What is the Good News?

Someone in the field ministry asked me what the Gospel was to Jehovah's Witnesses. I answered that it was what Jehovah God was going to do for all faithful mankind through Jesus Christ as King. I told him that the first thing we'd talk about was who God was and the blessings that He is going to pour out on mankind in the very near future.

He told me I was wrong. He told me that the Gospel was the Jesus Christ came to the earth, died for our sins, and was resurrected. Well, I was confused and realized that maybe I didn't know what the Gospel really was. I went home and studied for the next few hours and came up with many Scriptures.

1. The Good News of the Kingdom [1]
The Good News of the Kingdom is very important. So important that God wants everyone to hear it. If it was not being preached, God would hold off bringing the end. (Matthew 24:14) This is one of the three terms presented as the Good News more then once in the Holy Scriptures. To Jehovah's Witnesses, this aspect of the Good News is the one that is preached most often because of the imminence of its arrival. (Mark 1:15) Also, preaching this Kingdom is a direct command from the Lord Jesus Christ himself.

Jesus said, "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give." (Matthew 10:7, New International Version) Also, Christ made it his object to preach this Gospel. The Bible says of him, "He went journeying from city to city and from village to village, preaching and declaring the good news of the kingdom of God."-Luke 8:1

Jesus made sure that everyone had the opportunity to hear his message. In fact, in all four gospel accounts, the Kingdom of God is mentioned 109 times, not counting all of the other books of the Old and New Testaments. Surely, the Kingdom Message is an important one.

2. The Good News of Jesus Christ [2]
The Good News of Jesus Christ is another aspect of the Good News mentioned more then once. This is important because it fulfills prophecy. (1 Corinthians 15:3-5) It is also important because of what Jesus Christ did. "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) Yes, "He is a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins, yet not for ours only but also for the whole world’s."-1 John 2:2

Jesus' death opened the way to salvation for our sins. We were all sinners, all subject to death. (James 1:15) In fact, we were deserving of that very thing, death. However, when we wash our robes in the blood of the Lamb, we have forgiveness of sins.-Revelation 7:14

In fulfilling OT prophecy, only Christ could have done that. There are many, many numerous prophecies that speak of the coming of the Savior and, although many claimed to be him, none could do what he did. He had God's backing and His spirit to help him because he truly was the promised Messiah.-Matthew 3:16-17

3. Good News of God [3]
This is the last thing in the Bible called the Good News more then once. This one is important because it helps us to realize that we have to make known who the Almighty Father really is. The Bible names God in the book of Psalms. The King James Version has it as this: "That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth." (Psalm 83:18) Jehovah is a God "merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness and truth."-Exodus 34:6

The most dominate quality of God's is love. In fact, God is love personified. (1 John 4:8, 16) Everything about Him is loving. All of His dealings acknowledge this fact. (Genesis 6:7-14, 17-22; 19:12-17) Also, God is perfect in justice, power, and wisdom. (Deuteronomy 32:4; Isaiah 40:26; Romans 11:3) He has myriads upon myriads of angels at His command. (Genesis 3:22-24; Psalm 148:2; Jude 14) He is a good God, truly looking out for all of His people on the earth.-Matthew 5:45

Most of all, though, is the fact that Jehovah is deserving of all our praise. (Revelation 4:11) The Name of Jehovah is a Name that deserves our attention. Unfortunately, that will not be the case for long. Jehovah's name has been forgotten by the very people who claim to worship Him. Jehovah's Witnesses have tried to warn them and they will not pay attention. When Jehovah reveals it to them all, it will be to late.-Ezekiel 38:23; Philippians 2:9-11

4. Good News of the undeserved kindness of God; Good News about your salvation [4]
These two things go hand-in-hand. Why? "By this undeserved kindness, indeed, you have been saved through faith; and this not owing to you, it is God’s gift. No, it is not owing to works, in order that no man should have ground for boasting." (Ephesians 2:8-9) Many Bible translations have "grace" instead of undeserved kindness here. This is a mistranslation of the actual Greek word--a mistranslation that has started its own doctrine.

The original Greek word, Kha'ris implies "a favor freely done, without claim or expectation of return." [5] and "the idea of kindness which bestows upon one what he does not deserve." [6] Obviously, what undeserved kindness is is the gift that God gave us by sending His Son to die for us. That was the "grace" or undeserved kindness, not an after-affect of Christ's death which we can now receive or a mystic force that comes into your heart when you ask for it as the churches teach. That is why we were saved by undeserved kindness. We were sinners. Christ didn't have to die for us. Actually, we didn't deserve Christ to die for us. We deserved death, pure and simple.

