Christianity vs. Jehovah’s Witnesses – Comparing and contrasting

Over the years I’ve had many conversations with Jehovah’s Witness (JW) followers. Some were individuals knocking on my door, and others have been leaders of the Kingdom Halls (their house of worship and fellowship). Like other world faiths, Mormonism and Islam as examples, the JW faith is a false faith that shrouds itself with the Bible in order to appeal to the masses. This is how Satan deceives. These faiths and others, claim to be the one true faith of God, and they all claim to worship the “God of Abraham.” Going even further, unlike Islam, faiths like Mormonism and JW will present themselves as Christianity, claiming to believe in the Jesus of the Bible. But do they really? Are they accurately representing the doctrine of the Bible? This essay aims to expose some of the teachings and practices of the JW faith. This essay isn’t meant to shame, but to edify and encourage individuals to use evidence when considering a faith to embrace. I know many JW leaders personally, and I believe they are deceived. They really do believe the things they’re teaching, even though the things they teach fall short when scrutinized. Let’s let the evidence speak for itself.

There are many evidences which I believe debunk the validity of the JW faith. This essay will expound on several of them. But first, I want to start by exposing two quick and easy mistakes that JW’s embrace, starting with false prophecy. Later in this essay I use the Bible to clarify what false prophecy is, and I document many examples of JW false prophecy. But for now, let me refer to a conversation I had with a JW leader. I showed him documentation exposing many JW false prophecies. He regurgitated what he and other JW’s are trained to say, which was, “Anyone can misinterpret Scripture. That’s all this was, simply misinterpreting Scripture. Pastors do this all the time.” I had to call him out on his misrepresentation of prophecy. Interpreting Scripture and making a prophetic statement are not the same! Remember what is written in 2 Peter 1:20-21, “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”

A prophecy, like the kinds that JW founders made, which failed, is when someone claims that God has told him about an upcoming event, revealing both what will happen and when it will happen. When it doesn’t come to pass, that person is exposed as a false prophet. This is in no way similar to misinterpreting a Bible verse. For example, if a pastor is preaching through a book of the Bible, like Revelation, which has much symbolism, that pastor might say, “I think this verse means…” If his interpretation is wrong, this is not at all an example of false prophecy. A prophecy requires someone to say something that’s not in the Bible, and make a claim providing specific dates and details as to what’s to come. It’s a matter-of-fact statement about a future event, not at all up to interpretation. The bottom line is that the Jehovah’s Witness faith has to redefine false prophecy in order to blur the fact that their own founders were false prophets. Consider this truth, if we can simply redefine false prophecy, then nothing could ever be considered a false prophecy, and no person could ever be considered a false prophet. One could simply chalk up their error to misinterpretation. What a lazy escape hatch! Critical thinking exposes the error in the JW explanation of prophecy.

Another point to know, is that beyond basic emailing and such, JW’s are coached to not use the internet, at least not beyond their own JW.org website. Many times, when I’ve sat and shown JW’s the error in their doctrine and prophecy, they’ve simply dismissed it as lies from the internet (even though some things that I revealed to them were from their own JW website). While it’s true that we can certainly find things on the internet that aren’t true, I challenged their logic. Here’s an example of a conversation I had with a JW leader.

Me – “I know you’ve been coached to not research on the internet outside of JW sources. I think the reason you’re told to avoid the internet is that there’s an abundance of evidence out there that challenges the JW faith.”

Him – “That’s not true. We’re not told to avoid researching on the internet.”

Me – “Then do you ever go on the internet and research the JW faith?”

Him – “No. But it’s not because we can’t. It’s just because the internet is full of lies.”

Let that sink in for a moment. This validates a type of brainwashing that I commonly see, regarding avoiding the information on the internet. Imagine if I said something similar, like, “Of course I don’t go to the library. It’s not because I can’t go, but it’s because the library has books in it that are false. So, I choose to not go there at all.” I’d be ridiculous to say that! That’s essentially a way of saying, “I don’t have any discernment. I can’t use my critical thinking skills to discern truth from untruth, so therefore I just refuse to consider the evidence all together.” That’s the position of the JW faith; blind allegiance and being raised to redefine false prophecy and dismiss any possible source of evidence that contradicts their claims. Thankfully, Christianity is not blind faith, but faith based on evidence; open to scrutiny.

