Here is another installment (https://islamunmasked.com/2018/10/20/jesus-is-jehovah-god-according-to-the-jehovahs-witnesses-bible-pt-6/) in my series where I prove from the New World Translation (NWT) of the Jehovah’s Witnesses (JWs) that Jesus Christ is Jehovah God in the flesh.

The Glorious King of kings and Lord of lords.

According to the Hebrew Scriptures, Jehovah is the mighty God and the glorious King who reigns from heaven as the Lord of lords:

“For Jehovah your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the God great, mighty, and awe-inspiring, who treats none with partiality and does not accept a bribe.” Deuteronomy 10:17

“And now, O our God, the God great, mighty, and awe-inspiring, who has kept his covenant and shown loyal love, do not treat lightly all the hardship that has found us, our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our forefathers, and all your people from the days of the kings of As·syrʹi·as down to this day.” Nehemiah 9:32

“Who is this glorious King? Jehovah, strong and mighty, Jehovah, mighty in battle.” Psalm 24:8

“Give thanks to the Lord of lords, For his loyal love endures forever.” Psalm 136:3

“the One showing loyal love to thousands, but repaying the error of the fathers to their sons after them, the true God, the great and mighty One, whose name is Jehovah of armies.” Jeremiah 32:18

“In that day those remaining of Israel And the survivors of the house of Jacob Will no longer support themselves on the one who struck them; But they will support themselves on Jehovah, The Holy One of Israel, with faithfulness. Only a remnant will return, The remnant of Jacob, to the Mighty God (El Gibbor).” Isaiah 10:20-21

What makes this rather amazing is that the prophet Isaiah describes the coming Messiah as the Mighty God who will be born as a child in order to reign on David’s throne forever and ever:

“However, the gloom will not be as when the land had distress, as in former times when the land of Zebʹu·lun and the land of Naphʹta·li were treated with contempt. But at a later time He will cause it to be honored—the way by the sea, in the region of the Jordan, Galʹi·lee of the nations. The people who were walking in the darkness Have seen a great light. As for those dwelling in the land of deep shadow, Light has shone on them… For a child has been born to us, A son has been given to us; And the rulership will rest on his shoulder. His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God (El Gibbor), Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. To the increase of his rulership And to peace, there will be no end, On the throne of David and on his kingdom In order to establish it firmly and to sustain it Through justice and righteousness, From now on and forever. The zeal of Jehovah of armies will do this.” Isaiah 9:1-2, 6-7

The New Testament records the fulfillment of this glorious promise:

“In her sixth month, the angel Gaʹbri·el was sent from God to a city of Galʹi·lee named Nazʹa·reth, to a virgin promised in marriage to a man named Joseph of David’s house, and the name of the virgin was Mary. And coming in, the angel said to her: ‘Greetings, you highly favored one, Jehovah is with you.’ But she was deeply disturbed at his words and tried to understand what kind of greeting this might be. So the angel said to her: ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And look! you will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus. This one will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and Jehovah God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule as King over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end to his Kingdom.’ But Mary said to the angel: ‘How is this to be, since I am not having sexual relations with a man?’ In answer the angel said to her: ‘Holy spirit will come upon you, and power of the Most High will overshadow you. And for that reason the one who is born will be called holy, God’s Son.’” Luke 1:26-35

“because of the tender compassion of our God. With this compassion a daybreak will visit us from on high, to give light to those sitting in darkness and death’s shadow and to guide our feet in the way of peace.” Luke 1:78-79

“Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galʹi·lee. Further, after leaving Nazʹa·reth, he came and took up residence in Ca·perʹna·ump beside the sea in the districts of Zebʹu·lun and Naphʹta·li, so as to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, who said: ‘O land of Zebʹu·lun and land of Naphʹta·li, along the road of the sea, on the other side of the Jordan, Galʹi·lee of the nations! The people sitting in darkness saw a great light, and as for those sitting in a region of deathly shadow, light rose on them.’” Matthew 4:12-16

The reason why this is so amazing is that Isaiah emphatically testifies that Jehovah is the only God (El) that exists:

“‘You are my witnesses,’ declares Jehovah, ‘Yes, my servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and have faith in me And understand that I am the same One. Before me no God (El) was formed, And after me there has been none. I—I am Jehovah, and besides me there is no savior.’ I am the One who declared and saved and made known When there was no foreign god among you. So you are my witnesses,’ declares Jehovah, ‘and I am God (El). Also, I am always the same One; And no one can snatch anything out of my hand. When I act, who can prevent it?’” Isaiah 43:10-13

