Expert: Dr. Ronald E. Shultz - 5/26/2011

Question
Hi i usually post and ask question over on the JW forum but i thought i would come to this section and ask a couple questions.

Little background about me; I am 26 studying the bible off and on, been studying with JW's for about 2 years now. My Father is a Witness (been one for about 10 years now) I have never been baptized ever ( which i want to be so bad ) But i feel like i am caught between a war in my head and with religion that i cannot understand. I have some questions if you can answer them to the best of your knowledge i would appreciate it.

1: What is your take on removing YHWH name from the old testament?

2: What is your take on LORD replacing YHWH in the New Testament? Also i did a search and found out that YHWH (hebrew name of GOD) found in the oldest Greek manuscripts but later people started replacing it with Kurios (LORD).

3: I have been reading alot of the new tesament and where Jesus quote the old Testament it shows that he had to be using the original YHWH  when he quoted it and not LORD so why do humans replace it? when did Jesus/GOD say to replace the original Name for GOD to LORD? This just mind boggles me.

4: What is your take on the Heavens and the Earth? Why is it that in the bible we hear about True Believers living in heaven and True believers living on earth? In the future. Hence  Relations: "created new heavens and Earth" Mathew 5:5 and psalms proverbs etc...

I find myself stuck between some beliefs. There is alot of evidence pointing to Jesus being GOD, but there is alot of Evidence pointing to him being another Person other than GOD. I have been fighting myself so to speak on this. I just don't understand it. At first i used to think how could people think he (Jesus) can be GOD but now i understand;BUT There is also scriptures that make it seem like he is another person other than GOD.

Maybe you can help me with my Journey to find GOD because i am stumbling and i am not perfect and SIN When i know i am sinning, sometimes i find myself asking myself is there really a Christian GOD? IS GOD different than what these books or people are telling me? Might he be ALLAH instead?  I have been questioning myself for days now. I just really want the truth but it is hard to find.

Answer
It is good that you are seeking help from outside your group.  The truth is very easy to find if you really want it.  

There is no biblical evidence that Jesus is anyone other than God.  The Jews wanted to stone Him because of that assertion.  One of the problems that you are having is the New World Translation, which is not really a translation.  The founder of the JWs could not even read the Greek alphabet let alone translate. Get yourself a KJV.  

One JW said that Jesus was the mighty God in Isaiah, but Jehovah is the Almighty God.  Sounds good except that Jesus said that He was the alpha and omega, the Almighty in Revelation one.  

God has many names and the first one He used with Moses is "I Am." Jesus said before Abraham was, "I Am." Jesus was claiming Himself to be God and the same God that appeared to Moses. So since that is the name He used then is His name "I AM" or YHWH? Check out the link to see why Jehovah is not the correct name for YHWH.

http://www.bible.ca/jw-YHWH.htm

There will be a new heaven and new earth but all will have access to both. There will no classes in Heaven so no hewers of wood and bearers of water.  Revelation CLEARLY states that the 144,000 will be Male, Virgin, JEWS that will be evangelists during the Tribulation.  Here are a couple of sites that speak to the errors of JW doctrine.

http://www.mikealrhughes.com/PDF_Tracts/jwitness.pdf

http://4witness.org/jehovahs_witness/jw_exp.php

You will certainly be chastised if your group finds that you have been reading and asking questions outside the group and your Dad may even disown you at some point, but if you want truth then it is worth the risk.   

May God grant you wisdom, discernment and salvation as you study and seek truth for He is truth!