Important truths to understand about the Jehovah’s Witness faith.

There are several things to look for in determining whether a faith or belief system is valid. Here are four examples of practices that some faith groups, like the Jehovah’s Witness (JW’s) consider valid, that the Bible forbids.

Extra Biblical Revelation – Claiming supplemental texts to be equal to the Bible.
Presumptuous Leadership – Any leader that claims to be anything more than any other man; closer to God than other men, more powerful than other men, or a special mediator between man and God. Keep in mind what’s said in 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
Evolving or Progressive Doctrine – Altering the sacred text, to adapt its doctrine to times and circumstances.
Dismissing False Prophecy – When one claims to be a prophet of God, and yet his prophecies are false, but the practitioners of that faith continue to adhere to his teachings, as their prophet guides them to excuse his error.

Brief History of the JW’s

Charles Taze Russell founder, born in 1852, was fascinated with the end-times and the second coming of Christ.
As a young adult he circulated pamphlets called THE OBJECT AND MANNER OF THE LORDS RETURN.
- In it he predicted the Lord’s return in 1874.
- Russell later changed the date to 1914, only this time the Lord’s return would not be a physical one, meaning that He would return in spirit, and not be seen.
In 1879, Russell published his magazine ZIONS WATCH TOWER and HERALD OF CHRISTS PRESENCE.
By 1880 there were 30 congregations in 7 states.
1916, Russell dies.
- Having none of his prophesies come true, JW’s will now claim that they don’t believe Russell’s teachings.
1917, “Judge” Joseph Franklin (or J.F.) Rutherford assumes control over the organization.
- Rutherford set up headquarters in Brooklyn N.Y.
Under Rutherford’s presidency, the JW’s claim, “Millions now living on earth will never die”, as well as prophesies an earthly resurrection of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and others…to occur in 1925.
1930, “Beth Sarim” (a costly home) is built in San Diego, CA, to house the resurrected bodies of the prophets.
- None of the alleged prophets ever resurrected on earth, as “Judge Rutherford prophesied.
- “Judge” Rutherford takes up residency at Beth Sarim.
1931, the name Jehovah’s Witnesses is officially adopted by the organization.
1942, “Judge” Rutherford dies and Nathan Homer (or N.H.) Knorr is elected as the third president.
1950, Knorr published the JW translation of the Bible known as THE NEW WORLD TRANSLATION.
- NWT called Jesus “a god” and inserted “Jehovah” in the New Testament.
- The translators of this “Bible” remain anonymous.
1968, The Watchtower’s article “Why are you looking forward to 1975” prophesied the likelihood of Armageddon for that year. This too was a false prophecy.
1977, Knorr dies and Fredrick Franz becomes fourth president.
1992, Franz dies and Milton Henschel becomes fifth president.
Each subsequent president of the JW’s is said to be the active voice and official prophet of the faith group, and can speak new clarifying revelations which can differ or refute what the previous president claimed to be true.

Broader Examples of False Prophecies from the JW organization

JW’s prophesied that the end times began in 1799, and that the Lord’s second coming was in 1874.

Here’s are excerpts from the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, claiming that the second coming of the Lord happened in 1874. Images taken from publications offered by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society: Prophecy, 1929; and Studies in the Scriptures, The Finished Mystery.

JW’s have taught the following…

“…115 years from 1799 to 1914 is “marked in scriptures”; Studies in the Scriptures, Thy Kingdom Come, p.23

“… 1874 as the date of our Lord’s second presence, assuring us of the fact with mathematical precision…”; The Time of the Harvest, 1911 p. 125-129

“… Scriptural proof… Second presence… began in 1874…”; Prophecy, 1929 p.65 (1,589,000 edition)

“We see no reason for changing the figures- nor could we change them if we would. They are, we believe, Gods dates, not ours. But bear in mind that the end of 1914 is not the date for the beginning, but for the end of the time of trouble.” (W.T. pg.226 July 15 1894)

JW’s later prophesied that from 1874 to 1878 Jesus reaped/resurrected his faithful church from the earth and in 1878 began reigning in heaven as a conquering king, leaving the world in a new period where God’s wrath would pour out upon the nations.