“Make your report, present your case. Let them consult together in unity. Who foretold this long ago And declared it from times past? Is it not I, Jehovah? There is no other God but me; A righteous God (El) and a Savior, there is none besides me. Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth, For I am God (El), and there is no one else.” Isaiah 45:21-22

“Remember the former things of long ago, That I am God (El), and there is no other. I am God, and there is no one like me.” Isaiah 46:9

Since there is no other God (El), this means that there can only be one true mighty God, namely, Jehovah himself. Therefore, the only way that the Messiah could be the Mighty God is if he is Jehovah God in the flesh!

Note the logic of this argument:

1. Jehovah alone is God, and therefore the only Mighty God that exists.
2. The Messiah is the Mighty God who becomes a child to reign on David’s throne.
3. Therefore, the Messiah is the human appearance and incarnation of Jehovah God Almighty.

That’s not all. Christ is described as the glorious Lord,

“It is this wisdom that none of the rulers of this system of things came to know, for if they had known it, they would not have executed the glorious Lord.” 1 Corinthians 2:8

“My brothers, you are not holding to the faith of our glorious Lord Jesus Christ while showing favoritism, are you?” James 2:1

Who reigns from heaven as the only sovereign Potentate, being the King of kings and Lord of lords:

“to observe the commandment in a spotless and irreprehensible way until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, which the happy and only Potentate will show in its own appointed times. He is the King of those who rule as kings and Lord of those who rule as lords, the one alone having immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal might. Amen.” 1 Timothy 6:14-16

“and from Jesus Christ, ‘the Faithful Witness,’ ‘the firstborn from the dead,’ and ‘the Ruler of the kings of the earth.’” Revelation 1:5

“These will battle with the Lamb, but because he is Lord of lords and King of kings, the Lamb will conquer them. Also, those with him who are called and chosen and faithful will do so.” Revelation 17:14 – cf. 19:16

Shockingly, even the JW’s own Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society admit that the blessed Apostle is describing Jesus in 1 Timothy 6:15-16,

Jehovah is the “happy God” and his Son Jesus Christ is called “the happy and only Potentate” (1 Tim. 1:11; 6:15)… (Aid to Bible Understanding [Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., 1971], p. 711 http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200001868?q=Jehovah+is+the+%E2%80%9Chappy+God%E2%80%9D+and+his+Son+Jesus+Christ+is+called+%E2%80%9Cthe+happy+and+only+Potentate%E2%80%9D+%281+Tim.+1%3A11%3B+6%3A15%29&p=par; bold emphasis ours)

Even though they try to explain such exalted language in a manner that is consistent with their heretical views:

How can Jesus be “the one alone having immortality”? The first one described as being rewarded with immortality is Jesus Christ. That he did not possess immortality before his resurrection by God [sic] is seen from the inspired apostle’s words at Romans 6:9: “Christ, now that he has been raised from the dead, dies no more; death is master over him no more.” (Compare Re 1:17, 18). For this reason, when describing him as “the King of those who rule as kings and Lord of those who rule as lords,” 1 Timothy 6:15, 16 shows that Jesus is distinct from all other kings and lords in that he is “the one alone having immortality.” The other kings and lords, because of being mortal, die, even as did also the high priests of Israel. The glorified Jesus, God’s appointed High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, however, has “an indestructible life.” – Heb 7:15-17, 23-25. (Insight on the Scriptures [Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., Brooklyn, NY 1988], Volume 1. Aaron-Jehoshua, p. 1189 http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200002155#h=6– see also p. 1032)(1)

Suffice it to say, this puts JWs in a dilemma since the Scriptures plainly teach that the only Lord who rules from heaven is Jehovah himself, with the entire heavenly host standing before his presence waiting to serve him:

“Mi·caiʹah then said: ‘Therefore, hear the word of Jehovah: I saw Jehovah sitting on his throne and all the army of the heavens standing by him, to his right and to his left. Jehovah then said, “Who will fool Aʹhab, so that he will go up and fall at Raʹmoth-gilʹe·ad?” And one was saying one thing while another said something else. Then a spirit came forward and stood before Jehovah and said, “I will fool him.” Jehovah asked him, “How will you do it?” He replied, “I will go out and become a deceptive spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ So he said, “You will fool him, and what is more, you will be successful. Go out and do that.” And now Jehovah has put a deceptive spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, but Jehovah has declared calamity for you.’” 1 Kings 22:19-23