Paul said to Titus, "For the undeserved kindness of God which brings salvation to all sorts of men has been manifested." (Titus 2:11) Many say that Jehovah's Witnesses try to earn their salvation by works but that is not true. We earn our salvation by putting our faith in Jesus Christ sacrifice, which was an undeserved kindness on his part. We have to believe that Christ died for us and have faith that his death will actually save us. We continue to do works because we know that our faith is shown by our works and our faith is actually dead without works. (James 2:18-26) When something is dead, it is non-existent. Only a shell of its former life remains. So only a shell of our former faith remains. And if we do not have faith, it is impossible to please God.-Hebrews 11:6

5. The Good News of Peace; Good News of Great Joy [7]
What else could bring us more joy and even peace then what we have discussed above? Yes, the Good News is a peace-inspiring teaching and a joy-inciting hope. The Apostle Paul said to us, "Always rejoice in the Lord. Once more I will say, Rejoice!" -Philippians 4:4

The peace that the Good News inspires in us is from the same God who inspired Paul to write: "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:1) Knowing that we were once sinners alienated from God but now we are reconciled brings Jehovah's Witnesses great peace. We have a hope to live forever on a paradise earth.

Joy and Peace are very important in the life of a Christians striving to walk with God and Christ with holy spirit. If we manifest those in our lives we are actually manifesting two of the aspects of that spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23) Many times throughout the NT, the writers emphasize our joy and peace. (2 Corinthians 8:2; Philippians 1:26; Philemon 1:3; 3 John 14) May we always have joy and peace in our Christian walk!

The Good News in Your Life
With all of this in mind, how would you like to gain salvation by undeserved kindness through Jesus Christ, sent from God, so that we might live under the Kingdom and have joy and peace? If you feel like that is something you would like to learn about this, contact Jehovah's Witnesses, the ones who practice true Christianity, locally in your area or click here!


References

[1] Matthew 4:23

[2] Mark 1:1

[3] Romans 1:1

[4] Acts 20:24; Ephesians 1:13

[5] "Synonyms of the New Testament" by Scholar R.C. Trench

[6] "A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament" by Joseph H. Thayer, a translator who worked on the American Standard Version

[7] Ephesians 6:15; Luke 2:10

Can God Break His Promises?

According to Exodus 32, when the people were waiting for Moses the 40 days he was on Mount Sinai, they became impatient saying, "Get up, make for us a god who will go ahead of us, because as regards this Moses, the man who led us up out of the land of Egypt, we certainly do not know what has happened to him." (Exodus 32:1) Evidently, Moses was the glue that held the Israelite camp to Jehovah God. Without him, they didn't want his God.

So Aaron, the brother of Moses, gave them what they wanted. He took their gold jewelry, threw into a fire, and "formed it with a graving tool and proceeded to make it into a molten statue of a calf." (Exodus 32:3) He told them that this was the god who had led them out of Egypt. What did Jehovah do?

Before we take a look at that, let us see why this is so important. Go back in time over 500 years. We find a man named Abram. Abram is a righteous man. So much so that God decides that this is the man that He is going to use to fulfill His promise made at Genesis 3:15. So Jehovah tells Abram to get up, leave his home country in Ur (a very rich, prosperous land), and dwell in tents as a nomad. Abram, "not knowing where he was going" showed his faith by traveling there anyway. Where did he end up? In the land of Canaan.-Hebrews 11:8; Genesis 12:1-5

Once in Canaan, God told Abram this: "To your seed I am going to give this land." (Genesis 12:7) God promised Abraham that his descendent's would inherit the land of Canaan--the Promised Land. After some time, God narrowed it down some and said that this seed that would inherit the land would come through Isaac and then Jacob. Finally, Jehovah said to Jacob. "The scepter will not turn aside from Judah, neither the commander’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to him the obedience of the peoples will belong."-Genesis 49:10

There would be a king coming from the son of Jacob, Judah. This was a promise of God and God cannot lie. (Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2) Now that had been established. There would be a people coming from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who would inherit this land and then a king would come out of Judah.

Going forward to this incident on Mount Sinai, after Jehovah commanded Moses to go down Mount Sinai He said, "I have looked at this people and here it is a stiff-necked people. 10 So now let me be, that my anger may blaze against them and I may exterminate them, and let me make you into a great nation."-Exodus 32:9-10, see also Numbers 14:12

Was there a problem with this? God said that a king would come through Judah and that Abraham would be the father of the nation of Israel. Yet Moses was through the line of Levi. If Jehovah destroyed everyone how could He fulfill His promise to Jacob and make a king through Judah? No one from Judah would have been alive.