JW’s later prophesied that Jesus returned in 1914, yet this time, his return is invisible. With regards to Jesus’ invisible return, Jesus rules unseen, and in secret within the Watchtower organization. However, in Matthew 24:26, passages talking about the return of Jesus specifically say that Jesus won’t be hidden away somewhere in secret. In fact, when Jesus returns, the Bible says that all the tribes of the earth will see Him, Matthew 24:30.

This prophesy and others were made using Pyramidology (Great Pyramid). 1914 was also prophesied to be the end of the world. “… The 4 years from 1910 to the end of 1914, indicated thus in the Great Pyramid, will doubtless be a time of fiery trial…”; Studies in the Scriptures III, Thy Kingdom Come p.364

Below is the “Chart of Ages” taken from Studies in the Scriptures.

This image (below) of “Thy Kingdom Come”, part of the Studies in the Scriptures series published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, features a pagan symbol of the Egyptian sun god Ra. Pyramidology was practiced in determining the expected time of Armageddon. Passageways in the pyramid were measured, and calculations were used to prophesy 1914 as the end of the world.

JW’s prophesied that in 1915, world governments would be overturned. “…an established truth that the final end… near the end of A. D. 1915. The Gentile times prove that the present governments must all be overturned about the close of 1915 A.D.”; Studies in the Scriptures, The Time is at Hand, 1915 edition, p.99, 101, 242

JW’s prophesied that God would destroy churches and church members by the millions.

“… The harvest began in 1878, there is ample convincing proof. The end of the harvest is due in the spring of 1918.” Watchtower 5/1/1918, p.132

“…1918 when God destroys the churches wholesale and the church members by the millions.” The Finished Mystery, p. 485 (Studies in the Scriptures)

After the failed “end of the world” prophecy in 1914, Watchtower publications warn of a 1925 “ceasing of the Lord’s work here on earth” and that 1925 would be the date of Armageddon. Additionally, the prophets Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would rise again and live in a San Diego mansion, “Beth Sarim”.

“… there is evidence that the establishment of the kingdom in Palestine will probably be in 1925, ten years later then we once calculated.”; Studies in the Scriptures Series VII, Finished Mystery, p.128

“…1925 is particularly marked in prophecy.”; The Way to Paradise, p.220

” … we may expect 1925 to witness the return of these faithful men of Israel from the condition of death.”; Millions Now Living Will Never Die, p.88

One of the most interesting Watchtower false prophecies involves the “House of Princes”, called Beth Sarim. Beth Sarim was built by Rutherford from the donations made to the Watchtower Society by Jehovah’s Witnesses. The house was lavishly furnished and Rutherford moved in. It is also said that he worked there. He claimed it was for the prophets to live in after Armageddon.

“At the time, it was believed that faithful men of old times, such as Abraham, Joseph, and David, would be resurrected before the end of this system of things and would serve as “princes in all the earth,” in fulfillment of Psalm 45:16. This view was adjusted in 1950, when further study of the Scriptures indicated that those earthly forefathers of Jesus Christ would be resurrected after Armageddon.” ; Watchtower, Nov 1, 1950, p. 414-41

“Unlike any other Organization the Jehovah Witnesses say they alone represent God as his spokesman on earth. “The Watchtower is a magazine without equal on earth because God is the author.” Watchtower April 15,1943 pg.127

Later, JW’s again prophecy that Armageddon will now come in 1975

“Just think brothers… Only ninety months left before six thousand years of man’s existence on earth is completed.”; Kingdom Ministry, March 1968 p.4

“… within a few years at most, the final parts of Bible prophecy relative to these last days will undergo fulfilment.”; Watchtower May 1,1968 p. 272

“Only a few years at most remain before the earth is destroyed by God.” Awake, Oct 8,1968 p.13

“True, there have been those in times past who predicted an “end to the world” even announcing a specific date…The end did not come. They were guilty of false prophesying.” Awake Oct. 8,1968

With Regards to Jesus’ resurrection, the JW’s believe that Jesus’s body was quickly caused to decay and disappear, leaving behind an empty tomb. However, Jesus did resurrect, but in a “spirit body” (a term that is vaguely broad that today still lacks a credible definition). JW’s have a source called Studies of the Scripture, in Volume 5, page 454 it declares, “the man Jesus is dead, forever dead”. Oddly enough, the resurrection and eternal life of Jesus is the central doctrine of the Christian faith, yet JW’s have published this claim. However, Jesus Himself claims to have risen bodily, even appearing in bodily form to the disciples after the resurrection, where the account of his bodily appearance is clearly demonstrated to Thomas in John 20:19-30.

