongs to him into the hands of the Son: John 16:15, 17:10, and Matthew 11:27, 28:18.
In church expression, we say that divinity was poured into the Son. The distinction is in the source, not in the essence, between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Mark 13:32 and Matthew 24:36. Christ’s administration on earth was to save mankind, not to inform the world of times and appointments. Christ came to save us, not to reveal the times. In his plan of salvation, Christ took the form of a slave and obeyed until the cross. Philippians 2:7-11. Yes, for the sake of our salvation, our Lord became a slave. But this matter does not mean that the Son does not have everything that the Father has: John 16:15, John 3:35, Matthew 11:27, 28:18, etc.... The Father placed every matter in the hands of the Son.
John 1:18 “No one has ever seen God; the only Son has been made known in the bosom of the Father.” In their explanation of this verse, Jehovah’s Witnesses say: “Since no one has seen God, then Christ is not God.” The Old Testament prophets and its law told about God before the incarnation of the Son, and children know that God is an invisible spirit. Christ introduced the Jews to God, so they see Him through insight, but insight does not have permission to see Him, that is, perceive Him and know Him. The correct explanation of the verse is: No one knows God, the Son of God tells about God. We find that Isaiah was able to see the glory of God: Isaiah 6: 1 - 6 Does God show Himself to whom He chooses (God chooses Him). We also find that when Christ spoke to Saul (after the ascension), no one saw Him. Saul immediately fell to the ground blinded, so that his companions did not see anyone (Acts 9).
1 Corinthians 15:28 God placed all things under man’s feet Psalm 8:3-6 at creation. The Lord Jesus fulfills this purpose in Psalm 110: 1. The idea of Christ, the Son of Man, who will put all things under His feet, is repeated in Hebrews 2: 6-9. In 1 Corinthians 15, the Apostle Paul tells us in verse 47 that Christ is the second man, the Lord from heaven. The second man, Jesus, is the one who fulfills the divine purpose of placing everything under the feet of man. Christ is the one who will reign until He makes His enemies His footstool. This is because the Church is the body of Christ and He is its head. We realize ourselves in the Church to the extent that we adhere to Christ. And the Lord Jesus, who gave Himself and became obedient to the point of death for us, is not separated from the Church. His body is before the Father on the last day when God is all in all. Rather, God does not look at us on the last day except the face of His only Son, who crushed hell with the lightning of His divinity and who will present His Church (which is In it and its head) to God the Father.
Philippians 2:6 “He did not consider it stealth to be equal with God.” Jehovah’s Witnesses explain this verse as follows: The Son did not argue with himself and did not even secretly desire to be equal with God. But what does the word stealth mean? The word stealth is someone who embezzles, i.e. steals. The second meaning is hidden, a suitable opportunity, that is, his equality with God was not considered a secret (hidden or embezzlement), meaning that the son did not consider his equality with God a theft or a hidden matter.
Revelation 3:14, Colossians 1:15 The beginning of God's creation, the firstborn of all creation. The Greek phrase translated as firstborn in Col 1:15 is “PROTO TOKOS,” which is composed of two words proto, meaning first, and tokos, meaning father. It means creator, origin, or component. Christ is the firstborn of every creation, that is, the Creator, the Origin, and the Component of every creation. Through him all creatures were made, and through him all things were made. John 1:3. Let us pay attention to verse 16, the continuation of verse 15. It means that in Christ and through him creation was completed, and in Genesis 1:1 the heavens are the first creation.
Proverbs 8:22 Wisdom (which refers to Christ) said: The Lord made me at first his way, before his works of old. Does the way of the Lord have a beginning? So the first path is eternity, without beginning. So Christ is eternal.
Luke 18:18-19: “...And Jesus said to him, Why do you call me good? No one is good but one, that is, God.” Here Jesus limits goodness to God. And he does not deny his goodness. It is as if Jesus is saying: Do you confess that I am God? How can He know and take this role, if He is not as good as God the Father? The Lord Jesus also repeated in John 10: “I am the good shepherd.”
Proverbs 8:30: “I was his workman…” Jehovah’s Witnesses consider this verse to indicate that the Son was a servant of the Father. The word “maker” never means “servant.” Maker is the participle of the verb to make. The Maker of the world means the Creator of the world. The Maker is God, Psalm 115:15 and 121:2: “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth,” and Psalm 124:8, 134:3, etc.... Acts 4:24: “...You are the God who made heaven and earth...” Hebrews 11:10: “...the maker and maker of which is God.”
John 16:15 and John 17:10 All that the Father has is the Son’s, and all that the Son has is the Father’s.
Matthew 28:18, John 3:35, Matthew 11:27, and Luke 10:22 The Father has given all authority and everything into the hand of the Son. All authority is not part of the authority.
We find that the Son puts himself in the position of the Father. John 14:7-9 Philip asks Christ to show him the Father, and Christ says to him: “I have been with you for such a long time, and you have not known me, Philip.” Likewise, the Son equated himself with the Father, John 5:18. For this reason, the Jews were seeking more and more to kill him, because he equated himself with God.
John 17:3 and 1 John 5:20 The true God is the Father in John 17:3 and He is the Son in 1 John 5:20.
Psalm 100:3, Psalm 94:5, Zechariah 13:9, Isaiah 52:4, and Matthew 1:21. These verses indicate to us that the people of God in the Old Testament are the people of Christ in the New Testament.
