Expert: Rev. Robert Woods - 6/8/2007

Question
QUESTION: How can one respond to the standard arguments prsented by the Jehovah's Witnesses? Specifically, these include, the non-Divinity of Jesus Christ, the non-existesnce of either soul or spirit (e.g., they argure that when Jesus' friend Lazarus died, he just "slept" as Chrsit mentioned and proof of this is that he entered neither heaven, paradise or hell.
Thanks for your great work!

ANSWER: Blessings and thank you for your question.

History:  Jehovah's Witnesses, also known as the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society (with headquarters in Brooklyn, New York), was officially founded in 1884 [as the Zion's Watch Tower and Tract Society (originally the Zion's Watch Tower in 1879), officially adopting the name of Jehovah's Witnesses in 1931], by Charles Taze Russell (1852-1916). In 1870, Russell was exposed to the teachings of William Miller, one of the founders of the Second Adventist Movement and acquired an interest in end time prophecies. Russell originally denied  the doctrine of Hell, and would go on to reject nearly every other Christian doctrine, as well as add many physically and spiritually dangerous doctrines of his own making. Many of these unique and bizarre teachings were to be found in his six volume series titled, Studies in the Scriptures.

For the year 2000, the Watchtower Society claims a worldwide membership of over six  million (about one  million U.S.) in more than 91,000 congregations in 235 countries speaking 340 languages, and takes in approximately 300,000 new members each year (288,907 in 2000). According to JW statistics, yearly proselytizing is accomplished via 4.8 million home Bible studies and 1.2 billion hours of witnessing. The JWs field over 500,000 full and part-time missionaries. Instruction and training are provided for all JWs at five meetings a week, held primarily in "Kingdom Halls." Every week, an average of 45 new JW congregations are formed. [In the year 2000 in the United States alone, it was reported that 988,000 Jehovah's Witnesses spent more than 181 million hours in field service (i.e., door-to-door witnessing and Bible studies).]

JW leadership claims its victims by asserting itself to be the sole Christian religion and authority on the earth today, as well as God's mouthpiece or prophet. The Watchtower further disrupts families through its harsh and unbiblical interpretation of "disfellowshipping" and the practice of "shunning." Family members who are former JWs are labeled by Watchtower adherents as "apostates" and prevented from even social contact. Disfellowshipped or disassociated children, parents, and grandparents are kept from any type of communication with active members of the organization. Divorces are common within the sect when one member becomes disillusioned with Watchtower teaching and mind-control.

Not only has the name of this cult been changed time and again, but they also change their doctrines regularly -- between 1917 and 1928, they changed their doctrines 148 times! (Prior to 1931, Jehovah's Witnesses had also gone by the names of Millennial Dawn, People's Pulpit Association, The Brooklyn Tabernacle, and the International Bible Students Association.) Russell died in 1916 and was replaced by the second president, Joseph F. Rutherford. "A process of replacing Russell's writings with Rutherford's began in 1921 with the publication of Rutherford's Harp of God. Between 1921 and 1941, Rutherford was to write twenty books and numerous pamphlets, which would slowly revise the doctrine and structure left him by Russell" (Encyclopedia of American Religions, G. Melton, Vol. 1, p. 485). One of Rutherford's books that caused a great amount of controversy was the seventh volume of the Studies in the Scriptures.  

Russell adopted many of his doctrines from the Seventh-Day Adventists, but the JWs began to emphasize door-to-door evangelism and literature distribution after Russell's death and subsequent leadership assumption by Joseph Franklin Rutherford. The JWs have published over ten billion pieces of literature since 1928. Its main periodicals are The Watchtower magazine (circulation of over 20 million in more than 130 languages) and Awake! (about 16 million copies in more than 80 languages), both published semi-monthly.

Historically, the JWs are best known for their practices of refusing: (1) to serve in the military; (2) to salute the flag; (3) to celebrate Christmas, birthdays, or other holidays; and (4) to give or to accept blood transfusions. [Rejecting the medical practices of vaccinations, organ transplants, and blood transfusions, the Watchtower has caused the deaths of many of its members throughout its history. Interestingly, vaccinations and organ transplants have now been acknowledged by the Watchtower as acceptable practices, contradicting their previous doctrinal position.] (Although some of these practices are neither Biblical nor unbiblical in and of themselves, depending upon one's motives and the exact nature of the practice, the reasons the JWs give for them often are unbiblical.)  
Below are the highlights of what JWs believe concerning their source of authority, the Godhead, Christ, sin, salvation, heaven and hell, etc.:

1. Source of Authority. JWs claim the Bible as their final authority, but Russell's writings, especially Studies in the Scriptures, are considered "the light of the Scriptures." JWs have their own translation of the Scriptures (New World Translation, published in 1961), which reflects the binding interpretations of the group's leaders. The JWs' New World Translation greatly perverts the Scriptures to avoid placing themselves under the judgment of God (cf. Jn. 1:1; 8:58; I Tim. 2:6; Ac. 10:36; Col. 1:16-17; 2:9-10; etc.). Hence, the leader's interpretation of the Bible, not the Bible itself, is the final authority of JWs. The Watchtower magazine is one of the JWs main sources of doctrine, and is considered authoritative by its members.

