Expert: Brenda Martin - 6/21/2004

Question
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Followup To
Question -
Good day Brenda. I heard that some of the Scriptures that were part of the Bible (The Book of Enock, The first book of Adam & eve ect) has been removed from the Bible. Is this the truth and if so why?
It sounds like you recently became a Jehovah's witness? With 27 years of back ground and resurge, you must have a very good reason for your decision... If its not to personal, may I ask why you became a mamber of the Jehovah's witness? And how do they differ from your normal church going Christian?
Thank you for your time and have a wonderfull day...
Jeanne
Answer -
Hi there Jeanne, you asked--"SCRIPTURES THAT WERE PART OF THE BIBLE (THE BOOK OF ENOCH, THE FIRST BOOK OF ADAM & EVE ECT) HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE BIBLE?"

What I found was, Enoch is not the writer of the “Book of Enoch.” This is an uninspired, apocryphal book written many centuries later, probably sometime during the second and first centuries B.C.E.

(A·poc'ry·pha)
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The Greek word a·po'kry·phos is used in its original sense in three Bible texts as referring to things “carefully concealed.” (Mr 4:22; Lu 8:17; Col 2:3) As applied to writings, it originally referred to those not read publicly, hence “concealed” from others. Later, however, the word took on the meaning of spurious or uncanonical, and today is used most commonly to refer to the additional writings declared part of the Bible canon by the Roman Catholic Church at the Council of Trent (1546). Catholic writers refer to these books as deuterocanonical, meaning “of the second (or later) canon,” as distinguished from protocanonical.

These additional writings are Tobit, Judith, Wisdom (of Solomon), Ecclesiasticus (not Ecclesiastes), Baruch, 1 and 2 Maccabees, supplements to Esther, and three additions to Daniel: The Song of the Three Holy Children, Susanna and the Elders, and The Destruction of Bel and the Dragon. The exact time of their being written is uncertain, but the evidence points to a time no earlier than the second or third century B.C.E.

Evidence Against Canonicity--While in some cases they have certain historical value, any claim for canonicity on the part of these writings is without any solid foundation. The evidence points to a closing of the Hebrew canon following the writing of the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Malachi in the fifth century B.C.E. The Apocryphal writings were never included in the Jewish canon of inspired Scriptures and do not form part of it today.

The first-century Jewish historian Josephus shows the recognition given only to those few books (of the Hebrew canon) viewed as sacred, stating: “We do not possess myriads of inconsistent books, conflicting with each other. Our books, those which are justly accredited, are but two and twenty [the equivalent of the 39 books of the Hebrew Scriptures according to modern division], and contain the record of all time.” He thereafter clearly shows an awareness of the existence of Apocryphal books and their exclusion from the Hebrew canon by adding: “From Artaxerxes to our own time the complete history has been written, but has not been deemed worthy of equal credit with the earlier records, because of the failure of the exact succession of the prophets.”—Against Apion, I, 38, 41 (8).

Additional ancient testimony-- One of the chief external evidences against the canonicity of the Apocrypha is the fact that none of the Christian Bible writers quoted from these books. While this of itself is not conclusive, inasmuch as their writings are also lacking in quotations from a few books recognized as canonical, such as Esther, Ecclesiastes, and The Song of Solomon, yet the fact that not one of the writings of the Apocrypha is quoted even once is certainly significant.

Not without weight also is the fact that leading Bible scholars and “church fathers” of the first centuries of the Common Era, on the whole, gave the Apocrypha an inferior position. Origen, of the early third century C.E., as a result of careful investigation made such a distinction between these writings and those of the true canon. Athanasius, Cyril of Jerusalem, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Amphilocius, all of the fourth century C.E., prepared catalogs listing the sacred writings in accord with the Hebrew canon and either ignored these additional writings or placed them in a secondary class.