James 4:12 One is the one who gave the law and the lawgiver. This means that the One who established the Ten Commandments, the Law, and the Law is the same one who completed them, that is, he raised them to perfection through love in his Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7. That is, the work of God in lawmaking in the Old Testament is the work of the Son in the New Testament. The one who gave the law completes it, and he is the one who saves and destroys.
Titus 2:13 After continuing to read the passage, we find that the Apostle Paul is talking about one person only, not two. This One is the Great God and He is our Savior Jesus Christ.
Psalm 45:6 “Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever, a scepter of uprightness, the scepter of your kingdom.” Hebrews 1:7-8 Your throne, O God, are words directed to the Son, meaning the Son’s throne is for ever and ever. Jehovah's Witnesses say that Christ is the throne of God, while the Psalms and the Epistle to the Hebrews call on the Son: “O God,” and the angels and cherubim are the throne of God (2 Samuel 6:2 and Psalm 99:1).
John 20:28 and Isaiah 44:6 There is one true God and Thomas declares that Christ is his Lord and God. (He said: My Lord and my God), and the origin of the phrase is the Lord who is mine and the God who is mine.
John 5:22 and Romans 2:2-7.
Malachi 3:1 and Mark 1:2. In Malachi 3:1, the Lord of hosts speaks about the angel who will prepare the way before him, but the angel will prepare the way before Christ. So Christ is the Lord of hosts, and the angel sent is John the Baptist.
Acts 20:28.
Colossians 2:9 Godhead, meaning deity. The word “all” is sufficient to show the meaning, as well as “fullness” is enough to show it, but the writer used the two words together to indicate his faith, certainty, and clear, shining confirmation of the divinity of Christ. In Colossians 1:19 we find the same meaning.
The Son is in the Father and the Father is in the Son. John 14:10-11, John 10:38, and John 17:21. Likewise, Christ asks that we be in Him, that is, that we be united with Him.
Isaiah 44:6, Isaiah 48:12, and Revelation 1:13-18, how can two persons each be first if they are not one?
In John 10:30, Christ shouts, saying: “I and the Father are one.” In addressing the Father, Christ repeats the following phrase:
“So that they may be one as we are one.” Jehovah's Witnesses consider the phrase “so that they may be one as we are one” as proof of the non-unity of the Son and the Father. They believe that the lack of unity of believers is evidence of the non-unity of the Father and the Son, but Christ said:
“Be ye perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48 Does the imperfection of believers mean the imperfection of the heavenly Father?
Jeremiah 11:20 and John 2:24-25 God is the one who knows the intentions and no one else. Christ knew them all, so Christ is God.
John 1:1 “And God was the Word.” If the predicate is one word, it is in the indefinite case, that is, we remove the definite article from it, as is the case here. So the origin of the word “Ilaha” is: God. Also, on the other hand, if the predicate “Kan” is preceded by “Kan” and its name is “the importance and limitation” of the predicate, then the following phrase: “Thee we glorify, Thee we bless” means that we glorify Thee and bless Thee.
In the end, John the Evangelist introduced the word “God” over “was the Word” in order to direct our attention, so that we would notice his recognition of the divinity of the Son.
Note: “God was the Word” is the literal translation from the Greek. The translation of the idea is “And the Word is God.”
Romans 9:5 Jehovah’s Witnesses say: “And Satan also is a god.” But Satan is not an eternal God or a blessed God. Christians have one blessed and eternal God, the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, Yahweh is God. Jesus takes everything that belongs to the Lord God in the Old Testament. What the incarnation revealed to us is that we have one God, the Father, and one Lord, Jesus Christ.
Matthew 1:22-23 “And she will give birth to a son, whose name will be Emmanuel, which is interpreted, God with us.” The son is Emmanuel, meaning God with us. If the word “Emmanuel” did not carry its meaning, it would not have been explained and interpreted. Matthew 28:20 did not say, “Behold, God is with you,” but rather, “I am with you,” and Christ is with us, according to the explanation of the word Emmanuel. Through the incarnate Son of God, God will be with us.
Isaiah 43: 10-11 and Deuteronomy 32: 39 I, I, He, or I, I, He, means I who exist in Himself, meaning I am. And I am the being means “I am” and He is the being means “Yahweh.” Christ says about himself that he is the one who exists in John 8: 24 and 28 and John 13: 19. “I am that I am” (I am comes as a verb to be: Ihe).
John 8:24, John 8:28, and John 13:19: Christ asks us to believe that He is Him. To believe that He is Jehovah. Christ says about himself, “I am that I am.” That is, I am that I am. That is, I am Jehovah, that is, Christ says about himself that he is Jehovah (that he is he). (Details in the subject name 0)
Acts 10:36 Christ is Lord of all.
Revelation 1:7-8, John 11:25, and John 6:35.
Isaiah 40:3-5 Christ is our God, and who is our God but God?
Revelation 22:3-4 The throne of the Lamb and the Father are one. And they will see his face and his name on their foreheads, confirmation that the Father and the Son are one.
Revelation 21:22 The temple of the heavenly city of Jerusalem is God and He is the Lamb (i.e. Christ).
Revelation 7:15-17 The Son occupies the center of the divine throne, so the Son and the Father are one.
Psalm 18:2, Psalm 18:31, and 1 Corinthians 10:4 The Rock is Christ and God.