2. Trinity. JWs believe that God is not a triune God, but only "Jehovah God" (Let God Be True, pp. 100-101); they teach that Trinitarianism is a belief in three gods, and thereby, Satan-inspired polytheism. Rutherford wrote: "... sincere persons who want to know the true God and serve him find it a bit difficult to love and worship a complicated, freakish-looking, three-headed God. The clergy who inject such ideas will contradict themselves in the very next breath by stating that God made man in his own image; for certainly no one has ever seen a three-headed human creature" (Let God Be True, 2nd ed., pp. 101-102).

3. God the Father. Known as Jehovah, the Watchtower considers Him to be the only true eternal God, the Almighty. They write, "There was, therefore, a time when Jehovah was all alone in universal space" (Let God Be True, p. 25). Being alone, the first creative act of Jehovah was to create His Son.

4. Jesus Christ. Since JWs do not believe in the Trinity, they also do not believe that Jesus is God in the flesh. They add the word "other" four times to Colossians 1:16,17, teaching that Christ was God's first creation, i.e., the reincarnation of Michael the archangel created by Jehovah, rather than the Creator. [The "Watchtower" teaches that Jehovah God created Michael the Archangel before the foundation of the world; Michael was His only begotten son by virtue of the fact that he was the only creature directly created by Jehovah. It was this created Michael who became the JW Jesus (i.e., a denial of the eternality of Christ). JWs say that "Since actual conception took place, it appears that Jehovah God caused an ovum or egg in Mary's womb to become fertile, accomplishing this by the transfer of the life of his first born son (Michael) from the spirit realm to the earth" (Aid to Bible Understanding, p. 920).

"Marvelously, Jehovah transferred the life-force and the personality pattern of his first born heavenly son (Michael) to the womb of Mary. God's own active force, his holy spirit, safeguarded the development of the child in Mary's womb so that what was born was a perfect human" (Reasoning, p. 255).] JWs also add an "a" in John 1:1, making the verse read, "the Word was a god" (which in essence, makes the JWs guilty of the same polytheism of which they accuse Trinitarians).

5. Use of Name Jehovah. JWs use the name "Jehovah" only for God (in order to distinguish between God and Jesus Christ), while failing to recognize that Jesus is the fulfillment of "Jehovah" in Isaiah 40:3 and Matthew 3:3. [HJB]

6. Resurrection of Christ . JWs deny the bodily resurrection of Christ through their teaching that the body of Christ was annihilated by God -- not risen -- but rather a new one was created three days after His death. This they call the "resurrection" of Christ. Thus, Jesus was "resurrected" as a "glorious spirit creature" and does not now have a glorified physical body. Instead, they claim Jesus arose spiritually and only "materialized" at various times after His resurrection so He could be seen alive. (Awake!, 7/22/73, p. 4)

7. The Holy Spirit. JWs deny the deity of the third person of the Trinity, as either God or as a person; they claim that the Holy Spirit is only an impersonal "active force of Almighty God which moves His servants to do His will" (Reasoning From the Scriptures, pp. 406-407; The Watchtower, 6/1/54, p. 24). They have written, "But the holy spirit has no personal name. The reason for this is that the holy spirit is not an intelligent person. It is the impersonal, invisible active force that finds its source and reservoir in Jehovah God and that he uses to accomplish his will even at great distances, over light years of space" (Let Your
Name Be Sanctified, p. 269).

8. Sin. JWs believe that the first man, Adam, disobeyed Jehovah when tempted by the angel Lucifer, who was jealous of man. As a result of disobedience, Adam and all his descendants lost the right to life and so became liable to death. This liability is applied to temporal death only.

9. Salvation . JWs claim everlasting life is a reward for doing the will of God and carrying out one's dedication -- in other words, salvation is a reward for good works. (JWs are expected to spend five hours per week in door-to-door visitation and witnessing, are responsible for selling twelve subscriptions to The Watchtower magazine each month, and are responsible for conducting a "Bible study" each month in the homes of their converts.) According to JW theology, a person has one of three possible destinies. The Anointed (144,000) will be in heaven to reign with Jehovah God. The rest of the faithful Jehovah's Witnesses (not of the 144,000) will live forever on a paradise Earth. Both of these classifications are determined to a great extent on membership in the Watchtower organization as well as going door-to-door spreading the message of the Watchtower. Those people who are not members of the Watchtower organization will be destroyed by Jehovah God and cease to exist. There is no concept of eternal punishment or hell in Watchtower theology (Let God Be True, pp. 90-95, 289). They also believe that men will have a second chance, after death, to be saved.