Jerome, who is described as “the best Hebrew scholar” of the early church and who completed the Latin Vulgate in 405 C.E., took a definite stand against such Apocryphal books and was the first, in fact, to use the word “Apocrypha” explicitly in the sense of noncanonical as referring to these writings. Thus, in his prologue to the books of Samuel and Kings, Jerome lists the inspired books of the Hebrew Scriptures in harmony with the Hebrew canon (in which the 39 books are grouped as 22) and then says: “Thus there are twenty-two books . . . This prologue of the Scriptures can serve as a fortified approach to all the books which we translate from the Hebrew into Latin; so that we may know that whatever is beyond these must be put in the apocrypha.” In writing to a lady named Laeta on the education of her daughter, Jerome counseled: “Let her avoid all the apocryphal books, and if she ever wishes to read them, not for the truth of their doctrines but out of respect for their wondrous tales, let her realize that they are not really written by those to whom they are ascribed, that there are many faulty elements in them, and that it requires great skill to look for gold in mud.”—Select Letters, CVII

Internal evidence-- The internal evidence of these Apocryphal writings weighs even more heavily against their canonicity than does the external. They are completely lacking in the prophetic element. Their contents and teachings at times contradict those of the canonical books and are also contradictory within themselves. They are rife with historical and geographic inaccuracies and anachronisms. The writers in some cases are guilty of dishonesty in falsely representing their works as those of earlier inspired writers. They show themselves to be under pagan Greek influence, and at times resort to an extravagance of language and literary style wholly foreign to the inspired Scriptures. Two of the writers imply that they were not inspired. (See the Prologue to Ecclesiasticus; 2 Maccabees 2:24-32; 15:38-40, Dy.) Thus, it may be said that the best evidence against the canonicity of the Apocrypha is the Apocrypha itself.

"WHY YOU BECAME ONE OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES?"

I attended a Protestant church for 19 years, in that time many things made me question the religion and what it taught, for instance, most churches teach—"If your good youll go to heaven and if your bad you go to hell" I asked my minister "where the bible actually says this" and he answered "it doesn't" I found that many things the churches teach are not based in scripture, so this together with the hypocrisy I saw, convinced me the Protestant church was not serving God correctly.

I began a study of the scriptures with JW and found they applied everything the bible says in their daily lives and their teachings were completely bible based, I also found a more compelling reason to change my religion, as the bible points out that the majority of religions today are FALSE and disapproved by God, I didn't want to remain disapproved, I wanted to serve God in the way he says he wants to be worshipped and so I made the choice to get of the "broad road leading to destruction" and get on the "narrow road leading to life" (Matthew 7 13,14)

"HOW DO THEY DIFFER FROM YOUR NORMAL CHURCH GOING CHRISTIAN?"

Well put simply, in general a churchgoer goes to church once a week, but the rest of the week they do as THEY please, whereas JW live everyday as a Christian, their beliefs affect every aspect of their lives, here is a short list of our beliefs and you will see for yourself the difference—

What beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses set them apart as different from other religions?

1.Bible:- Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the entire Bible is the inspired Word of God, and instead of adhering to a creed based on human tradition, they hold to the Bible as the standard for all their beliefs.

2.God:- They worship Jehovah as the only true God and freely speak to others about him and his loving purposes toward mankind. Anyone who publicly witnesses about Jehovah is usually identified as belonging to the one group—“Jehovah's Witnesses.”

(3) Jesus Christ:- They believe, not that Jesus Christ is part of a Trinity, but that, as the Bible says, he is the Son of God, the first of God's creations; that he had a prehuman existence and that his life was transferred from heaven to the womb of a virgin, Mary; that his perfect human life laid down in sacrifice makes possible salvation to eternal life for those who exercise faith; that Christ is actively ruling as King.

(4) God's Kingdom:- They believe that God's Kingdom is the only hope for mankind; that it is a real government; that it will soon destroy the present wicked system of things, including all human governments, and that it will produce a new system in which righteousness will prevail.

(5) Heavenly life:- They believe that 144,000 spirit-anointed Christians will share with Christ in his heavenly Kingdom, ruling as kings with him. They do not believe that heaven is the reward for everyone who is “good.”

(6) The earth:- They believe that God's original purpose for the earth will be fulfilled; that the earth will be completely populated by worshipers of Jehovah and that these will be able to enjoy eternal life in human perfection; that even the dead will be raised to an opportunity to share in these blessings.

(7) Death:- They believe that the dead are conscious of absolutely nothing; that they are experiencing neither pain nor pleasure in some spirit realm; that they do not exist except in God's memory, so hope for their future life lies in a resurrection from the dead.

(8) Last days:- They believe that we are living now in the last days of this wicked system of things; that we will see a complete destruction of the present wicked world; but lovers of righteousness will survive into a cleansed earth.

