Maximus85: Hello friends, this thread is opened so as to create a forum where you can ask questions about Jehovah's witnesses and their believes or bible questions.
We will answer them all with the aid of your Bible, because people claim that we have our own Bible which is not true. Why should we do that when we know what:
Deuteronomy 4:2, Revelation 22:18,19 says.
You are welcome!

Failed predictions

The beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses are founded on the basis of its teachings about the second coming of Christ, the Millennium and the Kingdom of God. Watch Tower Society publications have made, and continue to make, predictions about world events they believe were prophesied in the Bible. Some of those early predictions were described as "established truth", and "beyond a doubt". Witnesses are told to accept such teachings without question[4][5][6] and face expulsion if they oppose them.
Failed predictions that were either explicitly stated or strongly implied, particularly linked to dates in 1914, 1918, 1925 and 1975, have led to the alteration or abandonment of some doctrines. The Society's publications have at times dismissed previous statements, asserting that members had "read into the Watch Tower statements that were never intended."[9] or that the beliefs of members were "based on wrong premises."[10] Other failed predictions are ignored; in the book, The Finished Mystery (1917), events were applied to the years 1918 to 1925 that earlier had been held to occur prior to 1914. When the new interpretations also failed to transpire, the 1926 edition of the book altered the statements and removed the dates.[11]
Raymond Franz, a critic and former Witness, has cited publications that claimed God has used Jehovah's Witnesses as a collective prophet.[12] Critics including James A. Beverley have accused the religion of false prophecy for making those predictions, particularly because of assertions in some cases that the predictions were beyond doubt or had been approved by God, but describes its record of telling the future as "pathetic".[13][14][15][16] Beverley says the Watch Tower Society has passed judgment on others who have falsely predicted the end of the world (he cites a 1968 Awake! that says other groups were "guilty of false prophesying" after having "predicted an 'end to the world', even announcing a specific date".[17][18]
The Watch Tower Society rejects accusations that it is a false prophet.[19][20] It says its explanations of Bible prophecy are not infallible[21][22][23] and that its predictions are not claimed explicitly as "the words of Jehovah."[19] It states that some of its expectations have needed adjustment because of eagerness for God's kingdom, but that those adjustments are no reason to "call into question the whole body of truth."[24] Raymond Franz claims that the Watch Tower Society tries to evade its responsibility when citing human fallibility as a defense, adding that the Society represents itself as God's appointed spokesman, and that throughout its history has made many emphatic predictions. Franz adds that the organization's eagerness for the Millennium does not give it license to impugn the motives of those who fail to accept its predictions.[6]
George D. Chryssides has suggested widespread claims that Witnesses "keep changing the dates" are a distortion and misunderstanding of Watch Tower Society chronology. He argues that, although there have been failures in prophetic speculation, the changing views and dates of the Jehovah's Witnesses are more largely attributable to changed understandings of biblical chronology than to failed predictions. Chryssides states, "For the Jehovah’s Witnesses prophecy serves more as a way of discerning a divine plan in human history than a means to predicting the future."[25]
Predictions (by date of publication) include:
1877: Christ's kingdom would hold full sway over the earth in 1914; the Jews, as a people, would be restored to God's favor; the "saints" would be carried to heaven.[26]
1891: 1914 would be "the farthest limit of the rule of imperfect men."[27]
1904: "World-wide anarchy" would follow the end of the Gentile Times in 1914.[28]
1916: World War I would terminate in Armageddon and the rapture of the "saints".[29]
1917: In 1918, Christendom would go down as a system to oblivion and be succeeded by revolutionary governments. God would "destroy the churches wholesale and the church members by the millions." Church members would "perish by the sword of war, revolution and anarchy." The dead would lie unburied. In 1920 all earthly governments would disappear, with worldwide anarchy prevailing.[30]
1920: Messiah's kingdom would be established in 1925 and bring worldwide peace. God would begin restoring the earth. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and other faithful patriarchs would be resurrected to perfect human life and be made princes and rulers, the visible representatives of the New Order on earth. Those who showed themselves obedient to God would never die.[31]
1922: The anti-typical "jubilee" that would mark God's intervention in earthly affairs would take place "probably the fall" of 1925.[32]
1924: God's restoration of Earth would begin "shortly after" October 1, 1925. Jerusalem would be made the world's capital. Resurrected "princes" such as Abel, Noah, Moses and John the Baptist would give instructions to their subjects around the world by radio, and airplanes would transport people to and from Jerusalem from all parts of the globe in just "a few hours".[33]
1938: In 1938, Armageddon was too close for marriage or child bearing.[34]
1941: There were only "months" remaining until Armageddon.[35]
1942: Armageddon was "immediately before us."[36]
1966: It would be 6000 years since man's creation in the fall of 1975 and it would be "appropriate" for Christ's thousand-year reign to begin at that time.[37] Time was "running out, no question about that."[38] The "immediate future" was "certain to be filled with climactic events ... within a few years at most", the final parts of Bible prophecy relating to the "last days" would undergo fulfillment as Christ's reign began.
1968: No one could say "with certainty" that the battle of Armageddon would begin in 1975, but time was "running out rapidly" with "earthshaking events" soon to take place.[39] In March 1968 there was a "short period of time left", with "only about ninety months left before 6000 years of man's existence on earth is completed".[40]
1969: Human existence would not last long enough for young people to grow old; the world system would end "in a few years." Young Witnesses were told not to bother pursuing tertiary education for this reason.[41]
1974: There was just a "short time remaining before the wicked world's end" and Witnesses were commended for selling their homes and property to "finish out the rest of their days in this old system in the pioneer service."[42]
1984: There were "many indications" that "the end" was closer than the end of the 20th century.[43]