10. The Body of Christ. JWs believe that the members of the spiritual Body of Christ, or "Christian Congregation," number only 144,000 (Rev. 7:4-8). Most of those members of Christ's Body are now deceased and are reigning with Jesus in heaven since 1918. (Anybody born after 1936 cannot be in that number.) The remaining members still on earth, approximately 8,000 (out of whom are selected the "Governing Body"), are known as the "Remnant." They are collectively known as Jehovah God's "channel of communication" to men. They are the only ones "born again" and are the only ones who have a hope of going to Heaven. The rest of Jehovah's faithful witnesses only hope to be worthy enough to inherit the Earth, and will never see "Jesus/Michael," nor will they ever go to Heaven. All "so called Christendom" will be destroyed at Armageddon.

11. Soul Sleep. JWs deny the immortality of the soul. They do not believe the soul can exist apart from the body, but that a corpse remains in an unconscious state in the grave waiting for the resurrection. [HJB]

12. Annihilation of the Wicked. JWs teach that the "second death" is annihilation and extinction -- the wicked will cease to exist and will not suffer everlasting torment. They claim that a "doctrine of a burning hell" is "wholly unscriptural," "unreasonable," "contrary to God's love," and "repugnant to justice." [HJB] They claim that "hell" is the grave.

13. Prophecy . The Bible lists six identifying marks of false prophets, any one of which is sufficient for identification: (1) through signs and wonders they lead astray after false gods (Dt. 13:1-4); (2) their prophecies don't come to pass (Dt. 18:20-22); (3) they contradict God's Word (Isa. 8:20); (4) they bear bad fruit (Mt. 7:18-20); (5) men speak well of them (Lk. 6:26); and (6) they deny that Jesus, the one and only Christ, has come once and for all in the flesh (1 Jn. 4:3), thereby denying His sufficiency in all matters of life and godliness (2 Pe. 1:3). Most cults are founded upon false prophecies, which, if pointed out, offer an effective way to open blind eyes and rescue cultists. Russell's false prophecies formed the basis for what became The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society and the Jehovah's Witnesses. Russell declared that the Second Coming had taken place invisibly in October 1874, and the Lord was truly present, and that in 1914 the faithful (the 144,000) would be translated to heaven and the wicked destroyed. Armageddon (which began in 1874) would culminate in 1914 with the complete overthrow of earth's rulers and the end of the world. C.T. Russell, still on earth, died in 1916.

In the early 1920s, JWs zealously distributed on the streets and from door to door a book titled Millions Now Living Will Never Die. It was prophesied, "The year 1925 is a date definitely and clearly marked in the Scriptures, even more clearly than that of 1914 ... we may confidently expect that 1925 will mark the return of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the faithful prophets of old ... to the condition of human perfection" ("Millions Now Living Will Never Die," The Watchtower, 7/15/24, p. 89). The JWs even built a house in San Diego where the patriarchs were to live and tried to deed it to King David. (The house was quietly sold in 1954.) In the early 1940s, JWs were declaring that Armageddon, only months away, would end World War II and the defeat of the Nazis would usher in God's rule on earth (The Watchtower, 12/41). Their book, Children, suggested that plans to marry and have children be postponed until after Armageddon. It's been a long wait! Not giving up, they later prophesied that God's millennial kingdom would commence in 1975. Again JWs were told not to engage in any plans for this world, including marriage and having children. Many quit their jobs, sold their homes, and dedicated themselves to going door to door. (Source: 3/97, The Berean Call.) All in all, the Watchtower has predicted the end of the world for 1914, 1918, 1925, 1975, and 1989.


What do we say to them??
The Bible
The Bible is considered the divinely inspired and infallible Word of God. It "contains 66 books in two sections, often called the Old Testament and the New Testament. Thirty-nine Bible books were written mainly in Hebrew and 27 in Greek. . . . A proper study of the Scriptures must include the entire Bible" (Knowledge, p. 13). "Though the Bible is not a science textbook, it is scientifically accurate. . . . The Bible contains many prophecies that have been fulfilled in detail" (Knowledge, p. 17). The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (NWT), is the English Bible Version published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (WBTS). The New World Bible Translation Committee members remain anonymous. It is regarded as the best translation because "the translators held so closely to what is in the original Bible languages" (Reasoning, p. 279).