“I kept watching until thrones were set in place and the Ancient of Days sat down. His clothing was white like snow, and the hair of his head was like clean wool. His throne was flames of fire; its wheels were a burning fire. A stream of fire was flowing and going out from before him. A thousand thousands kept ministering to him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The Court took its seat, and books were opened.” Daniel 7:9-10

Since there cannot be two Lord of lords or King of kings reigning from heaven, this means that Jesus must be Jehovah God in the flesh, who is one with the Father and the Holy Spirit in essence, glory and honor. There’s simply no way for a JW to get around this fact.

Responding to the Objections

The JWs will obviously deny that Jesus is Jehovah simply because he rules forever as the King of kings and Lord of Lords, and will raise certain objections to prove otherwise.

One argument they may wish to raise is that, even though Jesus is called the King of kings and Lord of lords, he is never described as the God of gods, which is one of the titles that the Hebrew Scriptures ascribe to Jehovah:

“Give thanks to the God of gods, For his loyal love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, For his loyal love endures forever.” Psalm 136:2-3 – cf. Deuteronomy 10:17

“The king said to Daniel: ‘Truly your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a Revealer of secrets, because you were able to reveal this secret.’” Daniel 2:47

(Note: The phrase “Lord of kings” is simply another of way of saying that Jehovah is the Lord of lords, since a king is the lord of his people.)

They will, thus, argue that if Jesus were truly Jehovah God in the flesh then the NT writers would have surely identified him as the God of gods, which they never do.

The problem with this objection is that no NT writer ever uses the title “the God of gods”, not even for the Father! In fact, the Father is never once called the King of kings or Lord of lords in the entire NT, since these designations are ascribed only to the Son!

Should we, therefore, assume that the Father is not Jehovah God, but only the Son is, seeing that the very unique titles of Jehovah are ascribed to Christ alone?

With that said, by applying a unique description of Jehovah to the risen Lord, i.e. “the Lord of lords,” it seems certain that the inspired NT authors would have absolutely no problem affirming that Christ is also the God of gods. This becomes all the more likely when we keep in mind that these titles appear side by side in all the places where Jehovah is described as the Lord of lords (cf. Deuteronomy 10:17; Psalm 136:2-3; Daniel 2:47).

This in turn shows that one cannot rule as the Lord of lords from heaven without also being the God of gods. As such, the only way that Christ could reign in heaven as the Lord of lords is if he were also the God of gods.

The second objection that is raised is to point to certain verses where human rulers, specifically pagan kings, are called king of kings, such as in the following examples:

“Ar·ta·xerxʹes, the king of kings, to Ezʹra the priest, the copyist of the Law of the God of the heavens: May you have perfect peace…” Ezra 7:12

“or this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah says: ‘Here I am bringing King Neb·u·chad·nezʹzar of Babylon against Tyre from the north; he is a king of kings, with horses, war chariots, cavalrymen, and an army of many soldiers.’” Ezekiel 26:7

“You, O king—the king of kings to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the might, the strength, and the glory,” Daniel 2:37

These verses are supposed to somehow refute the assertion that Jesus is God on the basis that he is called King of kings and Lord of lords since, if this logic were true, then these pagan rulers would also have to be God for being called king of kings as well.

This is nothing more than a false analogy since the point these passages are making is that God had given these specific rulers the authority to conquer all other earthly kingdoms and human potentates. As the context of these respective verses demonstrate, the title denotes the fact of God granting kings like Nebuchadnezzar and Artaxerxes sovereignty on the earth, permitting them to reign over all other human kings. As such, God can take away a kingdom and power from any human being at any moment he so chooses and give it to whomever he wishes:

“You, O king—the king of kings to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the might, the strength, and the glory, and into whose hand he has given men wherever they may dwell, as well as the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens, and whom he has made ruler over all of them—you yourself are the head of gold.” Daniel 2:37-38

