JW apologist Bernard Maina doesn’t learn his lesson. Instead of accepting correction and repenting of his blasphemies against Jehovah Jesus Christ, he insists on continuing his crusade against the divinely revealed truth of Holy Scripture that the one true God is Tri-Personal in nature, and that Christ is Jehovah God in the flesh. Here is the comment he sent me in response to my exegesis of 1 Chronicles 29:20 regarding David being “worshiped” along with Jehovah his God:

The reason why I quoted the KJV and not any other on 1 Chronicles 29:20 where David was @“worshiped“ was to prove that the word “worship” in the Bible is just like a military salute. No special significance. Trinitarians love KJV despite the fact the translation got stuck in time. But it has advantages. Like showing us “proskuneo“ is just an ordinary word.

I want to thank Maina for sending this to me since I will now use the Authorized King James Version (AV) of the Holy Bible to prove that the governing body of the JWs, which runs the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, have perverted the Word of God in order to keep their adherents in the dark concerning the true nature of God and the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is interesting to note that, up until 1950, the AV was basically the official Bible of the JWs. In fact, the Society continued to print and distribute this version even after the publication of their own New World Translation (NWT) of the Holy Bible.

Note, for instance, what The Watchtower, 1 November 1959, p. 672, stated concerning the AV: “Up until 1950 the teachings of Jehovah’s witnesses were based mainly upon the King James Version of the Bible.”

And this is what the Society writes elsewhere,

The early settlers from England who landed in North America brought with them the Geneva Bible. Later, however, the King James Version gained greater acceptance in America. As the British Empire expanded throughout the world, Protestant missionaries spread its use. Since many who translated the Bible into local languages were unfamiliar with Biblical Hebrew and Greek, the King James Version in English became the basis for these local translations.

Today, according to the British Library, “The King James, or Authorised, Version of the Bible remains the most widely published text in the English language.” Some estimates put the number of copies of the King James Version produced in print worldwide at over one billion!…

Although the Bible remains the world’s best seller—and the King James Version is the most popular one—Professor Richard G. Moulton observed: “We have done almost everything that is possible with these Hebrew and Greek writings. . . . We have translated them [and] revised the translations . . . There is yet one thing left to do with the Bible: simply to read it.”

Without question, the King James Version is a literary masterpiece, appreciated and valued for its unparalleled beauty of expression. But what about the importance of its message? The Bible’s inspired writings reveal the lasting remedy for the problems of our critical times. No matter which version or translation you choose to use, Jehovah’s Witnesses will be happy to help you in your study of the Bible. (Awake!, “The King James Version—How It Became Popular,” December 2011, pp. 24 http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/102011446#h=2; bold emphasis ours)

And:

In 1907 a Bible Students Edition of the King James Version was published in the United States of America for the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. It included an extensive appendix called the “Berean Bible Teachers’ Manual.” Later, Jehovah’s Witnesses printed the King James Version on their own presses. By 1992 the Witnesses had produced 1,858,368 copies. (Ibid., p. 24; bold emphasis ours)

Now this places Maina in a predicament since this means he is stuck with anything we quote from the AV, even when it contradicts the way the NWT renders a particular verse. After all, to argue that the AV is less than accurate, or not completely reliable, basically means that the Society knowingly used and printed a version that they knew was grossly misleading in the way it rendered specific texts. In fact, due to the “faulty” nature of the AV many people have come to embrace doctrines such as the Trinity, the two natures of Christ (i.e., the Hypostatic Union), Christ’s physical, bodily resurrection, ascension into/and return from heaven, the divine Personhood of the Holy Spirit, salvation by grace through faith alone etc.

Therefore, how can the Society be trusted when it willfully published and distributed such a “perversion” of the Holy Bible? Worse still, why would they continue to praise it in the December 2011 edition of their Awake! Magazine, and include it as part of their JW Library App which can be downloaded free of charge (https://www.jw.org/en/online-help/jw-library/), unless the Society accepts it as an accurate and God-honoring translation?

Thus, Maina has no choice now but to accept the AV as an absolutely faithful rendering of the inspired Scriptures, and therefore cannot reject or object to any passage that we cite from it to establish our point. So here goes!

The Hebrew Bible proclaims that the Messiah is the Mighty God who comes forth from eternity for the express purpose of becoming a man in order to reign and save his people:

“Nevertheless there shall be no more gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time He contemptuously treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them the light has shined… For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God (El Gibbor), The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” Isaiah 9:1-2, 6-7

The Child that shall be born to reign over David’s throne is said to be the Mighty God, a title which is attributed to the one and only true God Jehovah in the very text chapter!

“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God (El Gibbor).” Isaiah 10:20-21 – cf. Deuteronomy 10:17; Nehemiah 9:32; Psalm 24:8; Jeremiah 32:18

Here is the other OT prophecy:

“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old (miqqedem), FROM EVERLASTING (mime olam). Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.” Micah 5:2-4

In the above passage, the prophet employs the very same phrases that are used elsewhere to describe the timeless nature of Jehovah God:

“Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting (me’olam).” Psalm 93:2

“Art thou not from everlasting (miqqedem), O Lord my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O Lord, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction.” Habakkuk 1:12

The inspired Christian Scriptures testify that Jesus is that Child and Ruler who was born in Bethlehem and later raised up in Galilee of the nations, in perfect fulfillment of these specific OT predictions:

“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.” Matthew 2:1-6 – cf. Luke 2:4-7

“Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.” Matthew 4:12-16

“And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:26-35

This explains why the disciples worshiped Jesus as their God,

“And Thomas answered and said UNTO HIM, My Lord and MY GOD (ho Theos mou).” John 20:28

And referred to him as the Holy One,

“But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;” Acts 3:14

Which happen to be the very expressions used to describe Jehovah in Habakkuk 1:12! See above.

We still have a lot more to say in the second part of our response https://islamunmasked.com/2016/11/07/shaming-the-shameless-pt-2b/.

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