Biblical Response: The Bible is indeed composed of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. It is the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God (see 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21). The NWT reflects WBTS theology, especially its bias against the deity of Jesus Christ and the historic doctrine of the Trinity. For example, John 1:1 reads "and the Word was a god" in the NWT. Nearly all other standard English Bible translations say, "and the Word was God."
The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society

The WBTS's Governing Body is called "the faithful and discreet slave," a term derived from the NWT rendering of Matthew 24:45 (The Watchtower, Feb. 1, 1993, p. 16). It is therefore regarded as Jehovah God's only channel of accurate biblical interpretation in the world today. A requirement for salvation "is that we be associated with God's channel, his organization" [the WBTS] (The Watchtower, Feb. 15, 1993, p. 12). Thus, there is no salvation apart from the WBTS.

Biblical Response: All people who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord are saved by grace through faith and are born again (see John 3:3-16; Rom. 10:9-10; Eph. 2:8-9). No single person, church, or religious organization can claim exclusive possession of the source of salvation or authority to interpret the Bible. All born-again Christians are capable of understanding and interpreting the Scriptures through the illumination of the Holy Spirit (see 2 Tim. 3:16; John 14:26; 15:26; 2 Pet. 1:20-21).

Jehovah Is God
The true God is not a nameless God. His name is Jehovah (Deut. 6:4; Ps. 83:18). His principal attributes are love, wisdom, justice, and power. God is a "spiritbeing," invisible and eternal, but has a spiritual body and is not omnipresent (Insight, vol. 1, p. 969-970). The historic Christian doctrine of the Trinity is denied. "The dogma of the Trinity is not found in the Bible, nor is it in harmony with what the Bible teaches. It grossly misrepresents the true God" (Reasoning, p. 424).

Biblical Response: The Bible teaches there is only one God. He was called by several names in the Scripture. Christians acknowledge that the term "Trinity" is not found in the Bible. Nonetheless, the doctrine is clearly taught in Scripture. The Bible teaches that the One God exists in the three persons of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (see Matt. 28:19; 1 Cor. 8:6; 12:4-6; 2 Cor. 1:21- 22; 13:14; 1 Pet. 1:2).
In the Scriptures, the name of God is most significant and understandably so. It is inconceivable to think of spiritual matters without a proper designation for the Supreme Deity. Thus the most common name for the Deity is God, a translation of the original Elohim. One of the titles for God is Lord, a translation of Adonai. There is yet another name which is particularly assigned to God as His special or proper name, that is, the four letters YHWH (Exodus 3:14 and Isaiah 42:8). This name has not been pronounced by the Jews because of reverence for the great sacredness of the divine name. Therefore, it has been consistently translated Lord. The only exception to this translation of YHWH is when it occurs in immediate proximity to the word Lord, that is, Adonai. In that case it is regularly translated God in order to avoid confusion.
It is known that for many years YHWH has been transliterated as Yahweh, however, no complete certainty attaches to this pronunciation (NASB, iv). The WBTS has criticized this practice as indicative of Jewish and Christian attempts to obscure the sacred name of Jehovah God from its people. It argues that it demonstrates the satanic nature of modern religious practice.
Granted, some Christian scholars acknowledge that the use of LORD instead of the sacred name is unwarranted and that perhaps Yahweh or Jehovah should be the standard English transliteration. That being said, the WBTS contention that the Tetragrammaton is somehow the exclusive sacred name of God is also unwarranted. In fact, in the Old Testament, several other common names for God are used in Hebrew including Elohim (a generic word for God); El (a shorter form of Elohim); and other combinations of terms such as El-Elyon (God Most High) and El-Shaddai (God Almighty).
The WBTS makes a reasonable case for using the sacred name in the Old Testament and criticizing those who do not. However, in the WBTS's translation of the New Testament, which is called The Christian Greek Scriptures, there is an even more grievous and presumptuous error. The NWT inexplicably translates the common Greek words for Lord (??????, kurios) and God (????, Theos) as "Jehovah" 237 times in the New Testament. This unwarranted substitutionary use of the Old Testament name of God is made, however, only when kurios is used in the context of a clear reference to God in a generic sense, or when used in a passage that is a quote from the Old Testament. However, not once do they translate kurios as "Jehovah" in the nearly 400 times in the New Testament when it is applied as a title to Jesus Christ. There is simply no legitimate textual or linguistic basis for making that distinction. The word kurios should always be accurately translated, according to context, as "Lord" or "Master", and the word Theos as God, but neither ever translated as "Jehovah".
The reason for the NWT committee's placement of this name of God in the New Testament is obvious to anyone who understands Jehovah's Witnesses theology. The WBTS, since its inception over a century ago, has totally rejected the key doctrines of the Holy Trinity and the full deity of Jesus Christ. As a result, in its literature, and especially in its translation of the Bible, the WBTS has sought to obscure the clear New Testament teachings of those truths. This deliberate concealment is obvious when one makes a simple comparison of the NWT to the word-for-word translation of the Westcott and Hort Greek Text in the WBTS' own book The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures.
The use of Jehovah to translate kurios (Lord) or Theos (God) 237 times in generic reference to God, but never as a title of Jesus, is clearly done to reinforce the distinction between God and Jesus in the minds of uninformed Jehovah's Witnesses. The truth is that the New Testament writers, following Jewish tradition in the Greek Septuagint's translation of the Old Testament, understood the term kurios (Lord), in most cases, to be a reference to deity in the fullest sense. Thus, when New Testament writers call Jesus "Lord," they are identifying Him with the God of the Old Testament (Yahweh or Jehovah).

