The False God of Jehovah’s Witnesses

A long time ago on a mountain top far far away, Moses received the ten commandments. This was the law, writing by the finger of God. Here you’ll find rules about not lying, coveting your neighbor’s wife, and worshiping God alone. On number two you’ll see this, “you shall not make a graven image.” In most cultures, when we hear idol, we immediately resort to imagining statures made of gold, displayed at temples and bowed to. While that can be true, at it’s foundation, an idol is any god man creates. The human fashions the deity’s attributes, character, appearance and molds their personal concept match your worldview.

Idol worship has been a common practice, and Paul addressed this in Romans 1:25. All people exchanged the truth of God, and worshiped the creation, rather than the creator. Now a creation, can be veneration of animals and trees, can also be what the human mind conceive, or non-physical. Basically, even you imagined convinced yourself God to be something contrary to the real Almighty, that’s idolatry.

Assuming there is a God, it’s probably a wise choice to avoid preconceived ideas and imagination of what he’s like. We should allow God to explain who he is. If God proclaims, “I’m like an apple,” I hope we wouldn’t foolishly reply, “No, I think you’re more like a papaya.” God has told us who he is in Scripture. This is special revelation, designed for use to fully know, honor, respect, and love the creator. Any God contrary to the one YHWH of the Bible, would be an idol of our making.

Those seeking to change this, fashion their false God by altering his power, his character or other attributes to create a God that fits them and even invent their own religion. For instance, you could have a God, called Jehovah, who dwells in heaven, who can’t create the universe, who was once a man and became God, and has a brother who is Lucifer. (By the way, this is what Mormons believe.) Another example, take everything about the Christian God, but change how he views sin. Instead of rebellion, God embraces our sinful behavior and loves how we express ourselves, and doesn’t judge us. This would be progressive Christianity’s failure.

Many religions are guilty of this heinous error, but what about Jehovah’s Witnesses? Have they created a false God? There’s only one way to find out, if they openly teach a YHWH contrary to the one taught in scripture, then yes. Let’s see if there God is the same as the Biblical God.

• God is eternal. Jehovah’s Witnesses agree
• God‘s name is Yahweh or Jehovah, so far so good
• God is omnibenevolent, or all loving, also agreed.
• God is all powerful, Omnipotent…actually they don’t agree.
• God is everywhere, Omnipresent, nope.
• God is all knowing, Omniscient? Not exactly.

Now it seems we have a big problem. Notice, these aren’t side issues, this is all about the very core nature of who God is. Remove any one of these, he’s no longer the God who is everywhere, all knowing, and all powerful, but confined to heaven, lacking information, and his plans are thwarted by others he created. Covering these three, I’ll compare what Jehovah’s Witnesses teach, and compare that to what God says about himself.

God is Omnipresent

Jehovah’s Witness’s teach God is not omnipresent. Look here…

“However, the Bible does not teach that God is omnipresent​—that is, present everywhere, in all things. Instead, it shows that he is a person and that he resides in a dwelling place.” – JW.org – Bible Questions Answered

Let’s expand on omnipresent and what it means. Does it imply God is in the flower, the stream, the air? No, let’s not get hippie with this. God created it all, he’s fingerprints are on every peace of creation, but he’s not in the flower, or the rock, but instead the rocks bow to him. In the physical sense, God isn’t everywhere, however, in the spiritual sense, he is. The Bible unquestionably teaches God is Spirit, (John 4:24)unbound by a singular body. His spiritual presence envelops all, which is the Holy Spirit. As Psalm 139:7-9 says, that spirit is everywhere and also his presence.

Jehovah’s Witnesses disagree, but even their own Bible admits that Jehovah is the Spirit in 2 Corinthians 3:17. Witnesses really focus on claiming, “Jehovah’s dwelling place is in heaven.” However, think about this. Unless you’re homeless, you have a dwelling too, but that doesn’t mean you’re eternity confined to your home. This stems from the group believing God is a powerful spirit creature, or some dude with God powers. But Yahweh isn’t just any being, he’s an entity, eternal, immaterial, who control over all reality. Jehovah doesn’t have arms and legs, a beard, a nose, or toe nails. God doesn’t need to eat, he’s not ten meters tall, with a 6-pack abs, he’s unlimited. To say God takes up a certain space, you just limited and a being who is unlimited. God is Spirit, and his Spirit fills all. Just look at Jeremiah 23:24 and Isaiah 57:15.

Now witnesses will respond by explaining Psalm 139 is not talking about God’s location, but only poetically teaching that no place is too remote for God to act in our behalf. Well, yes and no. Taking proper hermeneutics into consideration, this section is poetry, however that doesn’t excuse away the reality. The key is in the way David writes, comparing the positive with the negative, but he opens by saying he can’t escape from his presence. In the literary Hebrew style, he repeats himself, defining it all the more. God is always present, no matter where you go AND he’s always able to help, because he’s everywhere. 

Consider this, for God to see everything, and know what’s happening, he’d have to be everywhere. If heaven is his dwelling as Jehovah’s Witnesses claim, he doesn’t have spy camera’s and listening devices. God sees all, because God fills all, and his omnipresence is essential to his unlimited nature.

