Vol. 6, No. 6, 1989

Articles on Jehovah's Witnesses

John Whaley

One of the common threads which run through all of the cults is the twisting of Scripture. Whereas most cults twist the Word of God by quoting the Word inaccurately or by reinterpreting the Word by ignoring the immediate context, there are a few who simply retranslate the Scriptures to fit their preconceived teachings.

One of the best examples of this practice is found in the New World Translation published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. Due to their teaching concerning Jesus Christ as being the first created being of Jehovah God, Michael the archangel, and not God Himself (The Truth Shall Make You Free, p. 49), the Jehovah's Witnesses were placed in a position where they had to deal with a number of specific New Testament passages which support the deity of Christ. Thus, they chose to simply retranslate them!!

The most obvious example is found in John 1:1. The New World Translation reads as follows:

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

Note that the last phrase reads "the Word was a god", not "the Word was God".

Another obvious change in found in John 8:58. In the King James Version, Jesus clearly states, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM." By applying the phrase "I AM" to Himself, Jesus was identifying Himself as God, using the same phrase God used with Moses in Exodus 3:14.

The Watchtower most likely was aware of this obvious interpretation for the New World Translation rewrites the verse and has Jesus saying, "...Before Abraham came into existence, I have been." By translating John 8:58 in this fashion, they have totally disregarded the Greek grammar!

The other changes made in the New Testament are more subtle. For example, in Colossians 1:16-17, the word "other" is inserted four times. Instead of reading that Christ created all things and is before all things, the New World Translation reads that Christ created all other things and is before all other things. By adding this one word, the entire meaning of the text is altered and implies that Christ Himself is a created being.

In Philippians 2:9, the Watchtower Society repeated the same twist by stating that God gave Jesus "...the name that is above every other name" instead of "a name which is above every name" (King James Version).

These are only a few of the many examples where the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society has twisted the Word of God to conform to their beliefs. Unfortunately for them, they made all of these changes in total disregard to Proverbs 30:5-6, "Every word of God is pure... add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar."

Today, more than ever before, God is exposing these twists to His Word and showing the world that the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society is riddled with half-truths and false teachings, thus fulfilling the words of Proverbs 30:6!