What the Bible says about detecting a false prophet

Deuteronomy 13:1-3, “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known ) and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” And,Deuteronomy 18:20-22, “But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death. You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?” If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.”

Distinctive Practices of the Jehovah’s Witnesses

Personal Ethics

JW’s are prohibited from participating in almost every celebration, Christian or secular, including
- Christmas and Easter, Birthdays (some claim this is because in the Old Testament where Pharaoh’s birthday was celebrated, and later King Herod’s (New Testament); both men were pagan and both had someone put to death in connection with the celebration. Since no men of faith were recorded as to having celebrated a birthday, but only evil men…therefore, birthday celebrations are banned.)
- National observances, including New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, and all other such holidays.
JW’s are prohibited from taking blood transfusions even in the event of saving their own lives or the lives of their children. This is because it resembles intravenous feeding and they couple this with God’s command in the Old Testament to not eat meat with its blood still in it (Genesis 9:4).
JW’s are forbidden to use or regard the cross as a symbol of the Christian faith and are taught that Jesus did not die on a cross but rather on an upright stake.

Social Ethics

JW’s are forbidden to participate in political affairs: they may not vote, lobby, hold office in any government, salute, pledge, or display a government flag.
JW’s are forbidden to participate in any war, even as non-combatants.

What a Jehovah’s Witness Believes

Some similarities with Biblical Christianity

Creation account, as opposed to evolution.
Sex outside of marriage is rejected as sin.
The Bible is the inspired Word of God.

Further teachings of the JW organization

Christianity – True Christianity vanished from the face of the earth (with the exception of a few individuals) after the 12 apostles died. It was not restored until Charles Taze Russell established the Watchtower organization in the late 1870’s. When Christ returned invisibly in 1914, He found Russell’s group doing the work of the faithful and wise servant (Matt 24:45). All other “Christian” churches are tools of the devil.
Christ’s return – The Lord returned invisibly in 1914 and has been present ever since ruling as King over the earth through the Watchtower Society. References to the second coming are rendered as “presence” in the JW’s “Bible”.
Armageddon – God will soon wage war against mankind, destroying everyone on earth except the JW’s. The Christian churches will be the first to be destroyed.
Chronology – JW’s believe that God has a precise timetable for all past, present, and future events, tied together by simple mathematical formulae and revealed to mankind through the Watchtower Society.
- The 7 days of the creation account – The 7 “days” of creation were each 7,000 years long, for a “week” that actually lasted 49,000 years. God created Adam in the year 4026 B.C. His creation of Eve a short time later marked the end of the “sixth” creation day and the start of the “seventh” period of rest. Therefore, we are now 6,000 years into that 7,000-year period which means that Armageddon will soon put an end to the 6,000 years of human toil, making way for a Sabbath-like 1,000-year reign of Christ.
Deity – The Father alone is God, and true worshippers must call Him by the name Jehovah.
- Jesus Christ is merely a human manifestation of Michael the archangel, not God. JW’s still will call Jesus the “Son of God” because according to (1982) pg. 14 of a Watchtower booklet, “Enjoy Life On Earth Forever!” it says, “the first-born spirit person God made was like a firstborn son to him.” As far as Christ’s resurrection, JW’s believe that he became non-existent when He died and that he was raised three days later as a spirit – an angel. They deny His bodily resurrection. Going along with their teaching that Christ returned invisibly in 1914, JW’s believe that He raised dead Christians to spirit life shortly after, and that the rest of the human dead will be raised bodily during the thousand –year reign of God’s kingdom.
- The Holy Spirit is neither represented as God nor a person, but rather an active force.
Disfellowshipping – This is the punishment for infractions of Watchtower Society regulations. It consists of a public decree, announced to the audience at a Kingdom Hall meeting and consists of forbidding of all fellowship and association with the offender. The only exceptions are that family members may conduct “necessarily business”, or that elders may speak to an offender if the offender instigates a repentant plea to seek reinstatement.
Heaven – Only 144,000 go to heaven. This group began with the 12 apostles and was filled by the year 1935. The rest of JW’s are hoping to live on earth forever.
Hell – JW’s still follow the teaching of Russell which teaches that hell (Gehenna) instantly destroys its victims and there is not conscience existence into eternity for the dead until the time of their bodily resurrection.
Hope – JW’s believe that God stopped calling Christians to a heavenly hope back in 1935. Since then He has been offering people the opportunity to live eternally here on earth. God will destroy everyone else on the planet leaving JW’s in an eternal “Eden” like paradise.
Salvation – Although giving lip service to the doctrine of salvation through Christ, JW’s actually believe that salvation is impossible apart from full obedience to the Watchtower Society and vigorous participation in its prescribed works program. Even individual JW’s who are not sufficiently zealous for the organization may not survive Armageddon, and those who make their way into the earthly paradise must maintain good works throughout Christ’s thousand-year reign before they can be sealed for life.