Reyginus: Question 1:Why do you always potray the catholic church as an evil cult in your magazines?

OLAADEGBU:

Why do you change the word of God in your translation?

The authorised version of John 1:1 reads:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1 KJV)

Your translation (The New World Translation) reads something like this:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god (John 1:1 NWT)

Why do you change where it says the Word (Jesus Christ) was God to was a god?

mkmyers45: Straight from Wiki...Please Answer

OLAADEGBU: How can we know the difference between a true prophet and a false prophet?

OLAADEGBU: Has the Watchtower Society claimed to be God’s "prophet"?

Maximus85:
Before i say anything, you must agree that John 1:1 was talking about two characters.
And again, the original languages of the Bible were Hebrew and Greek. These two languages does not respect capital and small letters.
Now lets analyse, first, Psalms 90:2 said God has no beginning. Do you agree? John 1:1 said "In the beginning" meaning God was before that Beginning. "Was the word" Who is the word? Jesus. "the word was with who? God. And the word was God/god. Read verse 2. He was in the beginning with God. Verse 4 and 5 refers to the word as the "LIGHT" Now read verse 12. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God" verse 14 and 15 described that "word"/"light" turned flesh, dwelt among us and that John bore witness to him.
People use John 1:1 to proof that God and Jesus are equal. If you read John 1 vs 29-34. Jesus the son of God cannot be equal to God. Jesus said it himself. See Philippians 2:5&6; John 14:28; link John 10:30 with John 17:21-22. God and Jesus are not EQUAL.
So our translation is very understanding, we didn't change anything. The reason why the 2nd God was written in small letter is that after reading extensively, Jesus is a smaller god to the Almighty.
Throughout this answering, i used and quoted the RSV.

Maximus85:
We have anti-Jehovah's Witnesses who publishes lots of unfounded articles and quotes.
Even Jesus doesn't know the time when God will bring an end to this system of things, but he gave us signs to watchout for. Matthew 24:3,7-13. So how could Jehovah's Witnesses now pick a date on their own? Its so so impossible.

Maximus85:
Jesus didn't ask us to prophesy. Matthew 24:14 says " And this good news of the kingdom (of God) will be preached in all inhabited earth for a WITNESS to all the nations; and then the end will come.
Read 1 Timothy 4:1-5. Lets analyse verse 3 and 4 "for the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, 4. And will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths. Where do you belong? WE AS JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES TALK ABOUT THE PROPHESIES IN THE BIBLE AND WE PREACH ABOUT GOD'S NEW KINGDOM. THIS IS OUR WORK JUST AS JESUS DID WHEN HE WAS HERE ON EARTH AND HE COMMANDED US TO CONTINUE.

MyJoe:
I was enjoying you till I read this. In fact, you almost fall my hand. Nothing in that wiki extract is unfounded. Not one. You will note it is well referenced. Please read it again and write a befitting response.