“‘This is the interpretation, O king; it is the decree of the Most High that must befall my lord the king. You will be driven away from among men, and your dwelling will be with the beasts of the field, and you will be given vegetation to eat just like bulls; and you will become wet with the dew of the heavens, and seven times will pass over you, until you know that the Most High is Ruler in the kingdom of mankind and that he grants it to whomever he wants. But because they said to leave the stump of the tree with its roots, your kingdom will be yours again after you come to know that the heavens are ruling.’… While the word was yet in the king’s mouth, a voice came down from the heavens: ‘To you it is being said, O King Neb·u·chad·nezʹzar, “The kingdom has gone away from you, and from mankind you are being driven away. With the beasts of the field your dwelling will be, and you will be given vegetation to eat just like bulls, and seven times will pass over you, until you know that the Most High is Ruler in the kingdom of mankind and that he grants it to whomever he wants.”’… ‘At the end of that timel I, Neb·u·chad·nezʹzar, looked up to the heavens, and my understanding returned to me; and I praised the Most High, and to the One living forever I gave praise and glory, because his rulership is an everlasting rulership and his kingdom is for generation after generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are regarded as nothing, and he does according to his own will among the army of the heavens and the inhabitants of the earth. And there is no one who can hinder him or say to him, “What have you done?” At that time my understanding returned to me, and the glory of my kingdom, my majesty, and my splendor returned to me. My high officials and nobles eagerly sought me out, and I was restored to my kingdom, and even more greatness was added to me. Now I, Neb·u·chad·nezʹzar, am praising and exalting and glorifying the King of the heavens, because all his works are truth and his ways are just, and because he is able to humiliate those who are walking in pride.’” Daniel 4:24-26, 31-32, 34-37

Thus, these specific pagan rulers are called king of kings only in relation to other human authorities, not in respect to the entire creation or over spirit beings that rule.

Yet the Holy Bible clearly teaches that God hasn’t given any earthly king the right to become the highest-ranking authority in heaven, since this is the one place where God alone reigns supreme over all creation:

“Jehovah has firmly established his throne in the heavens; And his kingship rules over everything.” Psalm 103:19

“Who is like Jehovah our God, The one who dwells on high?” Psalm 113:5

“As for the heavens, they belong to Jehovah, But the earth he has given to the sons of men.” Psalm 115:16

“This is what Jehovah says: ‘The heavens are my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where, then, is the house that you could build for me, And where is my resting-place?’” Isaiah 66:1

This is where it gets rather remarkable. Jesus isn’t simply called Lord of lords and King of kings in the sense that he is higher in rank than any other human authority. Rather, he is called King of kings and Lord of lords in the same sense that God is by virtue of reigning forever over all powers, whether spiritual or human, from the very heavenly throne room of God!

“and how surpassing the greatness of his power is toward us believers. It is according to the operation of the mightiness of his strength, which he exercised toward Christ when he raised him up from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, FAR ABOVE every government and authority and power and lordship and every name that is named, not only in this system of things but also in that to come. He also subjected all things under his feet and made him head over all things with regard to the congregation, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills up all things in all.” Ephesians 1:19-23

“Baptism, which corresponds to this, is also now saving you (not by the removing of the filth of the flesh, but by the request to God for a good conscience), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is at God’s right hand, for he went to heaven, and angels and authorities and powers were made subject to him.” 1 Peter 3:21-22

The inspired Scriptures further proclaim that both God and Christ fully possess the same kingdom and that God’s heavenly throne also belongs to Christ:

“For you know this, recognizing it for yourselves, that no sexually immoral person or unclean person or greedy person, which means being an idolater, has any inheritance in the Kingdom of the Christ and of God.” Ephesians 5:5

“To the one who conquers I will grant to sit down with me on my throne, just as I conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.” Revelation 3:21

“But one of the elders said to me: ‘Stop weeping. Look! The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered so as to open the scroll and its seven seals.’ And I saw standing in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures and in the midst of the elders a lamb that seemed to have been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, and the eyes mean the seven spirits of God that have been sent out into the whole earth.” Revelation 5:5-6

“because the Lamb, who is in the midst of the throne, will shepherd them and will guide them to springs of waters of life. And God will wipe out every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 7:17

“And he showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, flowing out from the THRONE of God AND OF THE LAMB down the middle of its main street. On both sides of the river were trees of life producing 12 crops of fruit, yielding their fruit each month. And the leaves of the trees were for the healing of the nations. And there will no longer be any curse. But the THRONE of God AND OF THE LAMB will be in the city, and his slaves will offer him sacred service;” Revelation 22:1-3

This is the one place where no one else besides God could ever be said to rule forever as King of kings and Lord of lords since this is the highest position of authority imaginable, one that belongs exclusively to God!