Jesus Christ-Jehovah's First Created Being
Jesus had three periods of existence. In his pre-human existence he was called "God's 'only-begotten Son' because Jehovah created him directly. As the 'first-born of all creation', Jesus was used by God to create all other things (Col. 1:15; Rev. 3:14) . . . After Jehovah brought him into existence, the Word [Jesus] spent ages with God in heaven before becoming a man on earth" (Knowledge, p. 39). "John 1:1 says that 'the Word' (Jesus in his prehuman existence) was with God 'in the beginning'. So the word was with Jehovah when 'the heavens and earth' were created" (Knowledge, p. 39). He also had the personal name Michael (the archangel) (Insight, vol. 2, p. 394).

"The Second Stage of Jesus' life course was here on earth. He willingly submitted as God transferred his life from heaven to the womb of a faithful Jewish virgin named Mary" (Knowledge, p. 40). He became the Messiah at his baptism, who was executed on a torture stake, and rose again spiritually "Though the Bible reports on Jesus' death, he is now alive! He is a mighty reigning King! And very soon now, he will manifest his rulership over our troubled earth" (Knowledge, p. 41).

Biblical Response: The Bible teaches that Jesus was not created but was deity from all eternity and coequal with the Father. He came to earth in bodily form to reveal God's nature and character to mankind. He now reigns with the Father in heaven and will return some day to close the age and judge all people. The Jehovah's Witnesses NWT translation of John 1:1, John 8:58, and Revelation 3:14 are biased against Jesus' deity. There is no biblical basis for identifying Jesus with Michael the archangel (see John 1:1-14; 5:17-18; 8:56-59; 10:30-33; Col. 1:15-20; 2:9). See also A Closer Look at the New World Translation of the Holy
Scriptures.

The Holy Spirit - God's Active Force
The personality and deity of the Holy Spirit is denied. Holy Spirit is not capitalized in the NWT. "With this viewpoint, it is logical to conclude that the holy spirit is the active force of God. It is not a person but is a powerful force that God causes to emanate from himself to accomplish his holy will" (Reasoning, p. 381).

Biblical Response: The personality of the Holy Spirit is evidenced in numerous New Testament Scriptures (see Luke 12:12; John 15:26; Acts 5:3-10; 13:2-4; 1 Cor. 12:11; Eph. 4:30; Heb. 3:7). His deity is demonstrated by His divine attributes as revealed in Scripture. The Holy Spirit convicts the lost of sin and He indwells believers at conversion and empowers them to live the Christian life. (See Matt. 12:31-32; 28:19; Mark 3:29; John 14-16; Rom. 8:4,26-27; 1 Cor. 12; Eph. 2:18-19; 5:14-33.)

Mankind's Sin Brought Death
God created man in His own image, but Adam and Eve willfully and deliberately disobeyed God. "'In the day that our first parents ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and bad, they were sentenced by God and died from his standpoint. Then they were expelled from Paradise and began their descent into physical death" (Knowledge, p. 58). The spirit, or lifeforce, that God gives us at our birth departs at death. There is no conscious existence at death. "Where do the dead go? To Sheol, the common grave of mankind. Our dead loved ones are not conscious of anything. They are not suffering, and they cannot affect us in any way" (Knowledge, p. 83).

Biblical Response: Adam and Eve's sin indeed brought evil and death into the world. Thus, we are dead spiritually and separated from God. However, at death, believers in Christ maintain a conscious relationship with Him while awaiting the resurrection. (See Matt. 22:32; Luke 16:22- 23; 23:43; John 11:26; 1 Cor. 5:8; 12:2-4; Phil. 1:23-24; 1 Thess. 4:14-5:10; 2 Pet. 2:9.)

Jesus Paid a Ransom Sacrifice
Due to Adam's sin, it was necessary that an atonement be made to restore what he had lost. "Only a man with perfect human life could offer up the equivalent of what Adam lost. After Adam, the only perfect man born on earth was Jesus Christ" (Knowledge, p. 65). "The Roman governor Pontius Pilate sentenced him to death on a torture stake. He was nailed to a wooden pole and hung there upright . . . Thus, it was on Nisan 14, 33 C.E. [A.D.], that Jesus gave his life as a 'ransom in exchange for many'" (Knowledge, p. 66). "He slept in death for parts of three days, and then Jehovah God resurrected him to life as a mighty spirit being" (Knowledge, p. 68).