MyJoe:
I was enjoying you till I read this. In fact, you almost fall my hand. Nothing in that wiki extract is unfounded. Not one. You will note it is well referenced. Please read it again and write a befitting response.

MyJoe:
I was enjoying you till I read this. In fact, you almost fall my hand. Nothing in that wiki extract is unfounded. Not one. You will note it is well referenced. Please read it again and write a befitting response.

MyJoe:
That was a trap question and I think you just bought it. Maybe you are new around here but Ola is an old warhorse in these matters and you need to be careful.
:-

Maximus85:
Maybe i used a wrong Language. But the fact remains that nobody, i mean nobody, including Jesus Christ can tell of the time when the end will come. So how can we come out and post a date.
As for the references, for you to accept a reference, it will be justified to see the original article. I didn't choose to be a Jehovah's Witness overnight, i checked through and i was convinced. We based all our teachings on the Bible. There's no set date for the end of this system of things in the bible. You can visit our website www.jw.org and check our publication bank.

Maximus85:
Before i say anything, you must agree that John 1:1 was talking about two characters.
And again, the original languages of the Bible were Hebrew and Greek. These two languages does not respect capital and small letters.
Now lets analyse, first, Psalms 90:2 said God has no beginning. Do you agree? John 1:1 said "In the beginning" meaning God was before that Beginning. "Was the word" Who is the word? Jesus. "the word was with who? God. And the word was God/god. Read verse 2. He was in the beginning with God. Verse 4 and 5 refers to the word as the "LIGHT" Now read verse 12. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God" verse 14 and 15 described that "word"/"light" turned flesh, dwelt among us and that John bore witness to him.
People use John 1:1 to proof that God and Jesus are equal. If you read John 1 vs 29-34. Jesus the son of God cannot be equal to God. Jesus said it himself. See Philippians 2:5&6; John 14:28; link John 10:30 with John 17:21-22. God and Jesus are not EQUAL.
So our translation is very understanding, we didn't change anything. The reason why the 2nd God was written in small letter is that after reading extensively, Jesus is a smaller god to the Almighty.
Throughout this answering, i used and quoted the RSV.

Maximus85:
Before i say anything, you must agree that John 1:1 was talking about two characters.
And again, the original languages of the Bible were Hebrew and Greek. These two languages does not respect capital and small letters.
Now lets analyse, first, Psalms 90:2 said God has no beginning. Do you agree? John 1:1 said "In the beginning" meaning God was before that Beginning. "Was the word" Who is the word? Jesus. "the word was with who? God. And the word was God/god. Read verse 2. He was in the beginning with God. Verse 4 and 5 refers to the word as the "LIGHT" Now read verse 12. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God" verse 14 and 15 described that "word"/"light" turned flesh, dwelt among us and that John bore witness to him.
People use John 1:1 to proof that God and Jesus are equal. If you read John 1 vs 29-34. Jesus the son of God cannot be equal to God. Jesus said it himself. See Philippians 2:5&6; John 14:28; link John 10:30 with John 17:21-22. God and Jesus are not EQUAL.

OLAADEGBU:

This is what John 1:1 states about the 2 characters

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

If you contend that John 1:1 should be translated as "The Word was a god," and not "The Word was God." And if you are using the same line of argument that since theos (the Greek word for God) is preceded by the definite article (the) when it first appears in the verse, and the second time it appears it is not preceded by the definite article, then you are therefore justified in translating the last part of John 1:1 "the Word was a god," because God appears without the definite article. And you claim that John 1:1 does not say anything about Jesus' identity (i.e, that He is God), but refers to a quality about Him. There are, however, no reputable authorities or translations that support the JW's translation of this verse. In fact, your NWT or similar translations sympathetic to your position have caused considerable outrage among Greek scholars because it is a major distortion of the text.

I'm not surprised that you guys don't even play by your own rules, it is inconsistently applied throughout your NWT. For example, Theos appears 6 times without the definite article in the first 18 verses of John's gospel (1,6,12,13 and twice in 18). Yet, in the NWT, it is rendered God (referring to Jehovah), not a god, in each instance except for the last clause of 1:1, when it refers to Jesus! Do you see your inconsistencies?

To remain consistent, you must hold that verse 6 should read,

"There arose a man that was sent forth as a representative of a god,"

that verse 12 should read:

"to become a god's children," and so on.