And yet Jesus rules from this very position as King of kings and Lord of lords forever, and the reason is obvious: Jesus Christ is Jehovah God Incarnate, the eternal Divine Son of God who is equal with his eternal Father in nature and essence, as well as in honor and glory.

Amen. Come Jehovah Jesus, come! You indeed are God the Son, the eternal King of kings and sovereign Lord of lords for ever and ever. We do truly love you by the grace of God since you are the risen and exalted Lord of glory! Amen.

Endnotes 

(1) To say that the explanation offered by the Society is desperate would be a wild understatement. The NT doesn’t teach that Christ possesses immortality because of the indestructible life he received by virtue of his resurrection. Rather, Jesus has this quality due to his being Life itself who gives life to every person:

“All things came into existence through him, and apart from him not even one thing came into existence. What has come into existence by means of him was life, and the life was the light of men.” John 1:3-4

“For just as the Father raises the dead up and makes them alive, so the Son also makes alive whomever he wants to… Most truly I say to you, the hour is coming, and it is now, when the dead will hear THE VOICE OF THE SON OF GOD, and those who have paid attention will live… Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear HIS [the Son’s] VOICE and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, and those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment.” John 5:21, 25, 28-29

“This is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose none out of all those whom he has given me, but that I should resurrect them on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who recognizes the Son and exercises faith in him should have everlasting life, and I will resurrect him on the last day… No man can come to me unless the Father, who sent me, draws him, and I will resurrect him on the last day.” John 6:39-40, 44

“My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them everlasting life, and they will by no means ever be destroyed, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is something greater than all other things, and no one can snatch them out of the hand of the Father. I and the Father are one.” John 10:27-30

“Jesus said to her: ‘I am the resurrection and THE LIFE. The one who exercises faith in me, even though he dies, will come to life; and everyone who is living and exercises faith in me will never die at all. Do you believe this?’ She said to him: ‘Yes, Lord, I have believed that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.’” John 11:25-27

“Jesus said to him: ‘I am the way and the truth and THE LIFE. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” John 14:6

“The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our forefathers, has glorified his Servant, Jesus, whom you handed over and disowned before Pilate, even though he had decided to release him. Yes, you disowned that holy and righteous one, and you asked for a man who was a murderer to be given to you, whereas you killed the Chief Agent of life. But God raised him up from the dead, of which fact we are witnesses.” Acts 3:13-15

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have observed and our hands have felt, concerning THE WORD OF LIFE, (yes, THE LIFE was made manifest, and we have seen and are bearing witness and reporting to you THE EVERLASTING LIFE that was with the Father and was made manifest to us), that which we have seen and heard we are reporting also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us. And this fellowship of ours is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” 1 John 1:1-3

Therefore, since Christ is the Life, the Eternal Life, and the Chief Agent of Life, who raises the dead and gives everlasting life to all who trust in him, it was impossible for him to remain dead:

“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus the Naz·a·reneʹ was a man publicly shown to you by God through powerful works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, just as you yourselves know. This man, who was handed over by the determined will and foreknowledge of God, you fastened to a stake by the hand of lawless men, and you did away with him. But God resurrected him by releasing him from the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held fast by it.” Acts 2:22-24

In fact, the Lord himself said that no one could take his life away and that he would personally raise himself up from the dead in three days:

“Jesus replied to them: ‘Tear down this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews then said: ‘This temple was built in 46 years, and will YOU raise it up in three days?’ But he was talking about the temple of his body. When, though, he was raised up from the dead, his disciples recalled that he used to say this, and they believed the scripture and what Jesus had spoken.” John 2:19-22

“This is why the Father loves me, because I surrender my life, so that I may receive it again. No man takes it away from me, but I surrender it of my own initiative. I have authority to surrender it, and I have authority to receive it again. This commandment I received from my Father.’” John 10:17-18

Yet despite the Society’s erroneous interpretation, their position regarding 1 Timothy 6:15-16 shows that even this anti-Trinitarian cult clearly sees and readily acknowledges that the Apostle Paul described the glorified Christ as the only Sovereign Lord and King, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light!

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