Psalm 110:1 The Lord says to my Lord, the Father says to the Son. The Lord said to “the Lord”: My Lord: the Lord who is mine.
John 5:26 “For just as the Father has life in Himself, so He granted the Son to have life in Himself”: “Having life in Himself” is a meaning that goes into explaining the Jewish phrase of Yahweh.
Matthew 26:64 The right hand of power, meaning the one who does the power.
Matthew 2:11 Frankincense is one of the finest types of incense, and incense is only offered to God.
Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” and John 1:3, “All things were made by him, and without him nothing was made that was made.”
Finally, if some still reject that the Son is equal to the Father, Christ asks them to believe in Him since they believe in God: John 14:1, “Do not let your hearts be troubled; you believe in God; believe in me,” and to honor the Son as they honor the Father. John 5:23, “that he may be honored.” All honor the Son as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.”
Proverbs 8:23,30 Micah 5:2 Hebrews 7:1-3
Hebrews 9:14 Revelation 22:13
Opinions about the Holy Spirit vary among groups of Jehovah's Witnesses. Some of them say that the Holy Spirit is the power of God. Some of them say that it is an effect or that it is a breath of air.
But what does the Bible teach us? Isaiah 63:10, Ephesians 4:30, John 14:26, John 15:26-27, John 16:8-14, and Acts 20:28.
So the Holy Spirit grieves, teaches, bears witness, guides, convicts (i.e. rebukes and knocks), hears, informs, appoints bishops, and... He works, He does. 1 Corinthians 12:11 The Spirit works and does. Therefore, He is not just a force, and He also wills. He also orders, plans, sends people, and leads the disciples, as we find in the Acts of the Apostles.
Matthew 3:16 The descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove does not indicate that the Holy Spirit is merely a force, as the dove indicates and symbolizes the Holy Spirit.
John 20:22 This verse does not indicate that the Holy Spirit is merely a breath of air or merely the power of God as Jehovah's Witnesses interpret it. The verses they use tell us how the Holy Spirit gives the power of God. 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 It is the Holy Spirit who distributes gifts. Likewise, he is the one who distributes God’s blessings to humans. He is the one who grants divine power.
7. The divinity of the Holy Spirit
Hebrews 3:7-9 In the Old Testament, the Jews tempted “God,” and the Holy Spirit says, “Your fathers have tempted me.” This means that the Holy Spirit is God.
1 Corinthians 2:10 Who can search the depths of God but God?
1 Corinthians 3:16 and 1 Corinthians 6:19 The Holy Spirit is God and we are His temple.
1 John 5:6-9, the Holy Spirit bears witness (verse 6). Those who bear witness on earth, i.e. man (verse 8). If we accept the testimony of people, then the testimony of God is greater (verse 9): The testimony of God in verse 9 is the testimony of the Holy Spirit in verse 6.
Acts 7:51 The Jews were resisting God and tempting Him during their transition from Egypt, the land of slavery, to Palestine, the promised land. In his words, Stephen does not separate between God and the Holy Spirit.
Acts 10:1-20 God sent the men (sent by his angel). And the Spirit said to Peter, “I sent men,” so the Holy Spirit is God.
Acts 5:3-4: Lying to the Holy Spirit means lying to God. There is no separation between the Holy Spirit and God.
The word cross sometimes means torment in the Bible. Why was the cross chosen as a symbol of suffering? Why did Christ not say: “...and he will take up his cross and follow me,” or “...he will take up his pillar and follow me,” but rather he said “...and he will take up his cross and follow me.”
When we say in our prayers: “Today he was hung on a tree,” and when the Bible says that Christ was hung on a tree, this does not mean that Christ was not hung on the cross. The cross of Christ was historically made of wood.
The cross was the wooden instrument of death, the instrument of torment and death. Until the cross became a symbol of torment. Jehovah's Witnesses wonder if someone is killed with a gun, do the loved ones of the person killed honor the gun? So why do Christians honor the cross? Christians should destroy their crosses.
- 1) We notice here a recognition of the cross.
- 2) With the death of Christ on the cross, the curse was lifted from man. On the cross, the process of salvation began and the cross became a symbol of salvation.
1 Corinthians 1:22-23 The Jews wanted a supernatural work in order to believe, they wanted a miracle, so they could not believe in Christ hanging on the cross. The Greeks wanted a deep philosophy in order to believe, they wanted philosophical good news, which is why the hanging Christ was foolishness to them. Likewise, Jehovah's Witnesses cannot accept the cross.
1 Corinthians 1:18, Gal 6:14, Matthew 27:32-42, Mark 15:16-32, Luke 23:26, John 19:25-31, and the word “wood” has no specific shape.
Deuteronomy 21:23, Galatians 3:13-14, a reference to Deuteronomy 21:22-23 The meaning of the idea: He whom you made a curse has given us the promise of the Holy Spirit and eternal life.
9. The bodily resurrection of Christ
1 Peter 3:18 Jehovah's Witnesses explain this sentence as follows: When Christ died, it was in the body, but only his spirit rose. The body evaporated in the grave and vanished, or an angel took it out and hid it, or... But 1 Peter 3:18-20 Christ went in his spirit to hell to preach the good news to those who disobeyed in the past. Death did not have power over Christ, but Christ went to hell to save people and to seek Adam.