(9) Separate from the world:- They earnestly endeavor to be no part of the world, as Jesus said would be true of his followers. They show genuine Christian love for their neighbors, but they DO NOT SHARE IN POLITICS OR WARS OF ANY NATION. They provide for the material needs of their families but shun the world's avid pursuit of material things and personal fame and its excessive indulgence in pleasure.

(10) Apply Bible counsel:- They believe that it is important to apply the counsel of God's Word in everyday life now—at home, in school, in business, in their congregation. Regardless of a person's past way of life, he may become one of Jehovah's Witnesses if he abandons practices condemned by God's Word and applies its godly counsel. But if anyone thereafter makes a practice of adultery, fornication, homosexuality, drug abuse, drunkenness, lying, or stealing, he will be disfellowshipped from the organization.

(The above list briefly states some outstanding beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses but by no means all the points on which their beliefs are different from those of other groups.)

All our beliefs are based solidly in scripture, if you would like to know where, I will be happy to answer any further questions you may have.

All the best
Brenda

Hallo Brenda

Thanks for your prompt reply.
I must say this sounds great Brenda! And the strange thing is; this is exactly all the things I've been questioning myself? At Pentecost a few weeks ago, our Pastor called out all the members who have not been filled with the Holy Spirit. I was one of the people that went to the front and they started praying for us - asking God to bless us with the Holy Spirit. We prayed real hard and worshipped Him and all. This lasted for a whole week every night.
By Friday one of the people in our church stood up and told us that this was the worst Pentecost he has ever attended because the people in the church were so lifeless and down and all. Surely everything was different the Saturday night. There were more people in church and the people were more lively and everybody's expectations were high. People were talking in tounges and that was what everybody were waiting for to happen with the people that has not been filled with the Holy spirit yet. So yes I started speaking in tounges? But was this really from the Holy Spirit? If you read Acts 2, it states that the Holy Spirit filled the people and they all started speaking in tounges.
But these were actual languages that other people could actually understand not just any "words" that came out of your mouth?

The other thing I'm also wondering about is the fact that our Pastor claims to be a Prophet. He is a good man and he tries really hard to inspire us and all, but if you read about how the Christians lived in Acts 2 it's different? I meen they came together, sold all there belongings and gave the money so all could be supported and no one of them were ever in any nead of anything. And that is just not the way it is today. And I know that according to the Bible there are Prophets. But surely if there is a problem in a church or in the way things are done in church, the Holy Spirit will advise the prophet according to what has to be changed to rectify it. Instead prophesies goes out that people will be blesses financialy ect. Here and there a warning goes out and the one that came to me yesterday was "That I should keep on the narrow path and don't turn left or right, and I will be happy and blessed" I personally think that finances is the very last thing a Prophet will speak about? But that's just me...

I'm sorry to put this all on you Brenda. But I really need to communicate with someone that's not just going to justify everything you know...
I'm so confused, and its actaully frightening because where's my faith?
I guess I can only pray and trust that God will show me the way. The narrow way.

Greetings
Jeanne


Answer
"THIS IS EXACTLY ALL THE THINGS I'VE BEEN QUESTIONING MYSELF?"

Excellent and that is what God encourages us to do; "question"—

"Make sure of all things; hold fast to what is fine." (1 Thess 2;8)

"PASTOR CALLED OUT ALL THE MEMBERS WHO HAVE NOT BEEN FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. I WAS ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT WENT TO THE FRONT"

1 Cor. 12:13, 30: “Truly by one spirit we were all baptized into one body . . . Not all have gifts of healings, do they? NOT ALL speak in tongues, do they?” (Also 1 Corinthians 14:26)

In the first century, the Bible shows, congregations were to limit the ‘speaking in tongues' to two or three persons who might do that at any given meeting; they were to do it “each in turn,” and if there was no interpreter present they were to keep silent. (1 Cor. 14:27, 28, RS) Is that what is being done today?

In the first century, the miraculous gifts of the spirit, including the ability to “speak in tongues,” verified that God's favor had shifted from the Jewish system of worship to the newly established Christian congregation. (Heb. 2:2-4) Since that objective was accomplished in the first century, is it necessary to prove the same thing again and again in our day?

In the first century, the ability to “speak in tongues” gave impetus to the international work of witnessing that Jesus had commissioned his followers to do. (Acts 1:8; 2:1-11; Matt. 28:19) Is that how those who “speak in tongues” use that ability today?

