Prophecy Center
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Can Jehovah's Witnesses name a false prophet and false prophecy besides themselves?

Since according to the 1992 Awake magazine, one must say the exact words "These are the words of Jehovah...(and then say a prophecy)..."to be guilty of false prophecy, what person or group has ever made a false prophecy and used those exact words?

Public Comments

1. Jim Jones? David Koresh?
Just guessing.

2. I think all prophets in the history of mankind are false. Nobody could prove that they could speak in the name of God.

3. if you speak to god - you're normal

if god speaks to you - you need to lay off the drugs man

4. These are the words of Jehovah: Religion is one big scam.

5. It does say "one must say the exact words . . . "

Your question is misleading. Here is the quote in full:

"Jehovah’s Witnesses, in their eagerness for Jesus’ second coming, have suggested dates that turned out to be incorrect. Because of this, some have called them false prophets. Never in these instances, however, did they presume to originate predictions ‘in the name of Jehovah.’ Never did they say, ‘These are the words of Jehovah.’ The Watchtower, the official journal of Jehovah’s Witnesses, has said: “We have not the gift of prophecy.” (January 1883, page 425) “Nor would we have our writings reverenced or regarded as infallible.” (December 15, 1896, page 306) The Watchtower has also said that the fact that some have Jehovah’s spirit “does not mean those now serving as Jehovah’s witnesses are inspired. It does not mean that the writings in this magazine The Watchtower are inspired and infallible and without mistakes.” (May 15, 1947, page 157) “The Watchtower does not claim to be inspired in its utterances, nor is it dogmatic.” (August 15, 1950, page 263) “The brothers preparing these publications are not infallible. Their writings are not inspired as are those of Paul and the other Bible writers. (2 Tim. 3:16) And so, at times, it has been necessary, as understanding became clearer, to correct views. (Prov. 4:18)”—February 15, 1981, page 19."

6. Jehovah's Witnesses have never made a prophecy. A prophet is also one who tells others about what God has said. That is what we do. We need to tell the world what God has said in the Bible.

It is obvious the many preachers of all the false religions claiming to be Christian have never bothered with telling even close to the Truth. Some 40,000 religions, all wrong in God's eyes.

If you are really honest, you will acknowledge that is what is important. What individual people want us to do means nothing. Which one can give any of us one extra minute to our lives? Not to mention eternal life? On the other hand, as God can give eternal life quite easily (for him), is it not more important to do what is pleasing to him?

If you authored a book, would you not sign it? If you wrote it so people would know who you are, would you not put your name in it? Long before JWs came around, the divine name of the Author of the Bible began to be removed. The KJV has it 4 times. (Ex. 6:3; Ps. 83::18; Is. 12:2; 26:4) That name is "Jehovah." Now in the Revised KJV, it is totally removed and replaced with "GOD" and "LORD". Both are merely titles, not proper personal names. Actually, the oldest manuscripts show that name appearing some 7,000 times.

All those religions active since those manuscripts were written have not objected to the name of the God they claim to worship being wiped out. How can they lay any claim to being real proclaimers of the true God if they do that? Now those are true false prophets!

Jehovah's Witnesses have used God's name just as he wants his worshipers to do. We are the only ones who do. Most people of other religions do not even know that name of the God they claim to worship. They have never been taught by any of their clergies. How about them as false prophets?

7. Martin Luther, John Calvin

8. Greetings,

You seem to be mis-quoting the 3/22/93 Awake. It did NOT say a prophet must say those exact words. It actually said that Witnesses have NEVER “presumed to ORIGINATE PREDICTIONS ‘in the name of Jehovah’ . . .”

In context, the article showed that a false prophecy would not be just an interpretation of what the Bible said or an understanding of when a Bible prophecy would find fulfillment. It cited several clergy of different religions as examples of this. One who gave a false prophecy would purport to make a completely new prophecy or communication directly from God.