Omnipotent

Now to be fair, Jehovah’s Witnesses say God is almighty. According to them, this means he’s all powerful, there’s nothing he can’t do. I agree, however let’s really expand on what it means to be omnipotent. Not only can you control all matter everywhere, or rearrange it as you see fit, but also rule over everything, which is sovereignty. There is nothing and no one, out of God’s control. He is absolutely king over everything inside and outside of the universe. Nothing and no one, says no to God. Do witnesses believe this? Not exactly. Consider this, they believe the world is under the control of Satan. They go to 2 Corinthians 4:4 or 1 John 5:19 he’s the God of this world, the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. So does this mean physically, spiritually or perhaps, just maybe in allegiance?

Look how Paul expands on this in his letter the Church in Ephesus in Ephesians 2:2-3.

Evil rules in the hearts of man, not because Satan has control over them, because this is our natural sinful desires push us to darkness. Do our hearts long for God, or someone else? Think of it this way; a King rules over a land, having dissenters among them. You’re born into to this group, and can later choose who to side to be with. However, during this reign, even anarchists remain under the power of the King. God is still ruling the earth, and has absolute control over everything. Read Daniel 4:35, who can tell God no? This is absolute authority.

Witnesses give way more credit to Satan then they should. All the worlds troubles seem to be attributed to the devil, and not the rebellion and selfishness of humans. The point is, God us ultimately reigning over everything, including the earth. Satan has already lost, he’s a creation, not the creator, and infinitely weaker than God. Job 42:2 says it best.

There isn’t a back and forth, or cosmic dualism, Satan might be a god to all rebels, but the real Jehovah is fully sovereign over everything. To assume God isn’t in full control, or has an adversary he can’t seem to win over, is an insult to his power. Many people get stuck on our free will, but forgot who God is, and who we are. Human “free will” must come with an asterisk, since we belong to him, apart of the universe which will always be fully in the grasp of God. Like it or not, we’re all in the hands of God, and depending on your perspective, this can either be extremely comforting, or terrifying.

Omniscient

This is a great example of where the Jehovah’s Witness doctrine shots itself in the foot. Witnesses are taught, God is all knowing, yet will also teach, God didn’t know certain events would occur.

Clearly, Jehovah did not know beforehand that the first couple would sin. – Watchtower Jan 2011 page. 15

The Witness reasoning is, “If Jehovah knew Adam would sin, he would have been implicit.” 

It’s common question, if God did knew humans would fall, why create us? This is debated among theologians, but whatever the reason, God is within his moral bounds to do so. He’s God, we’re the creation, and last I checked, it’s his universe he can do whatever he wants. We exist for his glory, not our own. If we exist strictly to give him glory, that’s reason enough. Remember, God would have been justified in nuking the earth from Adam and starting over, but loved his creation enough to seek it and save it. Any creature apart from a perfectly Holy God, must be less. God by his very being must make himself distinct, and therefore his creatures must be fallible. He can create if he wants, make alive, or destroy. That’s what happens when you’re God.

The Jehovah’s Witness have removed God’s omniscience, then creating this notion of being implicit if he knew before hand, therefore he didn’t. This reveals how thin their biblical understanding has become. If I have a child, who grows up a murderer, I’m not implicit in their actions. I gave them free will, I didn’t make them murder, they chose. Anyone who’s had children, begins the understanding their offspring won’t be perfect. Every human is aware, all children born will grow up to be hurt, and hurt others. They will lie, they will cheat, and inflict pain, and usually before they’re three years old. Even though every Mother and Father is aware of this reality, they still choice to create life knowing their kids will be sinful and sometimes capably of terrible acts. But is a parent responsible for that imperfection? No, and neither is God.

Another justification Witnesses use is “God didn’t know Judas would betray Jesus.

Indeed, what if Jesus had known that Judas would be the betrayer? Then Jesus’ appointing Judas as an apostle would have made Him a “sharer” in that betrayer’s sins. God himself would also be an accomplice, since Jesus preceded his selection of Judas with fervent prayer to Jehovah – Watchtower, July 15 1984, Pg 6

Putting aside the foolishness for now regarding Jesus and Jehovah’s being implicit. First, John 6:64 says that Jesus knew from the beginning. Also John 17:12 says he kept save those who were with him, and not the one doomed for destruction, so Jesus must have known which he kept safe.

One more point, in Mark 14:30, peter is told by Jesus he would deny him. This was a horridenis sin, denying his savior to save his own skin, or abandoming his friend and faith out of fear. Was Jesus implcitent in peter’s sin?

Let’s just think this through a little further. Was God surprised when Judas left? Did he think it may have been Peter? Did God not know which apostles would die, and spread his message, start his church? Christ’s death was fully decided long ago, and the main component was the betrayer, but that fact was left out? Did God not know what would be written in scripture? Is he unaware of his own future words? The Bible and God’s foreknowledge quickly falls apart. This goes into the personal life of every human as well.