In the first century, when Christians ‘spoke in tongues,' what they said had meaning to people who knew those languages. (Acts 2:4, 8) Today, is it not true that ‘speaking in tongues' usually involves an ecstatic outburst of unintelligible sounds?

"WAS THIS REALLY FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT?"

The short answer is no Jeanne, people who speak in tongues today are not receiving this ability from God, so as I am sure you are aware there is only one other source they could obtain such powers, Satan the Devil.

"Satan himself keeps transforming himself into an angel of light." (2 Cor 11;14)

Here we are cautioned that not everything that originates with Satan may appear hideous. One of his chief methods of deceiving mankind has been false religion of all kinds, to some of which he gives a righteous appearance.

1 John 4:1: “Beloved ones, do not believe every inspired expression [“every spirit,” KJ, RS], but test the inspired expressions to see whether they originate with God.” (See also Matthew 7:21-23)

Among those ‘speaking in tongues' today are Pentecostals and Baptists, also Roman Catholics, Episcopalians, Methodists, Lutherans, and Presbyterians. Jesus said that the holy spirit would ‘guide his disciples into all the truth.' (John 16:13) Do the members of each of these religions believe that the others who also “speak in tongues” have been guided into “all the truth”? How could that be, since they are not all in agreement? What spirit is making it possible for them to “speak in tongues”?

A joint statement by the Fountain Trust and the Church of England Evangelical Council admitted: “We are also aware that a similar phenomenon can occur under occult/demonic influence.” (Gospel and Spirit, April 1977, published by the Fountain Trust and the Church of England Evangelical Council, p. 12) The book Religious Movements in Contemporary America (edited by Irving I. Zaretsky and Mark P. Leone, quoting L. P. Gerlach) reports that in Haiti ‘speaking in tongues' is characteristic of both Pentecostal and Voodoo religions.—(Princeton, N.J.; 1974), p. 693; see also 2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10.

"HOW THE CHRISTIANS LIVED IN ACTS 2 IT'S DIFFERENT? JUST NOT THE WAY IT IS TODAY."

Yes exactly, let me explain what happened breifly to the TRUE faith after Jesus death—

“One Lord, one faith.” (Eph. 4:5) When the apostle Paul under inspiration penned those words (about 60-61 C.E.), there was but one Christian faith. Yet, today we see a profusion of denominations, sects, and cults that claim to be Christian, though they teach conflicting doctrines and hold to different standards of conduct. What a far cry from the one united Christian congregation that started on Pentecost 33 C.E.! How did these divisions come about? For the answer, we must go back to the first century of our Common Era.

Apostasy, however, did not creep into the congregation unannounced. As Head of the congregation, Christ saw to it that his followers were warned in advance.—Col. 1:18.

“Be on the watch,” cautioned Jesus, “for the false prophets that come to you in sheep's covering.” (Matt. 7:15) Jesus knew that Satan would try to divide and corrupt His followers. So from early in his ministry, he warned them about false teachers.

From where would these false teachers come? “From among you yourselves,” said the apostle Paul about 56 C.E., when speaking to overseers of Ephesus. Yes, from within the congregation, men would “rise and speak twisted things to draw away the disciples after themselves.” (Acts 20:29, 30) Such self-seeking apostates would not be content to make their own disciples; they would endeavor “to draw away the disciples,” that is, Christ's disciples.

The apostle Peter (about 64 C.E.) also foretold internal corruption and even described the way such apostates would operate: “There will . . . be false teachers among you. These very ones will quietly bring in destructive sects . . . With covetousness they will exploit you with counterfeit words.” (2 Pet. 2:1, 3) Like spies or traitors in an enemy's camp, the false teachers, though arising from within the congregation, would infiltrate their corrupting views in a secret or camouflaged way.

These warnings of Jesus and his apostles were not in vain. Internal opposition had small beginnings, but it surfaced early in the Christian congregation.

“Already at Work”

Less than 20 years after Jesus' death, the apostle Paul indicated that efforts of Satan to cause division and turn men away from the true faith were “already at work.” (2 Thess. 2:7) As early as about 49 C.E., in a letter sent out to the congregations, the governing body noted: “We have heard that some from among us have caused you trouble with speeches, trying to subvert your souls, although we did not give them any instructions.” (Acts 15:24) So some within the congregation were vocal about their opposing viewpoint—in this case evidently over the issue of whether Gentile Christians needed to get circumcised and observe the Mosaic Law.—Acts 15:1, 5.