What is the resurrection of Christ according to Jehovah's Witnesses? They deny it indirectly, and they deeply attack the resurrection on which the good news of the apostles and disciples was based. 1 Corinthians 15:14 and 17, 1 Peter 3:18. After reading the passage, we find that it speaks of Christ setting out in his spirit to preach the gospel to those in hell. While he was in the grave in body, he was in hell in spirit since he is God, that is, he set out in his eternal spirit to preach good news to those in hell.
1 Corinthians 15:45 and 50 are used by Jehovah’s Witnesses to deny the bodily resurrection of Christ, but why do we separate the verses from the passage 1 Corinthians 15:35-50? We find a description of the resurrection of believers in judgment, and we also find a comparison between the first earthly man: Adam, and the heavenly second man: Jesus Christ. .
1 Corinthians 15:45 This verse does not mean that Christ did not have a body or that he did not rise in his body, but rather it means that Christ lives by his spirit and of course by his divine spirit.
Jehovah's Witnesses do not know the teaching of the Church. The Bible says that the resurrected body is a glorified and luminous body. In 1 Corinthians 15:35-50 we find the following designations: an animal body and a spiritual body, the earthy and the heavenly. He did not say that he would be raised as a spirit, but rather that he would be raised as a spiritual body.
Jehovah's Witnesses say that Jehovah's redemption of the body of Christ means that He redeems the ransom for mankind's salvation. It seems that they do not read the Bible, which says that Christ, by his victory over death and resurrection, saved man. The salvation of humans is not a matter of bartering for the body of Christ, and death is not the victor and the one who holds the body of Christ as a ransom for humans (1 Corinthians 15:55).
Genesis 2:24, Ephesians 5:31, and 1 Corinthians 6:16: “The two shall become one flesh...” meaning one entity. The word body SARKS in Greek (Sarks) in the Bible means human entity means person. We find in the Bible a second phrase, SOMA, which means body, meaning flesh and blood, and it has been translated into the Arabic word body. The phrase used in 1 Peter 3:18 is Sarex, which means the human entity, not Soma, which means the body, and in 1 Peter 4:1 Christ suffered in the body, the phrase is also Sarex, not Soma. Jehovah's Witnesses relying on 1 Peter 3:18 to deny the resurrection of Christ through Sarcasm means denying the resurrection of Christ in the human entity, meaning Jehovah's Witnesses deny the resurrection of Christ completely and in detail.
Christ changed his appearance before the crucifixion Matthew 17:1-2 Luke 4:28-30 John 8:59 and after the resurrection Mark 16:12 and because of weak faith (Thomas) John 20:27 and a closed mind Luke 24:45 This is why some did not know him.
1 Corinthians 15:14 and 17 The Savior himself told his disciples that he would rise on the third day Matthew 16:21, Mark 8:31, Luke 9:22. About the resurrection of Christ Matthew 12:38-40, John 2:19-22 Acts 1: 3 and 2: 31. About bodily resurrection: Matthew 28: 9, Mark 16: 6-8, Luke 24: 1-3 and 36-43, John 20: 19-27.
Acts 24:15 Hope in the resurrection of the dead and life in the age to come. We rest in the hope of resurrection and eternal life that comes to us from the Eucharist, that is, from the Holy Grail: John 6: 53-56.
The animal soul has an earthly source, that is, it is mortal, Genesis 1:20-25. The human soul has a divine source in addition to dust, Genesis 2:7, and the breath of life is not the breath of air... Sin is the death of the soul, Ezekiel 18:4, 20-21, Ephesians 2:1, Matthew 10:28, Col 2:13.
The body (the Greek word SOMA) is not a prison for the soul or an evil that must be fought. It belongs to the Lord and not to sin. It is the temple of God: 1 Corinthians 6: 13, 15, 19, 20 Here is the body, meaning SOMA, and the Greek word SARKS, also translated “flesh” in Arabic, refers to the ancient man, to the ancient Adam. The word Pnevma translated as “spirit” refers to the whole human being as he is under the influence of the Lord. 1 Corinthians 6:17, that is, the new man, the new Adam. In Galatians 5:16-26, the talk is about the conflict between the old man and the new man, Romans 6:6 and not between. Matter and spirit, as philosophies say. In the book, there is no separation or conflict in the human entity between the body and the soul. John 1:14 The Word became flesh, that is, he became human. Christians honor the remains and remains of the saints (holy relics) because bodies in Christianity are the temple of God.
Ecclesiastes 12:5-7, Daniel 12:2, Matthew 22:31-32, Matthew 25:46, Luke 16:19-31, Luke 20:37-38, John 5:28-29, Revelation 6:9 - 10 (Only martyrs pass into eternal life without general judgment).
11. The meaning of the formula of eternity in the commandments and laws of the Old Testament
Genesis 17:13: Circumcision of the body forever. Exodus 29:9 and 40:15 The Levitical-Jewish priesthood forever. Numbers 10:8 The use of the trumpet by the priests is an eternal obligation. Exodus 29:28 nor 17:5-7 eternal statutes regarding bloody animal sacrifices. Exodus 27:20-21 Nor 24:2-3: It is a perpetual obligation to offer olive oil for the light in the tabernacle. Exodus 12:14 and 17: They will keep forever the day on which they came out of Egypt, and they will forever keep unleavened bread on this day. Exodus 28:43 It is an eternal statute for Aaron and his sons. 16:29-34, and 10:15, and 6:22, and 23:14, and 21, and 31, and 41, and 24:8-9, the formula of eternity for the laws, etc.... The use of the formula of eternity in the commandments and laws of the Old Testament does not mean that it is They still stand now, as all the commandments, laws, and promises of the Old Testament found their final meaning in Christ Jesus. Christ is the gateway to understanding the Old Testament. With Christ a new era began. Everything is new, for example: the cross moved from a tool of curse to a tool of salvation.