Biblical Response: Jesus was not just a perfect man, but also God incarnate (see Col. 2:9). Thus, His death on a Roman cross was the self-sacrificial atonement of God Himself for mankind's sin (see 1 Cor. 1:17-24; 2:2; 15:3- 4). He rose again from the dead physically, not just spiritually (see Luke 24:14-39; John 2:19-21; 20:26-29; 1 Cor. 15:1-8).

Salvation - Faith and Obedience
"Therefore, let us show our gratitude for the love displayed by God and Christ by exercising faith in Jesus' ransom sacrifice" (Knowledge, p. 69). Requirements for salvation, in addition to faith, include baptism by immersion, active association with the WBTS, righteous conduct, and absolute loyalty to Jehovah. There is no assurance of salvation, only hope for a resurrection. Those who fail to live up to the above requirements or who are disfellowshipped by the WBTS have no hope of salvation.

Biblical Response: Salvation is "by grace through faith" in Jesus Christ alone. No amount of works or membership in any organization guarantees salvation. It is totally through faith in Christ (see Rom. 4:4-5; Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). Good works are the natural response to salvation already received, not its cause (see Eph. 2:10). Salvation is eternally assured for those who have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior (see John 1:12; 5:24; 1 John 5:13).

Two Classes of Saved People
Only 144,000 faithful elect Jehovah's Witnesses, known as the "Anointed Class" will go to heaven at death to rule with Jesus. Only those born since 33 C.E. (A.D.) can be part of that number (based on Rev. 14:1-3). Most Jehovah's Witnesses hope to be among the "other sheep" or "great crowd" who will not go to heaven, but, after Armageddon and the millennium, will live forever in Paradise on earth (based on John 10:16; Rev. 7:9).

Biblical Response: The WBTS' doctrine of a duality of saved people is not supported by a careful study of the Scriptures. The Bible makes no distinction of two classes of saved people (see Matt. 5:12; Phil. 3:20). In Revelation 7 and 14, both the 144,000 and the "great crowd" or "multitude" are "before the throne" in heaven. All born-again Christians will live forever in heaven (see John 3:16; 14:3).

Armageddon Is Coming Soon!
"This name [Armageddon or Har-Magedon] is directly associated with 'the war of the great day of God the Almighty.' The term applies specifically to the condition, or situation, to which 'the kings of the entire inhabited earth' are gathered in opposition to Jehovah and his Kingdom by Jesus Christ" (Insight, vol. 1, p. 1037.)

Armageddon will mark the destruction by God of this present evil system, including apostate "Christendom," and the binding of Satan. Afterward, Jehovah's surviving people will rebuild the world in a perfect environment under his rule for 1,000 years in the millennium. After the millennium, Satan will be released for a short time to test those resurrected, or born during the millennium. (See Knowledge, pp. 182-190.)

Biblical Response: The Bible teaches that Jesus will return physically to judge mankind and usher in the kingdom of God. Christians may respectfully disagree over the details of biblical interpretation about the events of the last days and the millennium. Setting dates, however, is strictly forbidden and Jesus warned of false signs of His return. Nonetheless, believers are to be ready at any time for His coming (see Matt. 16:24-27; 24:14-51; Mark 13; Luke 21:5-16; John 5:28-29; 14:2-3; Acts 1:11; 1 Thess. 5:1- 11).

Final Judgment and Paradise on Earth
After the millennium, Satan and his allies will be destroyed. Faithful Jehovah's Witnesses will inherit everlasting life on perfect Paradise earth. Those who have disobeyed Jehovah and his law will be annihilated out of existence with Satan and his demons. This is the "second death." Hell is the grave and not a place of eternal punishment. The doctrine of eternal hell is regarded as unscriptural, unreasonable, contrary to God's love, and unjust.