If you observe carefully you will note that the absence of the definite article does not refer to someone other than the true God. The scholarly Arndt and Gingrich Greek Lexicon, p. 357, states that theos is used "quite predominantly of the true God, sometimes with, sometimes without, the article."

mkmyers45: Are you saying the dates including 1914 given by jw are false?

Maximus85:
Are you saying that John 1:1 implies that God was with himself in the beginning and that he sent himself to the earth? Because if we are to accept the definite article "the" for the two characters then God should be with himself. If you re further, the 2nd character was refered to as the light which is Jesus. If i may ask you. Is God Almighty and Jesus Christ equal?
We need the guide of God's holy spirit to really understand the bible. Jesus is not the God. There's only one God and there is no equal.
Note that if 3 different people were to translate a sentence of English to you in Yoruba, you will get 3 different translations. Your translation may be based on your understanding of the subject matter.
Tell me if we are wrong by saying God is greater than Jesus, even when Jesus Christ himself confirmed it?

Maximus85:
See how accurate it is?

Maximus85:
Are you saying that John 1:1 implies that God was with himself in the beginning and that he sent himself to the earth? Because if we are to accept the definite article "the" for the two characters then God should be with himself. If you re further, the 2nd character was refered to as the light which is Jesus. If i may ask you. Is God Almighty and Jesus Christ equal?
We need the guide of God's holy spirit to really understand the bible. Jesus is not the God. There's only one God and there is no equal.
Note that if 3 different people were to translate a sentence of English to you in Yoruba, you will get 3 different translations. Your translation may be based on your understanding of the subject matter.

Maximus85:

Tell me if we are wrong by saying God is greater than Jesus, even when Jesus Christ himself confirmed it?

MyJoe:

Ola, since the "are one" statement and the "greater than" statement were both made while he was on the earth, why do you pick and choose one over the other, saying the father was greater because Jesus was on earth?

We are still waiting for Maximus on the Theo matter.

Maximus85:
[b] Jerusalem was a symbol of God's rulership. 1 Chronicles 29:23. In 607 B.C.E, The Babylonians conquered Jerusalem and the representation of God's throne on earth was interupted. 2 King 25:1-26. But this interruption will not last forever. Ezekiel fortold in Ezekiel 21:26-27 about the last king of Jerusalem, Zedekiah " remove the turban, and lift off the crown....it will certainly become no one's until he comes who has the legal right, and i must give it to him. So the one who has the legal right to the Davidic crown is Jesus Christ. Luke 1:32,33.

Therefore the interuption ends when Jesus became King.
So how long will the throne remain empty? It was shown to King Nebuchadnezzar in a dream. Daniel 4:10-16. He saw an immense tree chopped down. Its stump could not grow because it was banded with iron and copper. An angel declared: "LET SEVEN TIMES PASS OVER IT" In the Bible, trees are sometimes used to represent rulership. Read Ezekiel 17:22-24; 31:2-5. Chopping down the tree represents the interuption of God's throne (Jerusalem) but it will last for SEVEN TIMES. So how long is this time?
Revelation 12:6,14 states that three and a half times equals "a thousand two hundred and sixty days"(1260days) three and a half times times 2 equals 7times that is 1260 X 2 =2520days. But this interuption didn't end in just 2520days. Numbers 14:24 and Ezekiel 4:6 speak of a day for a year, so the 7times is 2520years.
The 2520years started in the 10th month of 607 B.C.E, when Jerusalem was captured by Babylon.
From October 607 B.C.E to December 1 C.E IS 606 years and 4months. Remember B.C.E was counted backward.
From January, 1 C.E to October 1914 is 1913 years and 8months. Lets add 606yrs, 4months to 1913yrs,8months=2520years.
Meaning the 7times ended in October 1914. Jesus became King. Read Daniel 7:13,14.
Instantly war broke out in heaven, Jesus sent Satan and his demon down to the earth, and woe to the earth. Read Revelation 12:7, 9, 12.
October 1914, the first world war confirming satan's presence and rage on earth.
See how accurate it is?[/b]

Maximus85:
Read Matthew 7:15-23. By their fruit, you will know them. Pay extra attention to verses 21-23. If all prophets are true prophets, the world would have been a better place. Because millions of people are following them. Read also Matthew 24:23-25.