Thus, the formula of eternity in Ecclesiastes 1:4, Psalm 104:5, Exodus 3:15, etc. is like the formula of eternity in the books of the Old Testament. With Christ everything is new. new era.
Hebrews 8:13 There is no return to the law of the Old Testament and its concepts, because Christ is the universal truth of which the Old Testament, its laws, its sanctities, its promises, and its commandments were only symbols and shadows.
Members of Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the word Jehovah is a proper name for the Creator. In Exodus 3:13-15, Moses asks God about His name. God answers: “I am who I am,” and then says: “Yahweh.” Jehovah's Witnesses cannot explain why God called himself "I AM" and "Jehovah" in his response to Moses. We note that God, at the beginning of His answer, did not say “My name is “I am” or “Yahweh,” but rather He said: “I am who I am.” That is, the direct answer to the question was “I am,” which “I am,” not “Yahweh” or “I am.” The direct answer to God was a verb, not a noun. The Hebrew phrase is “…I AM, Asher, I AM…I AM…YHWH…”. The literal translation into Arabic is: “…I am who I am…I am…it is…” Here it was a perfect verb meaning it happened, not the imperfect past tense.
It is the custom of ancient peoples to invent gods for themselves, and it is their custom to name their gods. That is why when Moses asked the Lord about His name, the Lord answered him, “I am the One who exists.” That is, it is not a people that formed me, but rather I am who I am, “I am who I am.” That is, I am the subject in the act of my being. I am what I am and not the other being, i.e. I am the source of what I am.
From here we understand why the Lord chose the phrase “heh” in Hebrew and “it happened” in Arabic (noting that the verb was (it happened) in Arabic does not carry the full meaning of the Hebrew verb heh, which means the being itself) in response to Moses’ question, “What is your name?”, a question mixed with atmosphere. paganism. The pagans are the ones who name their gods.
Just as Jehovah's Witnesses acknowledge that Ihe and Jehovah are present tenses of the verb heh, they acknowledge that the two verbs in Exodus 3:14-15 mean the same thing. Heyah in Hebrew means: the entity itself, that is, the existing one, and it also means the eternal and eternal being who has no beginning and no end.
Do the noun and the proper name mean the same thing in the language? Matthew 28:19: Here what is the meaning of the word name? Of course, the name here is an indication and a symbol of the person. For example, Genesis 17:5, “And your name will no longer be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham; for I will make you the father of a multitude of nations.” So the name is an indication of what is called, that is, it is an image and manifestation of the essence and the person. Therefore, when Moses asked God about His name, God answered him, “I am who I am.”
God has been known in the Holy Bible by many names: Lord of lords, Lord of hosts, Lord of hosts, the mighty, the most high, the King of kings... All of these names, in addition to the name of the being (Yahweh), give us and explain to us some divine attributes and advantages. Jeremiah 48:15 “…the Lord of hosts is his name.”
For the Jews, the word “Yahweh” was written and not pronounced. The word “Lord” was pronounced in its place (the word “Lord” in Arabic is equivalent to “Adonai” in Hebrew. The word “Adon” in Hebrew means “Lord” in Arabic).
Then the word “Adonai” began to accompany the word “Jehovah” in the writings until it began to replace it.
In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, which began in the third century B.C., the Alexandrian Jews translated Yahweh as the Greek Kyrios.
The Greek word Kyrios is a translation of the Hebrew Adonai, meaning the Arabic Lord. In all the Septuagint translations, we do not find the word Yahweh, but rather Kyrios, the Hebrew translation of Adonai.
Therefore, the Greek word Kyrios was replaced by the word Jehovah, and in the New Testament the word Kyrios was used for Christ. We also see that Christ took the names of God in the Old Testament.
The word “I am” in Exodus 3:14-15 is translated as “being” in Greek.
The word Yahweh, with its four letters (YH and H), does not exist in the New Testament. Christ never uttered the word Jehovah. We do not find a single commandment in the New Testament calling for preserving the word “Jehovah.”
Whoever examines the Old Testament always finds that God does not limit Himself to a specific name, but rather confirms that He is, that He is.
This is because the word of Jehovah became related, linked, and contained to Jesus Christ. The word Jesus is a Hebrew word and a diminutive of the word Yehoshua or Yehoshua, which means “Jehovah the Savior.” Jehovah's Witnesses acknowledge this. Matthew 1:21 “She will give birth to a son, and you will call his name Jesus; for he will save his people from their sins.” That is, today we are in the era of Jehovah the Savior, that is, Jesus Christ, and separating the word of Jehovah from Jesus and calling for it alone is a rejection of the divine intention and plan to save man.
Acts 1:8 Christ asks us to be his witnesses.
Acts 9:15-18: Paul bears the name of Jesus and no other name, and he suffers for the name of Jesus and not for the name of another.
Acts 4:10-12 The name of Jesus and there is no other name under heaven was given among men for salvation.
Matthew 12:17-21 Hope in the name of Jesus and in the name of Jesus only.
