The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society claim exclusivity when it comes to truth, some claims they make are that “Jehovah Witnesses are the only true Christians” (The Watchtower, Feb. 15, 1979, p. 30.) or because they go “door to door” they alone are doing God’s work. Another group called Mormons also goes “door to door” will Jehovah Witnesses say that Mormons are the only true Christians? Is going “door to door” how we determine who’s a “true Christian”? A true Christian is a person who has been born again, a follower of the Lord Jesus.

Both are Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses are known cults and both claim exclusivity when it comes to “the truth”. In this post, we will look at the society’s Bible called the New World Translation and see for ourselves if it’s “the truth”. Before we examine the text in the NWT we first should understand how it came to be, who are the men responsible for translating the grey Bible all Jehovah Witnesses stand by.

New World Translation Beginnings

The Watchtower created a committee of 6 men all of which were former governing body members and published their first New World Translation in 1950. The men responsible for the translation are Raymond Franz, Nathan H. Knorr, Fredrick W. Franz, Albert D. Schroeder, George D. Gangas, and Milton G. Henschel, out of the 6 only Frederick Franz claimed to have had sufficient knowledge in biblical languages. Franz had stated that he was familiar with not only Hebrew, but with Greek, Latin, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and French for the purpose of biblical translation.”

Franz couldn’t translate the languages here’s the transcript to the court case in which Frederick Franz was examined in court regarding his “biblical knowledge”. The following is a court transcript of F W. Franz was questioned in a Scotland.

Article ID: DJ200

From the Pursuer’s Proof of the cross-examination held on Wednesday, November 24, 1954, p. 7, paragraphs A-B. Examining Fred W. Franz, vice-president of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society and sent as representative of the Society and the Translation Comm.
Q: Have you also made yourself familiar with Hebrew?
A: (Franz) Yes.
Q: So that you have a substantial linguistic apparatus at your command?
A: Yes, for use in my biblical work.
Q: I think you are able to read and follow the Bible in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and French?
A: Yes.

The Truth is that F W. Franz holds no degree in Greek or Hebrew,
and cannot read either Greek or Hebrew, as a translator should. He dropped out of the University of Cincinnati after his sophomore year and had not been studying anything having to do with theology. Therefore, his qualifications as the only officially recognized member of the translation committee are definitely not adequate. Later during the same crossexamination, Franz had to admit that he was unable to translate a Bible verse.

Q: You, yourself, read and speak Hebrew, do you?
A: I do not speak Hebrew.
Q: You do not?
A: No.
Q: Can you, yourself, translate that into Hebrew?
A: Which?
Q: That fourth verse of the second chapter of Genesis?
A: You mean here?
Q: Yes.
A: No.

Knowing this information we can see that none of the “committee translators” had the appropriate knowledge to translate any verses of the Bible. Let’s see how the Watchtower has purposefully changed scriptures to fit their own doctrine.

How the Watchtower changed the scriptures

Here’s the Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures published by the Watchtower in 1969. Notice in their own Greek interlinear for Colossians 1:15-17 a favourite passage among Jehovah Witnesses when trying to prove Jesus Christ is not God. The Greek text says “all things” are created by Jesus Christ. If all things are created by Jesus Christ then that would make Him God. The Watchtower doesn’t believe Jesus Christ is God. They say that Jesus was “a god” making Him a created creature more specifically Michael the Archangel according to Watchtower theology. Of course, Watchtower is against the fact that Jesus is God and felt the need to change the scriptures to suit their own teachings.

New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (1984 Edition)

Here we see a copy of their New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (1984 Edition) and the same passage for Colossians 1:15-17. Notice that the word “other” is in brackets to signify that word is not found in the original language and has been inserted into the text. All members of the Jehovah Witnesses are to understand that this rendition is not how the Greek language reads in the scriptures. Moving forward the Watchtower wanted to further deny the deity of Christ and would later come out with another version of their Bible.

Here’s the latest version of the Jehovah Witness Bible New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (2013 Revision). Notice how the brackets are removed but the word “other” remains. If a person for the first time would read this Bible they wouldn’t realise that the word “other” doesn’t belong in the text. This is very underhanded and deceitful, why would the Watchtower go to such lengths to try to cover up the fact that Jesus Christ is God? It’s because this organization is not directed by God at all, this is one of the reasons why the Jehovah Witness religion is a cult.

Here’s the actual rendition of Colossians 1:15-17.

Colossians 1:15-17 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

To Jehovah Witnesses

Is this really the kind of organization you can trust in? One that will deliberately use sneaky tactics in order to indoctrinate you with unscriptural teachings? I understand it’s hard to come to the truth that the Watchtower is false after investing so many years into the organization but your soul is in great danger by staying in this cult. You must be born again the Lord Jesus said.

John 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.