Now we have to think: Who broke the promise at this point? God or the Israelites? The Israelites had already accepted a relationship with God by word and action. They agreed to do the things that Jehovah asked when they allowed themselves to be saved by Him but even more so when He brought them through the Red Sea alive. (Exodus 12:24-27, 43-50; 13:1-5; 15:2, 13, 16-18) So, when the God of their forefathers was left off from being worshiped in exchange for the golden calf, that was breaking their promise to "have no other gods against [Jehovah's] face."-Exodus 20:2-5

To look at another example of this, think of King Solomon. God said to Solomon after he prayed at the dedication of the temple: "I have heard your prayer...And you, if you will walk before me, just as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and with uprightness by doing according to all that I have commanded you, and you will keep my regulations and my judicial decisions, I also shall indeed establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel to time indefinite, just as I promised David your father, saying, 'Not a man of yours will be cut off from sitting upon the throne of Israel.'"-1 Kings 9:3-5, see also 2 Samuel 7:16

What happened with King Solomon? Solomon went bad and Jehovah took Israel away from his son, Rehoboam for this. He gave ten of the twelve tribes to Jeroboam, leaving Judah with Solomon's son.

Did God break His promise in this instance? Absolutely Not! God has set standards as to what is allowed and what isn't allowed. If we humans break that rule, then God is free as to His part of the bargain.

Today, God has made a new promise, one that will never be changed even if one who has been the recipient of the promise breaks their end of the bargain. To seal this promise, God sent His Only-Begotten Son into the world to save humanity from sin and death. (John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:22; 1 Timothy 2:5-6) He as promised that this One, Jesus Christ, will rule in heaven as King and High Priest forever. (1 Timothy 6:15, Hebrews 6:20) What is more, God has promised to take 144,000 humans from the earth to be co-rulers with Christ in the heavens. These too are kings and priests.-Revelation 14:1-3, 20;6

By doing this, is God breaking His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? No. He said that someone from the tribe of Judah would reign on the throne forever. Jesus Christ is of the tribe of Judah. (Luke 3:23, 33-34; Revelation 5:5) Isn't it interesting, though, how Christ is also a priest, for Paul mentioned, "For it is quite plain that our Lord has sprung up out of Judah, a tribe about which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests." (Hebrews 7:14) And those other 144,000 co-rulers? They are out of every "tribe and tongue and people and nation", not just from the tribe of Levi.-Revelation 5:9-10

It is true that the Jews were at one time the chosen people of God. However, God rejected them because they rejected His Son, Jesus Christ. (Matthew 21:43; 23:37-38) After this, a new covenant was put into effect, "a covenant...for a kingdom." (Luke 22:28-30) In this new covenant, people would now have the opportunity to go to heaven. When did this new covenant start?

Evidently, the New Covenant started at Pentecost 33 C.E. with 120 disciples when holy spirit was poured out upon them. How do we know? Well, this new covenant was for a kingdom, as Christ said. A kingdom in heaven. In other words, this new covenant will take people from earth to heaven to rule with Christ. After that day on Pentecost, the disciples began speaking of a heavenly hope, something that is absent in the gospels and the first chapter of Acts. Throughout the gospels, God's people always spoke of an earthly hope. (Luke 19:11; 24:21; Acts 1:6) After that day, they always discussed a heavenly hope.-Ephesians 2:6-7; 1 Peter 1:3-4

This hope had been open only to Jews at first. (Matthew 10:5-6; 15:24; Luke 14:16-21a) When they rejected Christ, it was opened to everyone, Jews and Gentiles alike. (Luke 14:21b-24; Romans 1:16; 2:10) Now, this people became something new. The Bible says of them, "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation a people for special possession."-1 Peter 2:9a

From then on out, the new race of people would be the Anointed Ones, the spiritual brothers of Christ. These were not literal Jews for those were no longer God's people. So if the Jew's were no longer God's chosen people, how could Jehovah keep His promise to Abraham? Paul answers that question.

"You are all, in fact, sons of God through your faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor freeman, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one person in union with Christ Jesus. Moreover, if you belong to Christ, you are really Abraham’s seed, heirs with reference to a promise." (Galatians 3:26-29; Luke 3:7-8) There you have it. By doing what is right and following Christ, these Anointed become descendent's of Abraham. They are "heirs with reference to a promise." What promise? The promise that they will one day become God's children and joint heirs with Christ in the heavens.-Romans 8:14-17

Yes, not all who are from Israel are really Israel. This is not in the sense that they are not natural descendent's of Abraham but that they are not God's children. (Romans 2:26-29; 9:6) To be Abraham's children, you need to be righteous--and Anointed! Those are the ones who inherit the promise to rule forever.

Now how do we of the "Great Crowd" benefit from this promise? (Revelation 7:9-10) Our most important blessing is that we can wash ourselves clean in the blood of Jesus Christ. We are able to worship God forever in His spiritual temple and be shepherded by the Lamb of God to waters of life. Finally, we will have all tears wiped from our eyes! (Revelation 7:13-17) What benefits! Through the reign of the Christ and his spiritual brothers, we have the hope of all those blessing mentioned in Revelation 7:9-17. As the bride of Christ, the New Jerusalem, the Anointed will be able to, like their heavenly husband, shower rich blessing on all of us on the earth forever. (2 Corinthians 11:2; Revelation 21:2, 9-10) May we all strive to remain faithful so as to live under the blessings of Jesus Christ and the 144,000 of God.-Psalm 37:29; Revelation 21:4

The Bible Does Not Teach the Trinity!