Biblica Response: All people will face the final judgment of God. The doctrine of eternal hell is based on a number of biblical texts and the teachings of Jesus Himself. He taught that righteous saved people will have eternal life in heaven but the wicked lost will suffer eternal punishment in hell (see Matt. 18:8-9; 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; 2 Thess. 1:9).
Witnessing to Jehovah's Witnesses

1. Have a clear understanding of your faith and the Bible.
2. Aquire a basic knowledge of Jehovah's Witnesses beliefs and practices.
3. Make a definite plan for the witnessing encounter and take the initiative.
4. Initially, talk about personal concerns to establish a friendly, courteous, and sincere relationship with the Jehovah's Witness. Gradually move on to a discussion of theological issues.
5. Be prepared to cite and explain specific biblical passages supporting Christian doctrines.
6. Define your terms clearly and ask the Jehovah's Witness to do so also.
7. Focus the discussion on the primary issue of the person and work of Christ. Stress the need for a personal relationship with Him.
8. Share your personal testimony of God's grace and your faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord.
9. Present the basic plan of salvation and encourage the Jehovah's Witness to make a decision.
10. Pray and trust the Holy Spirit to lead you.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for the quick response! I appreciate all of the work here. Specifically, however, please address the question that Lazarus - nor anyone else who was resurrected - didn't describe his experience when "dead", i.e., he didn't recollect his experience and delineate what heaven was like, or what hell was like. This is a typical argument the the JWs use to support their positions of annihilation, i.e., no recollection at all.
Also, in your response to the Final Judgment and Paradise on Earth, you didn't mention the New Earth as the Bible does.
Thanks!

Answer
Blessings and thank you for your questions:

If you look at the story of Lazarus, first of all the idea that he was "asleep" and not dead is explained in John 11:11-12 "Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep."  

Now the BIble does not record ANYTHING that Lazarus said about his death experience.  So to me, this is a non issue here, you can't create an intire belief based on what the Bible did not record.  

But if you look at Luke 16, you find the "other story" about a dead man and Lazarus.  Here Jesus clearly spells out how when we die we go to heaven or hell.

Also, Paul pointed out that man is not allowed to speak of the things in heaven.  Paul was caught up to heaven but was forbidden to talk about it.  

2 Cor 12:1-5
12:1 I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know-God knows. 3 And I know that this man-whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows- 4 was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell.

Paul also tells us that to live is Christ but to die is gain:  Phil 1:20-24
20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.

2 Cor 5:6-10
6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 We live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.
NIV



Revelation 21 defines the New Heaven and the New Earth that God will create after the 1000 year reign of Christ.  For now, that Heaven and Earth do not exist.  However, the Bible talks about heaven in a lot of different places:

HEAVEN
Glimpses of Heaven
Popular culture tends to make a caricature out of heaven as a place where people sprout wings and become angels, wear halos, strum harps, and walk on clouds. St. Peter supposedly sits at heaven’s gate, deciding who may enter. And heavenly choirs sing incessantly—not a bright prospect for those who have trouble singing or do not like to sing!
But what is heaven really like? The Bible does not give us a detailed description, but it does offer several glimpses, often using metaphors, about the nature of heaven:
•     In the Old Testament, particularly the Psalms, heaven is sometimes understood to mean the sky, but it is also referred to as the place from which God rules creation (Ps. 103:19). (This is not to suggest that God is “located” in or confined to heaven. God is pure spirit who is infinite and everywhere present.)
•     Heaven will be free from the curse of sin, lit by the brilliance of God, and the place where those who are saved will enjoy eternal life with God (Rev. 22:1, 3, 5, 17). These citizens will come from every people on the earth (Rev. 14:6–7).
•     In heaven, there will be no more hunger and thirst (Rev. 7:16), nor tears (Rev. 7:17; 21:4), nor pain and sorrow (Rev. 21:4). All evil will be imprisoned forever in another place (Rev. 20:10; 21:8).
•     Heaven will be a work of art and beauty in its construction (Rev. 4, 21).
•     In heaven, people will have enjoyable, productive work to do.
Heaven is a wonderful place to think about, yet God has chosen not to tell us very much about it. He has let us know that it exists, and that someday His people will join Him there, and that is enough to give us hope (John 14:1–4).
But inasmuch as the Bible gives us limited information, it is futile to speculate on what heaven will be like. Instead, God wants us to concentrate our efforts on becoming Christlike people in the here and now. That will prepare us to eventually become citizens of heaven. As an old saying warns us, we don’t want to become so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good.
The Lord Is There—Forever!
Scripture gives us only the barest glimpses of what heaven will be like. But one feature that we know for sure is that God will be there, and we will never be separated from Him again. With this bright vision of eternity, Ezekiel’s book of prophecy draws to a close (Ezek. 48:30–35).
Just as the apostle John saw the New Jerusalem descending from heaven (Rev. 21), so Ezekiel envisioned the day when the city of God would finally be made perfect and complete in every way. Both prophets saw twelve gates facing the four corners of the earth (Ezek. 48:31–34; Rev. 21:12–13), an indication of accessibility for everyone. Inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, the gates suggest inclusion, restoration, and fulfillment of all that God has promised His covenant people. In John’s vision, this image is strengthened by the fact that these gates never shut (Rev. 21:25).
The name of this ideal city is “THE LORD IS THERE.” This is a fitting climax, not only to the Book of Ezekiel, but to John’s Revelation and to the Bible itself. It shows that a reversal has occurred during the course of history. Whereas Ezekiel had seen the Lord withdrawing from His temple because of the people’s wickedness (Ezek. 10:18), now He has returned to a new temple to live among His people forever. Likewise, whereas fellowship with God was cut off through the sin in Eden (Gen. 3:22–24), it is made permanent in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:3).
This is a strong hope we can look forward to with great anticipation. Right now, we may sometimes feel distant from God, perhaps alone and confused and wondering whether He even knows who we are. The assurance of Scripture is that someday we will no longer wonder where God is; we will be with Him—forever!