As the first century progressed, divisive thinking spread like gangrene. (Compare 2 Timothy 2:17.) By about 51 C.E., some in Thessalonica were wrongly predicting that “the presence” of the Lord Jesus was imminent. (2 Thess. 2:1, 2) By about 55 C.E., some in Corinth had rejected the clear Christian teaching regarding the resurrection of the dead. (1 Cor. 15:12) About 65 C.E., others said that the resurrection had already taken place, it being of a symbolic kind that living Christians experience.—2 Tim. 2:16-18.

There are no inspired records as to what took place within the Christian congregation during the next 30 years. But by the time the apostle John wrote his letters (about 98 C.E.), there were “many antichrists”—persons who denied that “Jesus is the Christ” and that Jesus is the Son of God who came “in the flesh.”—1 John 2:18, 22; 4:2, 3.

For over 60 years, the apostles had ‘acted as a restraint,' endeavoring to hold back the tide of apostasy. (2 Thess. 2:7; compare 2 John 9, 10.) But as the Christian congregation was about to enter the second century, the last surviving apostle, John, died, about 100 C.E. The apostasy that had slowly begun to creep into the congregation was now ready to burst forth unrestrained, with devastating organizational and doctrinal repercussions.

What you are seeing today is apostate religion, not the true faith that Jesus established.

"PARSON A PROPHET?"

True prophets make known their faith in Jesus, but more is required than claiming to preach in his name

1 John 4:1-3: “Test the inspired expressions to see whether they originate with God, because many false prophets have gone forth into the world. You gain the knowledge of the inspired expression from God by this: Every inspired expression that confesses Jesus Christ as having come in the flesh originates with God, but every inspired expression that does not confess Jesus does not originate with God.”

Matt. 7:21-23: “Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,' will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will. Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name . . . ?' And yet then I will confess to them: I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness.”

True prophets speak in the name of God, but merely claiming to represent him is not enough

Deut. 18:18-20: “A prophet I shall raise up for them from the midst of their brothers, like you [like Moses]; and I shall indeed put my words in his mouth, and he will certainly speak to them all that I shall command him. And it must occur that the man who will not listen to my words that he will speak in my name, I shall myself require an account from him. However, the prophet who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded him to speak or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die.” (Compare Jeremiah 14:14; 28:11, 15.)

Jesus said: “I do nothing of my own initiative; but just as the Father taught me I speak these things.” (John 8:28) He said: “I have come in the name of my Father.” (John 5:43) Jesus also said: “He that speaks of his own originality is seeking his own glory.”—John 7:18.

If any individuals or organizations claim to represent God but decline to use God's personal name, and make it a practice to express their own opinions on matters, are they measuring up to this important qualification of a true prophet?

Ability to perform “great signs,” or “miracles,” is not necessarily proof of a true prophet

Matt. 24:24: “False Christs and false prophets will arise and will give great signs [“miracles,” TEV] and wonders so as to mislead, if possible, even the chosen ones.”

2 Thess. 2:9, 10: “The lawless one's presence is according to the operation of Satan with every powerful work and lying signs and portents and with every unrighteous deception for those who are perishing, as a retribution because they did not accept the love of the truth that they might be saved.”

"WHERE'S MY FAITH?"

The fact that you are asking questions does not mean you have a lack of faith, it is good to examine what we believe and why, as God says; "not everyone saying Lord, Lord will enter into the Kingdom" so there are forms of worship that are unacceptable in God's sight, so it is imperative we find out if we are pleasing God or not, don't you think? Then we can make the needed changes to being our lives in harmony with God's purpose and will.

"I CAN ONLY PRAY AND TRUST THAT GOD WILL SHOW ME THE WAY. THE NARROW WAY"

God is showing you the way believe me, he has heard your concerns and questions and he is providing the answers, I pray you continue to ask questions and I would be more than happy to answer any further questions you may have.

"This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ" (John 17;3)

The only way to find out what is correct and what is not, is by a study of God's word, then you will see for yourself  "the good and acceptable and perfect will of God"

I look forward to hearing from you
Brenda