Here are 115 Scriptures that can effectively be used to disprove the Trinity if the person we are talking to has a right heart and is being drawn to Jehovah God.




Basic Bible Teachings about God and Jesus (48)
God is one, not three-Deuteronomy 6:4; Mark 12:29; Galatians 3:20

No one can see God-Exodus 33:20; John 1:18; 1 John 4:12

Jesus was a created being-Colossians 1:15; Revelation 3:14

Jesus was subordinate while on Earth-John 5:19; John 6:38; John 8:28

Jesus is subordinate even in Heaven-Acts 4:27, 30; 1 Corinthians 3:23; 1 Corinthians 11:3

God sent Jesus to the world-John 17:18

Jesus did not know everything and had to learn things-Matthew 24:36; Hebrews 5:8

Jesus had a God when he was on Earth-John 20:17

Jesus has a God now that he is in Heaven-2 Corinthians 1:3; Ephesians 1:17; Revelation 3:12

Jesus said the Father was Greater-John 14:28

God and Jesus separate-Matthew 3:16, 17; John 1:2; John 17:3; Acts 7:55; Colossians 3:1

Jesus prayed to God-Mark 1:35; Luke 6:12; Luke 22:41, 42; John 11:41, 42; John 17:1; Hebrews 5:7

Jesus makes supplication to God for people-Luke 22:31, 32

Jesus always does God's will, not his own-Matthew 27:39; John 6:38

Jesus worships God-Matthew 4:9, 10; John 4:22

Jesus gave titles to God that he would not apply to himself-Matthew 23:9; Mark 10:17, 18

Prophecies Show Jesus lower then the Father-Psalm 89:26; Psalm 110:1; Proverbs 8:22; Daniel 7:13, 14; Isaiah 61:1

Other Scriptures disproving the Trinity-John 3:16; Ephesians 4:4, 5; Ephesians 5:2

Things God Gave Jesus (25)
Everything-Matthew 11:27; John 3:35; 1 Corinthians 15:27
Authority-John 5:27; John 17:2; Revelation 2:26-28
Exultation-Acts 5:31; Philippians 2:9
Disciples-John 17:6, 9
Glory-John 17:22; 1 Peter 1:21
High Priesthood-Hebrews 5:10
Judgeship-John 5:22; Acts 10:42
Kingship-Luke 1:31, 32
Life-John 5:26
Lordship-Acts 2:36
Love-John 10:17; John 17:23
Resurrection-Acts 3:15; Acts 5:30; Romans 4:24; Romans 10:9
Revelation-Revelation 1:1
Words-John 17:8


Titles of Jesus Showing He is Lower then God (8)
The Holy One of God-Mark 1:24
Son of the Most High God-Mark 5:7
Gift of God-John 4:10
Son of God-John 20:31
Lamb of God-John 1:36
Son of the Father-2 John 1:3
Word of God-Revelation 19:13
Mediator Between God and Man-1 Timothy 2:5, 6

1st Century Christians Did Not Believe Jesus was God; Almost All Books of NT Show Otherwise (25)
Romans 1:7; Romans 16:27
1 Corinthians 1:1, 3;
2 Corinthians 2:15
Galatians 1:3
Ephesians 1:2; Ephesians 6:23
Philippians 1:2
Colossians 1:3
1 Thessalonians 1:3; 1 Thessalonians 3:11
2 Thessalonians 1:2
1 Timothy 1:1, 2; 1 Timothy 5:21
2 Timothy 1:2
Titus 1:4
Philemon 1:3
Hebrews 1:1, 2
James 1:1
1 Peter 1:3
2 Peter 1:2
1 John 1:3; 1 John 2:22
2 John 1:3
Jude 1:1

Holy Spirit is Not God (9)
The "Spirit of God", not the "Spirit is God"-Genesis 1:2; Numbers 24:2; Romans 8:14; 1 Corinthians 12:3
The holy spirit is God's power, not God himself-Luke 11:20 compare Matthew 12:28
The holy spirit is God's breath-Job 33:4
Holy spirit separate from God and Jesus-1 Corinthians 12:4-6; 2 Corinthians 13:14

Was 607 B.C.E. Actually the Year Jerusalem Fell?

According to secular sources, the fall of ancient Jerusalem to the Babylonians took place in 586 B.C.E. and most everyone believes that. Very few will even give it a second thought. However, there is one group that claims this date is wrong. Who are they?

You guessed it--Jehovah's Witnesses. But why do they disagree? Well, for one thing, they look to the Bible. And the Bible teaches a different date. Which one? Almost 20 years earlier: 607 B.C.E. Before going into this let us look at why non-Witnesses look to a date 20 years later for the fall of Jerusalem.