John 14:1-7 says that Jesus has prepared a room in His Father’s mansion for us.  When we die and belong to Him, HE WILL COME AND GET US HIMSELF.
Revelation 1:9-20, 4:1-11, 21:1-27 all describe heaven in detail.

The Word Heaven is used many other times in the Bible:

God's Dwelling Place: (Dt 26:15; 1Ki 8:30, 39, 43, 49; 1Ch 16:31; 21:26; 2Ch 2:6; 6:21, 27, 30, 33, 35, 39; 7:14; 30:27; Ne 9:27; Job 22:12, 14; Ps 2:4; 11:4; 20:6; 33:13; 102:19; 103:19; 113:5-6; 123:1; 135:6; Ecc 5:2; Isa 57:15; 63:15; 66:1; Jer 23:24; La 3:41, 50; Da 5:23; Zec 2:13; Mt 5:34, 45; 6:9; 10:32-33; 11:25; 12:50; 16:17; 18:10, 14; Mk 11:25-26; 16:19; Ac 7:49, 55-56; Ro 1:18; Heb 8:1; Rev 8:1; 12:7-9; 21:22-27; 22:1-5).

Figurative: Of divine government (Mt 16:19; 18:18; 23:22). Of God (Mt 21:25).

The Future Home of the Righteous: (2Ki 2:11; Mt 5:12; 13:30, 43; Lk 16:22; Jn 12:8, 26; 13:36; 17:24; 2Co 5:1; Php 3:20; Col 1:5-6, 12; 3:9; 1Th 4:17; Heb 10:34; 11:10, 16; 12:22; 1Pe 1:4; Rev 2:7; 3:21).

Called: A city (Heb 11:10, 16), a garden (Mt 3:12), a house (Jn 14:2-3; 2Co 5:1), a kingdom (Mt 25:34; Lk 12:32; 22:29-30), the kingdom of Christ and of God (Eph 5:5), a heavenly country (Heb 11:16), a rest (Heb 4:9; Rev 14:13), glory (Col 3:4), paradise (Lk 23:43; 2Co 12:2, 4; Rev 2:7). Everlasting (2Co 5:1; Heb 10:34; 13:14; 1Pe 1:4; 2Pe 1:11). Allegorical representatives of (Rev 4:1-11; 5:1-14; 7:9-17; 14:1-3; 15:1-8; 21; 22:1-5). No marriage in (Mt 22:30; Lk 20:34-36). Names of the righteous written in (Lk 10:20; Heb 12:22-24). Treasures in (Mt 6:20; 19:21; Lk 12:33). Joy in (Ps 16:11; Lk 15:6-7, 10). Righteousness dwells in (2Pe 3:13). No sorrow in (Rev 7:16-17; 21:4). The wicked excluded from (Gal 5:21; Eph 5:5; Rev 22:15). See Righteous, Promises to.

HEAVENLY PLACES [*G2230]. (Eph 1:3, 20; 2:6; 3:10).

HEAVENS, NEW To be created (Isa 65:17; 66:22; 2Pe 3:13; Rev 21:1-4).

HEAVENS, PHYSICAL (Ge 1:1; 2Ch 2:6; 6:18; Job 38:31-33; Ps 19:1; 50:6; 68:33; 89:29; 103:11; 113:4; 115:16; 136:5; Jer 31:37; Eze 1:1; Mt 24:29-30; Ac 2:19-20). Created by God (Ge 1:1; 2:1; Ex 20:11; 1Ch 16:26; 2Ch 2:12; Ne 9:6; Job 9:8; Ps 8:3; 19:1; 33:6, 9; 102:25; 148:4-6; Pr 8:27; Isa 37:16; 40:22; 42:5; 45:12, 18; Jer 10:12; 32:17; 51:15; Ac 4:24; 14:15; Heb 1:10; Rev 10:6; 14:7). See Creation; God, Creator; Heavens, New. Destruction of (Job 14:12; Ps 102:25-26; Isa 51:6; Mt 5:18; 24:35; Heb 1:10-12; 2Pe 3:10-12; Rev 6:12-14; 20:11; 21:1, 4). Figurative of divine judgment (Isa 34:4). See Sky.