Matthew 28:19, John 12:13, John 14:14, John 14:26, John 15:16, John 16:23-24. What is the meaning of the word name? Of course, it is an indication of the person.
Other indications of God in the Old Testament: Isaiah 47:4, Isaiah 51:15, and 54:5, Jeremiah 31:35, Jeremiah 46:18, Jeremiah 50:34... These verses tell us that the name of God is the Lord of hosts.
Lord of hosts = power. We find the name of the Lord of hosts in the passages that talk about God’s power and might.
The name “Lord of hosts” and the name “Jehovah” are sometimes mixed in one name, for example Amos 4:13 and Hosea 12:5.
Review of the topic “The Meaning of the Formula of Eternity in the Commandments and Laws of the Old Testament.”
Jehovah's Witnesses use verses similar to Ecclesiastes 1:4, Psalm 104:5, Psalm 119:90 to say that the earth is imperishable. But Psalm 102:25-26, Isaiah 65:17, 66:22, Heb 13:14, 2 Pet 3:13, and Revelation 21:1-2.
The Fathers of the Old Testament waited for the heavenly homeland and understood that it was the Promised Land: Hebrews 11:9-16.
14. The Kingdom and the End of Times
Matthew 3:1-2 and Matthew 4:17 The Lord Jesus and John the Baptist prepare their contemporaries to receive the Kingdom of God. Luke 17:20-21: The Kingdom of God is within us. Through his death and resurrection, Christ cast out Satan and saved humanity, John 12:31.
Is the kingdom a tangible, material life or a non-material spiritual life? The answer is 1 Corinthians 15:42-49. The kingdom is a new creation and not a restoration of the first creation.
Luke 17:20-21 The Kingdom is not something external that we see and anticipate. Rather, it is within us and deep within us. The Kingdom is life with God.
1 Pet 1:20 and Heb 1:2 and 9:26... With Christ we have come to the end of times. Matthew 3:1-2 and 4:17 With Christ I accept the kingdom of God. Matthew 12:28 And the Day of Judgment will be finalized.
Is the vision literal or symbolic? Revelation 12. Revelation 7:4-8, a symbolic number (144,000), and Israel here is a symbol of the people of God, that is, those who believe in Christ.
End of times
Acts 1:6-8, Matthew 24:36, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3, 2 Pet 3:8-10, Psalm 90:4.
15. Old Testament and New Testament
Hebrews 8:6-13, 9:1, and 12:24, a summary of the Epistle to the Hebrews, a comparison between the First (Old) Testament and the New Testament. Hebrews 10:1 The Old Testament contains shadows, but the New Testament contains the truth and good things that were reflected in their shadows in the Old Testament. Hebrews 9:12-26 The blood of goats and calves is the blood of the first covenant, the blood of Christ is the blood of the new covenant. 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 and 2 Corinthians 3:12-16... The New Testament book explains the Old Testament incidents that remain signs that can only be understood by Christ Jesus.
Genesis 14:18-20 and Heb 7:1-10 Melchizedek blesses Abraham, and Abraham gives him a tenth of everything.
The journey of the Old Testament began with Abraham, who received the blessing from Melchizedek, and Melchizedek is an image of Christ the priest and king. That is, with the blessing of Jesus Christ, the priest-king, the journey of the Old Testament began.
Luke 1:48 We honor her generation after generation.
Luke 1:41-45 When he heard the voice of Mary’s words, the baby leaped in Elizabeth’s womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. That is why we honor her and call her blessed (Luke 1:48). We honor her because Jesus Christ was born from her. We find the features of this honor in Luke 11: 27 - 28. We honor her first because the Almighty did great things through her, meaning that he was born from her, and secondly because she heard the word of God and kept it Luke 2: 51. Thus, beatitude is also for everyone who keeps the word of God. Hence we honor the one who memorizes the word of God in his life and we call him “the saint.” Luke 1:43 Mary is the Mother of God, meaning the Mother of God.
Genesis 12:5, Genesis 13:8, Genesis 14:12-16, Genesis 29:1-15, and Exodus 2:11 Abram calls Lot a brother, and he is his nephew. Jacob, Laban's nephew, calls him his brother.
What does the word brother mean? Of course, it is not a womb partner, meaning it does not mean a sibling. Brothers are also relatives.
A sibling is a brother, but a brother is not necessarily a brother. So in Matthew 13:55 there is no evidence (in the entire Bible) that Jesus' brothers were his brothers. They are his relatives. The book explains that Jesus' brothers, James, Joses, Simon, and Judas, are the children of Mary other than Mary, the mother of Jesus. Matthew 27:56, Mark 15:40-41 and Luke 24:10.
The mother of Christ is known as Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the mother of James, Joses, Simon, and Judas is called Mary, which is not Mary, the mother of Jesus. The mother is known by the name of her firstborn son.
Luke 24:10 (Mary, the mother of James) The second Mary is known as the mother of James.
John 19:25 Is it reasonable for two sisters to be called by the same name? She is her relative, not her sister. Sister here, i.e. nearby.
Exodus 13:1-16 The firstborn is the opener of the womb. The phrase “firstborn” does not necessitate that there is a second son, but rather the one who opened the womb, Matthew 1:25, her firstborn son.
John 19:25-27 If Mary had had a son other than Jesus, he would not have handed her over to his disciple, knowing that the aforementioned brothers of Christ were loyal to the church. Acts 1:14 James was one of the pillars of the church, Galatians 1:19, 2:9, and 1 Corinthians 15:7.