Jehovah does not have to foreknow everything that happens to us. The idea that God chooses beforehand which trials we will face implies that he must know everything about our future. But such a view is not Scriptural. God certainly can foreknow the future. (Isa. 46:10) But the Bible shows that he is selective when it comes to foreknowing future events.- Watchtower, February 2017, Pg 30

Their reasonings are in a word, childish. This reeks of inexperienced and a lack of basic biblical understanding. To suggest God doesn’t know the futures of every person on this planet, would seriously diminish the depth of his power. First, there is no verse teaching God is selective in his foreknowing. Second, what exactly is he selecting to see? The Watchtower suggests this has to do with our free will? If that’s the case, he sees nothing as our lives are full of choices and sin. This is contrary to what David wrote about God in Psalm 139:4

They’ve twisted themselves into a knot, by thinking foreknowledge is the same as foreplaning. I’d rather not discuss predestination, but I will say, pre-knowledge and preplanning are different. In my limited capacity, I can foreknow the bank will send my credit card bill, but I didn’t make it happen. Jehovah’s Witnesses somehow have adopted this false notion by claiming if God knows something beforehand and allows it to happen, he’s guilty of that sin.

This is incorrect not just logically, but Biblically. The murder of the perfect Son of God, was one of the greatest sins to ever happen upon this planet. This was certainty known by Jehovah long before, and not just known, but planned. Should we be charging the perfect God with this sin? God allows sin to occur because we have free will. To interfere, he’s not only disrupting our will, but now acting as our servants, making sure we don’t do anything wrong. God knows who will choose him and who won’t. Christian denominations can debate whether that is planned or not, but the fact remains the same, he knew before hand. This leaves Witnesses to inevitably go to “selective foreknowledge”.

The Jehovah’s Witness response will be “God choices what to know, and what not to know.” Is there a verse that supports this? Of course not. If this is the case, Jehovah is choosing to be inferior? That’s against his nature. Also, how would that work? To choose not to know a certain truth, you’d have to know it already. There’s also the butterfly effect to consider. Every action effects another action with unimaginable and unforeseen consequences. For example, Adam and Eve’s sin, again according to their own doctrine, apparently God didn’t know it would happen? Therefore the infinite God who knows all future events, didn’t foresee the entirety of human history from it’s beginning, into eternity?

Was Jehovah sitting around for eternity past and musing, “let’s make man in our image, give them a paradise, it’ll be great.” Then man falls “awww oh no, they ate the fruit, I didn’t see that coming. Ok new plan, looks like I need to send my favorite spirit creature to die, write them a book, also need to tell only a few people future events, and I’ll need 144,000 people to rule for me. My plans for eternity have completely changed, wish I could seen this coming, but can’t blame myself. After all, who am I, God?”

The other issue, is Jehovah’s Witnesses themselves, explain how God has perfect foreknowledge? How does he pull that off, when he purposely leaves massive gaps(and like I just said, the entirety of human history)?

Jehovah God is unlimited in his powers to foretell the future, because not only does he possess all the facts, but he can control all the factors. He has a perfect record of accuracy in foretelling the future. Even events that all evidence available to men would indicate are very unlikely to occur, Jehovah God can foretell perfectly. – Watchtower March 1961 pg. 133

The contradictions keep coming. The Bible does explain God knew everything far ahead of time. Just look at this passage from Isaiah, how God declares things no yet done.

This doesn’t work with Jehovah’s Witness doctrine. If God declares it before it happens, he must have known.

The Bible speak to God foreknowing who would be his and who wouldn’t, Titus 1:2 is a doctrine killer for witnesses, God knew about giving his elect the hope of eternal life, and did so in eternity before creation.

Scripture is clear, God knows everything. 1 John 3:20, Job 37:16, Psalm 139:1-4 Every hair on your head, every sin you’ll commit, every person that will and won’t accept him in the end. Many of these topics are difficult questions that require a deeper dive into theology, however such a study would expose the faith as a fraud, which inevitably has lead to the devaluing of God to suit their own man made beliefs.

Why Change God?

Why have the Jehovah’s Witnesses diminished the God of the Bible into their version? Regarding his omnipresence, this must be changed to avoid the Holy Spirit being God. Jehovah’s omnipotence, this is a way to scare people into avoiding Satan and all his apostate lies. God’s Omniscience, comes from leaderships ignorance. The reasons don’t matter, because it’s changing who God is. The founders and currently leaders have invented a version of God, who they can edit as they see fit. And just so happens their version of God put them in charge. Imagine that. 

Jehovah’s Witnesses are guilty of idolatry, but unfortunately unaware. They worship and invented God, and are told to put their trust in men, to secure their salvation. But they also deny another essential part of who God is. The real God stepped down, became a man, and lived among us, became the sacrifice for us, and saved his creation by his blood. The real Jehovah gave his human life for the creation he loved. Doing all this so we could be reconciled back to him, by putting our trust in who he is, and what he did. We create idols around our own understanding, but God surpasses our perspectives. The real God is far more loving, ever-present, sovereign and knowing the very depth of our being than what Jehovah’s Witnesses preach. If you want to know who God is his real character and attributes of God, look at Jesus.