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#18 The Facts on Jehovah's Witnesses
Analysis and Critique: Does God Speak
Only Through the Watchtower Society?
Four Tests Examining This Claim
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TEST THREE: If the Watchtower Society is God's sole channel for
communication on earth, then its scholarship should be trustworthy - but is it?
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18. Has the Watchtower Society ever lied, covered up, or changed important
doctrines, dates, and Bible interpretations?
If God actually speaks to all
men through the Watchtower Society - giving prophecy, Bible interpretations, and
other instruction - in looking at the Watchtower materials, it appears He must
change His mind a great deal. These words and our question sound blunt, but we
are only doing what Judge Rutherford told us to do for the Jehovah's Witnesses.
He said in The Golden Age, January 18, 1933, p. 252:
If the message Jehovah's Witnesses are bringing
to the people is true, then it is of greatest importance to mankind. If it is
false, then it is the duty of the clergymen and others who support them to come
boldly forward and plainly tell the people wherein the message is false.
The fact is, the Watchtower
Society leaders have lied and covered up important material. Even the
Watchtower, June 1, 1960, p. 352, encourages "hiding the truth from God's
enemies." They say it is proper to deceive people (God's enemies) but they claim
this is not lying. This is because they have a different definition of lying as
stated in their text Aid to Bible Understanding, p. 1060, where they say
that lying "generally involves saying something false to a person who is
entitled to know the truth . . ." The fact is, however, it is not just
"God's enemies" they have lied to, but their own people.
Here are a few of the changes in dates, prophecies, and
doctrines that the Watchtower Society has made through the years. What is so
condemning is that all of this can be found in its own authoritative writings.
For example, 1) The Watchtower Society changed the beginning
of the "time of the end" from the date 1899 to 1914, 2) it changed the second
coming of Christ from the date 1874 to 1914, 3) it changed the entire nature of
the Second Coming of Christ from an earthly and visible return to a heavenly and
invisible return, 4) it changed the times of the "first resurrection" from the
date 1878 to 1914, and 5) it changed the date of the termination of the 6000
years of creation from the year 1872 to 1972 and then once again to 1975. Why so
many changes? Simple: The predicted events didn't happen. The changes were made
to cover up its false prophecies and to hide the fact that God really hadn't
spoken through it.
Next, here are a few changes the Watchtower Society has made
concerning important doctrines: 1) The Watchtower Society changed its doctrine
concerning life-saving vaccination from commands rejecting it to permission to
accept it; 2) the Watchtower changed the identity of the "Faithful and Wise
Servant" from Charles Taze Russell, its first president, to the Watchtower
Society itself; 3) the Watchtower Society once said the book of Ruth should be
interpreted as history, but later changed and said it should be read as
prophecy; 4) the Watchtower changed the identity of "Abaddon" in Revelation 11,
first saying this angel was Satan, and later saying this was Jesus Christ; 5)
the Watchtower in its early years accepted blood transfusions, but then made
rejection of blood transfusions a key doctrine; 6) the Watchtower first accepted
the worship of Jesus, but now rejects the worship of Jesus; 7) the Watchtower
changed the doctrine concerning the resurrection of the dead - first all
were to be raised, now only some were to be raised; 8) it changed its view of
Israel - from literal (a physical nation) to spiritual (all believers); and 9)
the Watchtower changed the definition of the "superior authorities" found in
Romans 13 from political rulers on earth to God and Jesus in heaven, and then
back again to political rulers on earth.
With all these changes and many more one wonders, "Can the
average Witness know that what he is told is true today won't be declared false
tomorrow?" Former Jehovah's Witness Edmond Gruss in his standard text
Apostles of Denial declares that "thousands of reinterpretations of
Scripture" and many new doctrinal points were developed after Russell's death;
he cites many illustrations. Former Witness William J. Schnell notes, "I had
observed The Watchtower magazine change our doctrines between 1917 and
1928 no less than 148 times . . ." One example is Luke 16:19-31, which has been
interpreted in five different ways. How, then, can the average Jehovah's Witness
know God's true mind on any passage of Scripture?
These are only a sample of the changes the Watchtower Society
has made in the name of God concerning its Bible interpretation, its doctrine,
and its prophetic dates. Does its statements support the claim that the
Watchtower Society "from the time of its organization until now" has been God's
sole "collective channel for the flow of biblical truth to men on earth?" Does
its false prophecies support the claim that for over a century Jehovah's
servants have "enjoyed spiritual enlightenment and direction?" One wonders how
the Watchtower Society could say "Jehovah never makes any mistakes," when it
also claims Jehovah is speaking through it? In the Bible, God Himself clearly
states He is the "God of truth" who "cannot lie" (Psalm 31:5; Titus 1:2).
Indeed, "it is impossible for God to lie" for "no lie is of the truth" (Hebrews
6:18; 1st John 2:21). God does not make mistakes concerning dates nor change His
mind on doctrinal matters. Is there any other conclusion we can come to except
that the Watchtower Society has misled millions of people in claiming it alone
is God's sole channel of communication on earth today?
John Ankerberg & John Weldon
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