Matthew 1:25 Does it mean that Joseph knew Mary after she gave birth to Jesus? What does the word even mean?
Psalm 110:1 Does it mean that the Son will depart from the Father’s right hand after the Father makes the Son’s enemies a footstool for the Son’s feet? Here the word (until) means in order to.
Isaiah 22:14 and John 9:18 correspond to Matthew 1:25. The negation includes the previous period without referring to the future.
They will not forgive until you die.
He didn't know her until she was born.
They couldn't believe it until they were invited.
But the Jews continued in disbelief after the family's invitation. So Matthew 1:25 does not mean that Joseph knew Mary after she gave birth to Jesus.
Luke 1:31-35 How does the virgin Mary tell the angel that she does not know a man while she is engaged? Why was Mary surprised when the angel told her that she would become pregnant and give birth if she were to live a normal life between a man and a woman? The answer is that Mary dedicated herself to virginity, which is why she wondered and wondered.
Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin and not, behold, a virgin. The difference between the two words is that a virgin, defined by “the” definition, means perpetual virginity, but a virgin without “the” definition is not obligatory to remain a virgin.
The word virgin in Hebrew comes in two terms. The first is “Betula,” which is translated in Greek as “partenos,” and refers to a separated virgin girl who is not engaged. The second phrase, “Alma,” whose Greek translation is “Neanis,” refers to a virgin girl who is engaged to a man, that is, one who is under the supervision of a man but without meeting him.
The phrase in Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23 is “Alma.” The virgin “Alma” is under the supervision of a man, but without them meeting. Therefore, her pregnancy is truly a sign from heaven: Isaiah 7:14.
Hebrews 4:14, Hebrews 7:11-17, Matthew 5:17-18 In Christ the new priesthood began. High priest. Acts 20:28, in 1:1 The Greek word “elder” in the New Testament refers to the shepherd of the congregation, that is, the priest: Acts 15:22, James 5:14, and Titus 1:5. The phrase in Acts 14:23 and 20:17 refers to priests. .
The appointment of priests: Acts 6:5-6, 1 Tim 4:14, Titus 1:5.
The Bible applies the term “Father” to the one who gives birth to another by faith. Likewise, the Lord Jesus used this phrase in John 8:56 to Abraham. Likewise, Genesis 17:4. To reject and deny this idea found in 1 Corinthians 4:14-17, Galatians 4:19, etc., Jehovah’s Witnesses use Matthew 23:9 that our Father and our reference is the Heavenly Father, and this verse does not deny the idea of the birth of another by faith. Do not deny the call of the one who gives birth to us in Christ “Father,” as we will see:
2 Kings 6:21, John 8:56, 1 Corinthians 4:14-17, 2 Corinthians 6:13, Gal 4:19, 1 Tim 1:2, 2 Tim 2:1, Titus 1:4, Philemon 10. Christ teaches us in Matthew 6 :9 and Matthew 23:9 and Luke 11:2 to call the Heavenly Father our Father, and this matter does not conflict with the command of fatherhood and sonship in Christ 1 Corinthians 4:14-17, Galatians 4:19, Philemon 10, etc....
1 Corinthians 9:7-14, 1 Tim 5:17-18, and 2 Tim 2:6. 1 Tim 4:14, Titus 1:5.
22. Accept the priest’s weaknesses
Gal 2:11-14 The Apostle Peter made a mistake, and the Apostle Paul corrected the mistake and the church continued. Acts 15:36-41 A quarrel and division between the apostles Paul and Barnabas. Thus, despite the weaknesses of the priests, we continue in the Church and the Church continues, because the Church is the body of Christ.
Proverbs 28:13, Matthew 16:19, Matthew 18:15-18, John 20:22-23: The Lord gave the church the power to bind and bind and gave them the authority to resolve cases: Acts 15:19-29. The sacrament of confession in the early church had its form Public, where the repentant confessed his sin to the priest in the middle of the congregation, and the priest, in the name of Jesus Christ, absolved him of his sins.
Genesis 14:18 The appearance of bread and wine preceded the sacrifices of the Old Testament. Then the foundation: Matthew 26:26-28, Mark 14:22-24, Luke 22:19-20: Do this in remembrance of John 6:52-58, Acts 2:42-46 and 20:7-11, 1 Corinthians 10:15. - 16 and 11: 17-29.
25. Chrismation (anointing of the spirit)
1 John 2:20 and 27, 2 Corinthians 1:21 and 22.
26. Anointing of the Sick (Anointing of the Sick)
James 5:14, Mark 6:13.
Matthew 28:19, John 3:5, Acts 19:1-7 and 10:44-48, we are baptized to receive the Holy Spirit and his gifts. We die with Christ so that we may rise with Him. John 3:5 Baptism is the new birth through which we enter the kingdom of God. Heretics prevent children from entering the kingdom through baptism (Matthew 19:13-14, Mark 10:14).
The book tells us about the baptism of entire families, Acts 16:14-15, the baptism of Lydia with her household, Acts 16:25-33, the baptism of the jailer with all his household. The faith of the head of the household is essential for the support of his family (Acts 11:14, 1 Corinthians 1:16). The Apostle Paul baptized the house of Stephen. The baptism of families certainly does not deny the baptism of children.