Comparisons between the “New World Translation”, which is the primary sacred text that JW’s use, and the Christian Holy Bible

In the Christian Bible, in 2 Peter 3:15-16, the Apostle Peter writes this about the Apostle Paul, “Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.” Peter speaks about how there are some who will distort the Scriptures, creating a message that personally suits their own agendas. The JW’s, similarly to the Mormons, practice what can be called holding an evolving doctrine, meaning, that the Scriptures can be changed/altered/revised. This is the sort of distortion that Peter is referring to. Here are some examples.

JW’s have created the New World Translation which has changed many aspects of the real Bible. This is warned about in the above passage. JW’s were originally issued copies of the KJV Bible because it has the word Jehovah used throughout the O.T. They were also issued instructions on how to interpret the scriptures to appear to teach that God outlawed vaccinations, that Abraham and the faithful prophets would be resurrected in 1925, and so on. But there were some doctrines that were difficult to derive from the KJV (and later the ASV) that no matter how much “twisting” was applied, still didn’t fit into JW teaching. As a result, in the 1950’s, JW’s went beyond interpretation and actually produced their own “Bible” with hundreds of verses changed to fit it. In fact, the NWT continues to be added to and changed every few years to adapt to the organization’s teachings.

Some examples of changes from Bible to NWT are

“the cross” being changed to “the torture stake”.
“Holy Spirit” to “holy spirit” or “active force”.
Christ speaks not of his “coming” again, but rather of his “presence” (which JW’s believe to be invisible)
John 1:1 no longer says of Jesus, “the Word was God”, but rather “the Word was a god”.
Instead of Jesus saying “before Abraham was, I am”, but rather “Before Abraham came into existence, I have been”.
The NWT inserts the name Jehovah 237 times into the New Testament, even though it’s a Hebrew name from the Tetragrammaton YHWH.
The NWT sets out to eliminate the deity of Christ. Instead of people falling at Jesus’ feet to worship Him, people did “obeisance” (revered or respected) to Him.

Some sample changes over the years in the NWT-

1970 Revision Hebrews 1:6 But when he again brings his First-born into the inhabited earth, he says: “And let all God’s angels worship him.”

1984 Revision Hebrews 1:6 But when he again brings his First-born into the inhabited earth, he says: “And let all God’s angels do obeisance to him.”

Colossians 1:15, says this about Jesus, (in the Christian Bible), “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”

JW’s will use this as a central verse to conclude that Jesus was in fact a created being, by highlighting the word, “firstborn”.
However, this is an inaccurate interpretation of the verse, as God says that David, Israel, and Ephraim are also “God’s firstborn”; David (Ps 89:27), Israel (Exodus 4:22), Ephraim (Jeremiah 31:9).
The term firstborn is not meant a literal offspring nor the first being to be created. Otherwise, God would be lying when He says the same of the other three. So, how can multiple people be a firstborn? Firstborn is logically a term of endearment, and expression that denotes favor, heirship, and authority. It means, to this person, authority and power and heirship are bestowed.