Most base this off of an ancient document called "The Canon of Kings" or, more informally, "Ptolemy's Canon." This document was a dated list of kings used by ancient astronomers as a means to date astronomical phenomena, such as eclipses. This canon is based off of mostly Babylonian sources and so it list Babylonian kings all the way back to King Nabonassar.

From King Nabonassar, the list continues through the Medo-Persian world empire, through the Grecian (Macedonian) empire all the way to the Roman empire, ending in 160 CE with Aelius Antoninus. The point that we are interested in, though, is King Nebuchadnezzar who is believed to have reigned from 604-562 BCE. If believed, this would pose a problem to Jehovah's Witnesses. Why? Jehovah's Witnesses teach that Jerusalem did fall under Nebuchadnezzar, just like the Bible says-2 Kings 25:1, 8-9; Jeremiah 39:1-2

So, if Nebuchadnezzar became king in 604 BCE but, as Jehovah's Witnesses claim, Jerusalem in 607 BCE, then they are contradicting the Bible. But they are not contradicting the Bible. There must be a problem with Ptolemy's Canon!

Well, there is. You see, Ptolemy was not one bit interested in Babylonian history. What he was interested in was astronomy. So what he did was compile a list of all the kings where some major astronomical event happened during their rule. Also, any kings who ruled for less then one year he excluded from the list. So that presents a problem. A twenty year problem!

Now, why all of this? Why do Jehovah's Witnesses hold so strongly to this 607 BCE date? Well, many are going to claim that it is because we hold so strongly to the 1914 doctrine and if we disbelief the date of the fall of Jerusalem being in 607 BCE, it will mess with our 1914 doctrine. Yes, that is true but that is not why we hold so strongly to 607 BCE. We do it because to argue against that date is to argue against the Bible. How?

Jehovah's Witnesses have no problem with the accepted year that the Jews returned to Jerusalem after the fall of Babylon, which occurred in 539 BCE to the Persians, allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem in 537 BCE. By doing basic math, we reason that from 537 BCE, counting back to 586 BCE, that is about 50 years. Yet, look at what the Bible says about how long the Jews were exiled.

"In the first year of [Darius'] reigning I myself, Daniel, discerned by the books the number of the years concerning which the word of Jehovah had occurred to Jeremiah the prophet, for fulfilling the devastations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years." (Daniel 9:2) The Scripture Daniel was referring to was either Jeremiah 25:11-12 "And all this land must become a devastated place, an object of astonishment, and these nations will have to serve the king of Babylon seventy years” or Jeremiah 29:10 "For this is what Jehovah has said, ‘In accord with the fulfilling of seventy years at Babylon I shall turn my attention to you people, and I will establish toward YOU my good word in bringing you back to this place.’" Both of these Scriptures say "seventy years."

Now, another indication of seventy years instead of fifty is what the Prophet Zechariah said to the returned exiles from Jerusalem. "And the word of Jehovah of armies continued to occur to me, saying: 'Say to all the people of the land and to the priests, "When you fasted and there was a wailing in the fifth month and in the seventh month, and this for seventy years, did you really fast to me, even me?" (Zechariah 7:5, compare Zechariah 1:12) On the anniversary of the fall of Jerusalem the Jews would fast in rememberance. God was telling them that this was not how it should be. They shouldn't be moping and feeling sad over their punishment but looked forward in joy that now they had a fresh start. The Bible says they did this for seventy years.

One last piece of evidence that should be considered is this Scripture: "Furthermore, he carried off those remaining from the sword captive to Babylon, and they came to be servants to him and his sons until the royalty of Persia began to reign; to fulfill Jehovah’s word by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had paid off its sabbaths. All the days of lying desolated it kept sabbath, to fulfill seventy years."-2 Chronicles 36:20-21

Every seven years, Jehovah commanded that no work was to be done on the land. It was to be a Sabbath year. When the Jews stopped obeying Jehovah, they stopped following the Sabbath year command. This went on for some time, how long we do not know, but Jehovah chose to make the years for the Sabbath years to be kept 70 years. Also notice how this Scripture says it was "lying desolated" for seventy years. Many argue that Jerusalem was attacked in 607 BCE and again a few years later and that is what Daniel and Jeremiah were talking about. They point to the word "devestations", claiming that there was more then one devestation. However, 2 Chronicles makes it clear that the land lay desolate for seventy years.

All of the Biblical evidence points to 607 BCE as the fall of Jerusalem. It is proven without a doubt that the Jews returned home in 537 BCE, making their stay in Babylon seventy years just like the Bible, and Jehovah's Witnesses, claim.

Further Reading:
Did Jerusalem Fall in 607 B.C.E.?