Not only do we have to baptize children, but we will not enter the kingdom of heaven if we do not return as children. This is because the kingdom of God is for those who are like children. Matthew 18:1-6, Matthew 19:13-14, Mark 10:13-15, Luke 18: 15 – 17.
The commandment to prohibit images in the Old Testament, Deuteronomy 4: 15-19, Exodus 20: 4-5. In the law of the Old Testament, it is not permissible to depict the invisible God. In addition to the people being subject to pagan worship, Deuteronomy 4:15-19, the Old Testament also recommended making paintings of angels (i.e. cherubim, plural of cherub) as part of the worship of God. Exodus 25:17-21, 26:31, 36:35, 37:6-8, 1 Kings 6:19-35, 7:29, 36, and 2 Chronicles 3:10-14. God commands Moses to make a serpent Copper.
Moreover, the Epistle to the Hebrews does not differentiate between the cherub and the cherub plate, and calls the two cherub plates the phrase “cherubim of glory”: Hebrews 9:5. In the New Testament, we have come to depict the invisible God because he became visible, because he was incarnated. We do not depict the ineffable essence of divinity. We do not put pictures of shapes believing that they are God, but rather God, who was incarnated and appeared on earth in a visible body, made us draw this divine body. Likewise, with the incarnation, it became possible to draw those who preceded us on the path of the Lord, on the path of restoring purity to the divine image in man. He placed their drawing with the drawing of cherubs and angels within the framework of the worship of God.
Luke 2:41-44, John 2:13-23, John 4:45 and 5:1 Christ participates in the feasts, and the feasts were held in the Jerusalem temple, and also John 7:2-15. Matthew 5:17-18 has not been annulled. Christ created the holidays, but He completed them. The Jewish Passover has not ended, but there has become a new Passover... Christian holidays are a revival of acts of salvation.
The feasts in the Old Testament were a remembrance and remembrance of what God did when He brought the people out of slavery in Egypt and the things that accompanied the Exodus.
In Isaiah 1:1-20, God rejects the feasts of a people similar to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Christians have no relation to the people of Judah and Jerusalem to whom Isaiah speaks. In Galatians 4:8-11 and every verse similar to it, the apostle rebukes the Galatians for returning to some pagan practices.
Our Christian holidays are not a historical remembrance, but rather an entry into the event and a participation in it.
“Today accept me as a partner,” “Today is the day of resurrection,” “Today hang on a tree,” “Today is the beginning of our salvation.”
Our holidays, or rather our liturgy, mean that today we live in the event. Also, in the liturgy, we live in the Kingdom community with the saints who preceded us on the path of Christ.
The heavenly kingdom is torment for those who did not earn it during their life on earth, this is the torment of hell. Hell is nothing but the burning of the unrepentant in the flames of divine light. This is the fire of eternal torment. Hell is therefore not the place where God is absent, but rather the burning of sinners with the fire that illuminates the righteous. Isaiah 66:24, Daniel 12:2, Matthew 3:12, 5:22, 29-30 Matthew 10:28, 18:8-9, Matthew 25:41, 46, Mark 9:43-48, Revelation 20:10 – 14.
The Old Testament tells us how God, for His righteous sake, had mercy on sinners, for example: Genesis 18:23-33, Genesis 20:7, 17-18, Exodus 8:8-13, and James 5:16-18. Then the Old Testament reaches in its course that God is looking for a righteous person who is perfect in his righteousness so that he can have mercy on all people for his sake. The Lord Jesus Christ is the righteous one who stopped the wrath of divine justice, and rained down God's mercy on humanity.
In the time of the New Testament and in the Church, every person is called to pray for others. Romans 15:30, 2 Corinthians 1:11.
Col 4:12, 1 Thessalonians 5:25. Intercession in church life also has a last-day context, as in the icon of intercession we depict the Lord sitting on the throne of judgment, and on either side of him are the Lady and John the Forerunner (or the Baptist) praying for our salvation.
33. Honoring relics (relics of saints)
Relics are what the righteous and saints leave behind after them, for example: their clothes, tools, bodies or the remains of their bodies... What is the value of these remains? What is the value of the ammunition? The bodies of true Christians are sacred as they are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Honoring the relics ultimately goes to their owners. It is not honoring the material as much as it is honoring the owners of the relics.
Joshua 3:15-17: When the feet of the priests carrying the ark were immersed in the water, the flowing waters stopped. 2 Kings 2:8-14, 2 Kings 13:21, Acts 5:15-16, 19:12, 1 Corinthians 6:19, 2 Samuel 6:6-7.
Matthew 2:1-12: The Lord Jesus Christ receives frankincense, which is one of the finest types of incense. And he does not reject it. Rather, he receives offerings of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
- gold A reference to Christ the King, the King of kings.
- Frankincense (The finest type of incense) is a reference to Christ the God. Who is God, the Creator of heaven and earth. Incense is offered to God.
- Bitter A reference to his death as a human being.
In Isaiah 1:1-20: God rejects the offerings of incense and the worship of a people similar to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Christians and believers have no relationship with the people of Judah and Jerusalem to whom Isaiah speaks.
In the Old Testament: God commands the people to make an altar to burn incense: Exodus 30:1, 40:5, 1 Chronicles 28:18, etc. So the Lord commands to make an altar for incense.
Psalm 141:3: Let my prayer be established before you like incense (Sunset Psalm). Proverbs 27:9 and Malachi 1:11.
Revelation 5:8: “…and golden cups full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” Revelation 8:3-4.