This agrees with the definition of a false prophet found in De.13:1; 18:14,20ff and Ezek.13:6. The meaning of "speaking in God's Name" wasn't that they used the Divine name; even if they didn't they were still false prophets. Rather, the meaning was that those prophets were claiming to speak words directly from God. They were not preaching what God already had written nor interpreting a previous prophecy. They were "divining" original ideas.


But, I did find many places in the Bible and in our literature which shows that you do not have to say those specific words nor even give a prediction and yet you would still be a “false prophet.”


w08 4/15; 5:
“Jehovah said to Jeremiah: 'Falsehood is what the prophets are prophesying in my name. I have not sent them, nor have I commanded them or spoken to them. A false vision and divination and a valueless thing and the trickiness of their heart they are speaking prophetically to you people' (Jer. 14:14). Those false prophets claimed to speak in Jehovah’s name, but they were promoting their own ideas, their own wisdom."


w97 5/1 p. 8 par. 4:
“Jehovah’s execution of Pelatiah did not stop the other false prophets from lying in God’s name.

w61 10/1:
“certainly we must also expose Christendom’s false prophets who claim to speak in God’s name as though they were ordained and sent by him.”

Neither the Egyptians nor Christendom’s clergy were using the name Jehovah. They simply had to say that they were representing God in their teachings.


Also Christ did not say we would identify "false prophets" because they spoke the exact words "These are the words of Jehovah” nor even that they would follow it by “saying a prophecy.” Rather, he said we would identify "false prophets" BY THEIR FRUITAGE (Mt.7:21-23, 2Tim3:5, Gal.5:19-23).

Now, who has the historical record of bloodthirsty wars, immorality, sectarian violence and factional splits?

False religion is a false prophet not because it incorrectly interprets the Bible prophecies, but because their actions and teachings are totally and willfully contrary to what the Scriptures teach.


However, when you consider the Witnesses "stability" in the essentials of Christian teaching and activity you get very solid evidences of True Christianity. From WW1 to Rwanda, Witnesses have imitated Christ while other religions continue to even kill members of their own church in warfare. JW's have continued to bring their beliefs into agreement with Scripture.


While the Witnesses have NEVER claimed to give prophecies nor to be inspired nor ever claimed infallibility in their teachings. Quite the contrary, they have always been willing to change as they gained knowledge. What a contrast to other religions which would continue to insist on believing doctrines which even their own scholars admit are not Scriptural!


On the other hand, the Pope claims to be infallible and several well known Protestants have claimed direct communication from God (usually when they need more money, or to claim God has forgiven them for moral sins).

There is a big difference between someone who is just trying to understand Bible prophecy and one who claims a direct communication with God or a miraculous foresight.

For one example, Oral Roberts claimed to be told by a 900 foot Jesus that he was going to be used to find a cure for cancer and people should send him 8 million dollars or God was going to kill him. (His cancer medical center was only open for a few years.)

This is a clear example of one who meets the requirements of a "false prophet," since he was not just interpreting Scriptural prophecies but he claimed a direct communication from God which proved untrue (De.13:1).

And, we have hundreds of examples of where Catholic and Protestant preachers predicted times and even dates for Christ's return. For example:

The "Father of Protestantism" himself, Martin Luther taught Christ would return by 1564.
Irish Bishop James Ussher's prediction was for 1996.
Pastor Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel predicted the Rapture in 1981.
Philip B. Brown stated that the millennial reign of Christ would begin Apr 6, 2008.
The most famous one was actually a Baptist....William Miller who predicted 1843.


Sincerely,

BAR-ANERGES

9. Question: Can Jehovah's Witnesses name a false prophet?

Yes.

Barjesus.
"And having passed through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a certain man a magician, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus"

The man of lawlessness.
"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where are also the beast and the false prophet"

A false prophet is one who claims to speak words directly from God and does not.

Deuteronomy 18:18,20 "I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.....But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die."

Pseudoproph?t?s
One who, acting the part of a {divinely inspired} prophet, utters falsehoods.

10. 'Pot calling the kettle black. 'Extracting the rafter from your own eye.' 'Turnabout is fair play',

It is very hard for them to point fingers when so many of their own digits point right back at em.