Creation Testifies to God

That is one thing that the Holy Bible makes completely clear. Creation is a living testimony to an all-powerful Creator. "For his invisible qualities are clearly seen from the world’s creation onward, because they are perceived by the things made, even his eternal power and Godship, so that they are inexcusable."-Romans 1:20

How do we know that God actually did create the world, though? Aren't many scientists convinced that there is no Creator, that we got here by chance? Well, let us reason. This is a very common reasoning point but effective: "Of course, every house is constructed by someone, but he that constructed all things is God." (Hebrews 3:4) Paul wrote those words in the First-Century to prove that there was an Almighty God. Today, we can use those same words in argument for creation.

The Heavens
What has God created? Let us see. "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth...And God went on to say: 'Let luminaries come to be in the expanse of the heavens to make a division between the day and the night; and they must serve as signs and for seasons and for days and years. And they must serve as luminaries in the expanse of the heavens to shine upon the earth.' And it came to be so. And God proceeded to make the two great luminaries, the greater luminary for dominating the day and the lesser luminary for dominating the night, and also the stars. Thus God put them in the expanse of the heavens to shine upon the earth."-Genesis 1:1, 14-17

Yes, the Bible says that God created the heavens and everything in them. Is this true?

In astronomy, we find something called "Redshifts" and "Hubble's Law" which shows galaxies moving away from the earth at speeds proportional to their distance. This suggests that our universe is expanding outwards. Based on this expansion, scientists can reverse it and see when our universe started and the results are a little surprising. Evidently, based on the evidence, our universe just popped into existence suddenly from nowhere at all. We can see that our universe had a sudden beginning, not a gradual beginning, as supporters of the Big Band tell us.

In the book of Job, Jehovah is talking to Job and asks a few questions that are of interest to us. He asks, "Can you tie fast the bonds of the Kimah constellation, Or can you loosen the very cords of the Kesil constellation? Can you bring forth the Mazzaroth constellation in its appointed time? And as for the Ash constellation alongside its sons, can you conduct them? Have you come to know the statutes of the heavens, Or could you put its authority in the earth?" (Job 38:31-33) In these few statements, God is showing His understanding of the ways of the heavens. And, in turn, the writer (probably Moses) is showing that he knew about these things. And how? The fact of the matter is, he would have had no awareness of these things in that time period without being told them.

Although it can't be definitely proven, it is believed that the constellations mentioned in this verse is as followed. The "Kimah constellation" is today known as the Pleiades in Sirius. Some have guessed that Kesil is Orion. The identity of the Mazzaroth constellation is a really unknown. Some have thought it to be Saturn or the seven planets, the Hyades,
the Northern and Southern Crowns, and the constellation of the Southern Ship. Ash is thought to be the Great Bear.

When we look at constellations and galaxies and so forth, we see that they move together. Think of the galaxy that we live in. Our Milky Way is part of a much larger galaxy cluster. All of these galaxies, numbering over half a dozen, stay together in their relative positions as if they are "tied fast" with bonds or cords. As King David wrote in song: "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." (Psalm 19:1, New International Version) Look at this beautiful statement made by God. "Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these stars. The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, not one of them is missing."-Isaiah 40:26, New American Standard Bible

The Earth
Now, we are only briefly touching on each of these subjects but another thing that is of interest is our earth. Look at what the Bible says about the creation of our earth. "Jehovah possessed me in the beginning of his way, Before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, Before the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills was I brought forth; While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, Nor the beginning of the dust of the world. When he established the heavens, I was there: When he set a circle upon the face of the deep, When he made firm the skies above, When the fountains of the deep became strong, When he gave to the sea its bound, That the waters should not transgress his commandment, When he marked out the foundations of the earth."-Proverbs 8:22-29, American Standard Version

One thing that stands out in these Scriptures is this statement: "When he set a circle upon the face of the deep, When he made firm the skies above." (Verses 27-28) Science has proved that at one time the crust of the earth was formed and then the atmosphere came later, just like these verses claim. At one time the earth was covered in water completely and then land began to appear, just like verse 29 says. Most interestingly, verses 26-29 show the exact order which scientists say that the earth was formed. Crust, atmosphere, water, land. The Bible knew that many centuries before our modern-day and attributed it to God.

Everything Else
"God proceeded to create the great sea monsters and every living soul that moves about...and every winged flying creature according to its kind...and God proceeded to make the wild beast of the earth according to its kind and the domestic animal according to its kind and every moving animal of the ground according to its kind...And God proceeded to create the man in his image, in God’s image he created him; male and female he created them." (Genesis 1:21, 25, 27) The Bible also tells us that before this he created all the plant life. (Genesis 1:11-12) All of these things owe their existence to God.

Think about the animals. They follow instincts. They all do the same things according to their kind. None of them have to be taught. Birds of the same species all fly to the same place, even if it is their first time. How do they know exactly what to do? God put that in their minds to follow it. All the other animals have these types of instincts, too.