Even the verses that follow, Colossians 1:16-17, magnify the fact that Jesus is the source of all creation, not a created being. Colossians 1:16-17 goes on to say this about Jesus (in the Christian Bible), “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities -all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”

Now, let’s see how the NWT has altered these verses. In the 1984 Version of the NWT, Colossians 1:16-17 reads, “because by means of him all [other] things were created in the heavens and upon the earth, the things visible and the things invisible, no matter whether they are thrones or lordships or governments or authorities. All [other] things have been created through him+ and for him. Also, he is before all [other] things and by means of him all [other] things were made to exist”
You see the insertion of the word “other” to imply that Jesus was first created by God, then God allowed Jesus to create all other things. This removes the eternal nature and deity of Jesus, which is a central doctrine to Christianity.
Notice now in the 2013 revised edition of the NWT, they have removed the brackets around the word “other” and now Colossians 1:16-17 reads, “because by means of him all other things were created in the heavens and on the earth, the things visible and the things invisible, whether they are thrones or lordships or governments or authorities. All other things have been created through him and for him. Also, he is before all other things, and by means of him all other things were made to exist.”
You can see the difference created by removing the brackets, how now the word “other” appears to coincide with the rest of the text, appearing to be more original.
Ask yourself this, “How does the doctrine change if the word “other” is removed?”
- Without the word “other”, the verse teaches us that Jesus, “is before all things, and by Him all things are created.” Removing the word “other” shows the eternal divine nature of Jesus who is the creator, not the created!

Lastly, and this is important…

However, look now at another JW publication, the Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Bible, first published in 1969. Notice how their doctrine has evolved. Here, they don’t even have the word “other” at all, showing that “other” isn’t even in the Greek text. This is great evidence how alteration of a doctrinally significant verse makes it fit with their different doctrine. Here’s a picture from jw.org, using their own Kingdom Interlinear Translation.

There are documents online highlighting thousands of changes the JW organization has made to the Bible. Here are a couple more examples of many that can be given.

Genesis 1:1-2 NWT – In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth proved to be formless and waste and there was darkness upon the surface of the watery deep; and God’s active force was moving to and fro over the surface of the waters. (“active force” instead of Holy Spirit)

JW’s try to remove the personhood of the Holy Spirit by replacing him with an impersonal force used at God’s disposal.

Exodus 3:14 & John 8:58 (NIV) “God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” & “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”

(NWT) “At this God said to Moses: “I SHALL PROVE TO BE WHAT I SHALL PROVE TO BE.” And he added: “This is what you are to say to the sons of Israel, “I SHALL PROVE TO BE has sent me to you.” & “Jesus said to them: “Most truly I say to you, before Abraham came into existence, I have been.”

How do we know that the Christian Bible is any more accurate, compared to the NWT?

One way to discern this is by using ancient manuscripts. Over the century’s scholars have compiled and compared thousands of NT manuscripts. We’ve been able to ensure that the NT alone is considered to be 99% textually pure. This means that of the hundreds of thousands of fragments and thousands of full manuscripts, there is only a 1% variation with today’s Bible compared to the oldest known manuscripts. Debated variations are corrected by comparing them to other manuscripts that don’t have the variants, or by simply reading the context to determine accuracy. Most importantly, of all known variants, nothing affects the doctrine or primary message being communicated. Consider that there are about 138,000 NT words, and only 1,400 of those words remain uncertain in their exact meaning, and the 1,400 words that are debated are trivial with regards to how they might affect the doctrine or central message of the passage.

Of just the known 5,800+ Greek New Testament manuscripts, there are more than 2.6 million pages. Combining both the Old and New Testament, we have more than 66,000 manuscripts and scrolls, and over 400,000 fragments. Where do these come from? For example, over 10,000 manuscripts dating 800 A.D. from the Cairo Geniza find of 1897. There were over 700 OT manuscripts until the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls from 1946-1955, which added about 1,000 more, some as early as 250 B.C., only 150 years after the original writings. The Dead Sea Scrolls contain manuscripts or fragments of every book in the OT except the book of Esther. Regarding NT manuscripts, we have over 5,800 copies, many of which were dated on or before 1,000 A.D. and in some cases, the time between the original document and the earliest manuscripts is less than 30 years.

What’s the point? The point is the Holy Bible used by the Christian Church has textual accuracy that is easily demonstrated by manuscript evidence. The opposite is true of the JW organization. Their NWT text is young, and older versions that existed before modern revisions are suppressed. This means that older/original NWT versions cannot be viewed to check for textual accuracy. Likewise, when comparing a NWT to actual ancient manuscripts, using the methods used to translate the Christian Holy Bible, the NWT text has their vast variations exposed.

To learn more about why you can trust the Bible, see my essay “Why Trust the Bible.”