Humans have something very special about them, too. What is it? Almost everything about them! Their brain, heart, lungs, liver, and eyes to name a few. The one thing that we want to talk about are our cells. In our body, our cells are constantly regenerating themselves. In fact, every seven years, we have a brand new, healthy set of cells. This goes with what Jehovah said to Adam and Ever, "From every tree of the garden you may eat to satisfaction. But as for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad you must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will positively die."-Genesis 2:16-17

We were originally intended to live forever. And to do that, Jehovah had to make it possible for our bodies to renew themselves, so He did. Researchers K.L. Spalding, R.D. Bhardwaj, B.A. Buchholz, H. Druid, and J. Frisen wrote a paper where it was proven that the age of specific human tissues and cell types when compared to the age of the person in question that most cell and tissue types in the human body are much younger than the person in which they are found.

In the human brain, the left hemisphere usually contains the specialized language areas. This is true for 97% of right-handed people, but about 19% of left-handed people have their language areas in the right hemisphere and as many as 68% of them have some language abilities in both the left and the right hemisphere. If a child has damage to the left hemisphere, the child may develop language in the right hemisphere instead. So, although the natural tendency is for language to develop on the left, human brains are capable of adapting to difficult circumstances, if the damage occurs early enough. How intricate the brain is.

Another thing that scientists have learned is that in a human lifetime, only about 1/1000 of 1% of the brain is used. They know that it would take over 100,000,000,000 years for the entire brain to be used to full capacity. Surely, this is proof that God wanted us to live forever. So wonderful is the human brain, that compared to a computer, the computer resembles a mentally-challenged ant! Jehovah sure did do a good job.

Surely, God is worthy of our praise. Yes, even the tiniest butterfly and the largest elephant praise God in some way. We all owe our creation to the Father. Creation proves that. That is why the heavenly chorus of angels said to Jehovah, "You are worthy, Jehovah, even our God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power, because you created all things, and because of your will they existed and were created."-Revelation 4:11

What Does the Bible Really Teach?

This publication, What Does the Bible Really Teach? is the main study publication of Jehovah's Witnesses with interested ones. Look at what Wikipedia says about this book:

"What Does the Bible Really Teach? is a 224-page book published in 2005, distributed by Jehovah's Witnesses. It is used to help interested people to learn about the Bible...More than 79 million copies have been produced in 220 languages...Each chapter begins with questions to focus the reader on what will be studied in that chapter. Other questions are found within each chapter, intended to help the student think about the subject. The book is purposely written in simple language, with an appendix containing further information on various doctrinal matters...The Bible is frequently cited throughout the book."

This book helps us to learn "the elementary things of the sacred pronouncements of God." (Hebrews 5:12) All points are taken straight from the Bible and the book encourages looking into the inspired Word to see if "these things [are] so." (Acts 17:11) Why such an emphasize on the Bible?

Well, the Bible is the inspired Word of God. (1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:16) In fact, Paul said of the Bible: "For the word of God is alive and exerts power and is sharper than any two-edged sword and pierces even to the dividing of soul and spirit, and of joints and their marrow, and is able to discern thoughts and intentions of the heart."-Hebrews 4:12

The subjects discussed in this 224-page book are as follows:

1. What is the Truth About God?
2. The Bible—A Book From God
3. What Is God’s Purpose for the Earth?
4. Who Is Jesus Christ?
5. The Ransom—God’s Greatest Gift
6. Where Are the Dead?
7. Real Hope for Your Loved Ones Who Have Died
8. What Is God’s Kingdom?
9. Are We Living in “the Last Days”?
10. Spirit Creatures—How They Affect Us
11. Why Does God Allow Suffering?

Much more is discussed in the additional eight chapters and fourteen appendixes. The organization that God is using on earth today is always improving itself as God directs it and this book is a prime example of that. It reads easier and is more understandable then the book used before it, Knowledge That Leads to Everlasting Life.Why not get a copy for yourself by contacting Jehovah's Witnesses locally in your area or click here and see the refreshing Truth as presented in God's holy Word, the Bible? What do you have to lose?

A Variety of Spiritual Food

God really does feed us at the proper time, doesn't He? Take for example something that people overlook as spiritual food. Most, when they hear the words "spiritual food" they immediately think of publications or large assemblies. Yet there is something else that constitutes spiritual food. What is that?

Talks! Meetings!

I've been downloading District Overseer talks, Circuit Overseer talks, Public Talks, etc. I listen to these on my IPOD while I'm working or walking or taking the dogs out! I don't even listen to the 1,000+ songs that I have on there. Just the talks. And why do I listen to the talks? Because I listened to all the dramas! I've got the entire Bible, books, brochures, dramas, magazines, and more! It is all very encouraging. I feel so renewed spiritually!

"That is why I shall thank you, O Jehovah, among the nations. And to your name I shall make melody!" (2 Samuel 22:50) Jehovah has heard my prayers and helped me to grow again in "the love [I] had at first." (Revelation 2:4) He has his Organization on earth and takes care of me--and all of us--through His "faithful and discreet slave."-Matthew 24:45

Not just that, but Jehovah also throws Scriptures out at you to help you. One Scripture that really stuck out recently to me is Zephaniah 3:14-17:

"Joyfully cry out, O daughter of Zion! Break out in cheers, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! Jehovah has removed the judgments upon you. He has turned away your enemy. The king of Israel, Jehovah, is in the midst of you. You will fear calamity no more. In that day it will be said to Jerusalem: 'Do not be afraid, O Zion. May your hands not drop down. Jehovah your God is in the midst of you. As a mighty One, he will save. He will exult over you with rejoicing. He will become silent in his love. He will be joyful over you with happy cries.'"

For us, this prophecy is yet to be fulfilled. Sure, it had a previous fulfillment when the Jews were returned home after their exile to Babylon. But, as with many prophecies, they have a double fulfillment. This will find it's ultimate fulfillment after the attack on God's people by Gog of Magog. Remember, brothers and sisters, things will get bad at that time for Jehovah's Christian Witnesses but "Jehovah [will prove to be with us] like a terrible mighty one!"-Jeremiah 20:11

One True Christian Religion

Which sect of Christianity is right? That is a question that may be hard to pinpoint the answer. The world over there are so many versions of Christianity each with teachings somewhat in conflict with others. Inside of these sects, there are many smaller sects that claim that they are the correct version of their major belief and hold the correct interpretation. Is there a way to determine this correctness?

Yes! Most of these "Christian" religions all claim to follow one guidebook, The Holy Bible. First, however, how do we know that all of these sects cannot be correct?

In the first century of Christianity, a title applied to this baby religion was "The Way." This title for the religion was used before the time "the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch." (Acts 11:26, New International Version) In this title, The Way, a great deal is gleaned.

The disciples knew that their way of believing was the only way of believing, the right way of believing. Anyone who believed otherwise was ultimately removed from the Church so that their bad influence would not contaminate it.-2 John 9-11

The Apostle Paul twice reiterated that there was only one true faith. At Ephesians 4:5 he said that there was only "one Lord, one faith, one baptism." Those two words, "one faith" is an indication that Christians are to believe one way and one way only. Furthermore, Paul told all Christians in his letter to Corinth, "Now I exhort you, brothers, through the name of Jesus Christ that you should all speak in agreement. and that there should not be divisions among you, but that you may be fitly united in the same mind and in the same line of thought."-1 Corinthians 1:10

These sects of Christianity is a bad thing. They shouldn't be there. Baptists, Seventh Day Adventists, Methodists, Christadelphian's, Lutherans, Jehovah's Witnesses, Presbyterians, Mormon's, Episcopalians, Christian Scientist, Pentecostals, and all these other religions cannot be right. Only one of them can be correct. When people say that two or more of these sects can be right, they are mistaken. That is an indication of what their heart really is for Paul calls divisions and sects "works of the flesh" and says that people "who practice such things will not inherit God's Kingdom."-Galatians 5:19-21

As we learn this we realize that we have to learn which one of these is right? How can we do this? Well, upon realizing that each one claims to follow the Bible, we need to go into the Bible to find out what it teaches. Then we can match each teaching with one of the religions and come to a conclusion. So: What Does the Bible really teach?

What the Bible Teaches

The Bible calls the Almighty God, Jehovah or Yahweh. Jehovah/Yahweh is the name that God gave to himself. (Exodus 3:15; 6:3) He lives in heaven above. He created the entire universe. (Genesis 1:1) He is no part of a Trinity with His Son, Jesus Christ or the holy spirit. (Job 33:4; Matthew 12:28; Luke 11:20; John 14:28; 20:17; 2 Corinthians 1:3) Yet, Jesus Christ plays a very important role. He came to earth as the Only-Begotten Son of God to die for our sins. (John 3:16; 1 John 2:2) He was created as the first of God's creation. (Proverbs 8:23-25; Colossians 1:15; Revelation 3:14) He is coming back. (Matthew 24:30; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9) Only 144,000 are going to Heaven. (Luke 12:32; Revelation 14:1-3) A Great Crowd will live on earth forever. (Psalm 37:10-11, 29; Proverbs 2:21; Matthew 5:5) Satan the Devil is a real person. (Matthew 4:1-10; Revelation 12:9) The dead are unconscious, awaiting a resurrection. (Ecclesiastes 9:5; Ezekiel 18:4; John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15) True Christians are to remain neutral in all political and military affairs. (John 17:14-16; James 4:4) The Bible is God's inspired Word.-2 Timothy 3:16-17

If your religion does not teach even one of these things, then you must ask yourself, "Can my religion truly be the true religion?" Any of the millions of Jehovah's Witnesses earth-wide can answer in the affirmative. If you would like to learn the Truth in the Bible go to the "Official Website of Jehovah's Witnesses" linked to the right of this blog. Click on the link for a Bible Study and you can receive everlasting life.-John 17:3