Jehovah's Witnesses -Who are They? What Do They Believe?

IT IS the desire of Jehovah's Witnesses that you become better acquainted with them. You may have met them as neighbors and fellow employees or in other daily affairs of life. You may have seen them on the street, offering their magazines to passersby. Or you may have spoken briefly with them at your door.

Actually, Jehovah's Witnesses are interested in you and your welfare. They want to be your friends and to tell you more about themselves, their beliefs, their organization, and how they feel about people and the world in which all of us live.

In most ways Jehovah's Witnesses are like everyone else. They have normal problems—economic, physical, emotional. They make mistakes at times, for they are not perfect, inspired, or infallible. But they try to learn from their experiences and diligently study the Bible to make needed corrections. They have made a dedication to God to do his will, and they apply themselves to fulfill this dedication. In all their activities they seek guidance from God's Word and his holy spirit.

It is of vital importance to them that their beliefs be based on the Bible and not on mere human speculations or religious creeds. They feel as did the apostle Paul when he expressed himself under inspiration: "Let God be found true, though every man be found a liar." (Romans 3:4 New World Translation*) When it comes to teachings offered as Biblical truth, the Witnesses strongly endorse the course followed by the Beroeans when they heard the apostle Paul preach: "They received the word with the greatest eagerness of mind, carefully examining the Scriptures daily as to whether these things were so." (Acts 17:11) Jehovah's Witnesses believe that all religious teachings should be subjected to this test of agreement with the inspired Scriptures, whether the teaching is offered by them or by someone else. They invite you—urge you—to do this in your discussions with them.

From this it is apparent that Jehovah's Witnesses believe in the Bible as the Word of God. They consider its 66 books to be inspired and historically accurate. What is commonly called the New Testament they refer to as the Christian Greek Scriptures, and the Old Testament they call the Hebrew Scriptures. They rely on both of these, the Greek and the Hebrew Scriptures, and take them literally except where the expressions or settings obviously indicate that they are figurative or symbolic. They understand that many of the prophecies of the Bible have been fulfilled, others are in the course of fulfillment, and still others await fulfillment.

THEIR NAME

Jehovah's Witnesses? Yes, that is the way they refer to themselves. It is a descriptive name, indicating that they bear witness concerning Jehovah, his Godship, and his purposes. "God," "Lord," and "Creator"—like "President," "King," and "General"—are titles and may be applied to several different personages. But "Jehovah" is a personal name and refers to the almighty God and Creator of the universe. This is shown at (Psalm 83:18), according to the King James version of the Bible: "That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth."

The name Jehovah (or Yahweh, as the Roman Catholic Jerusalem Bible and some scholars prefer) appears almost 7,000 times in the original Hebrew Scriptures. Most Bibles do not show it as such but substitute "God" or "Lord" for it. However, even in these Bibles, a person can usually tell where the original Hebrew text uses Jehovah because in those places the substituted words are written in large and small capitals, thus: GOD, LORD. Several modern translations do use either the name Jehovah or the name Yahweh. Hence, the New World Translation reads at Isaiah 42:8 "I am Jehovah. That is my name."

The Scriptural account that Jehovah's Witnesses draw on for their name is in the 43rd chapter of Isaiah. There the world scene is viewed as a courtroom drama: The gods of the nations are invited to bring forth their witnesses to prove their claimed cases of righteousness or to hear the witnesses for Jehovah's side and acknowledge the truth. Jehovah there declares to his people: "Ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, and my servant whom I have chosen; that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am Jehovah; and besides me there is no saviour."—Isaiah 43:10, 11, American Standard Version.

Jehovah God had witnesses on earth during the thousands of years before Jesus was born. After Hebrews chapter 11 lists some of those men of faith, Hebrews 12:1 says: "So, then, because we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also put off every weight and the sin that easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." Jesus said before Pontius Pilate: "For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth." He is called "the faithful and true witness." (John 8:37; Revelation 3:14) Jesus told his disciples: "You will receive power when the holy spirit arrives upon you, and you will be witnesses of me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the most distant part of the earth." -Acts 1:8.

Hence, some 6,500,000 persons today who are telling the good news of Jehovah's Kingdom by Christ Jesus in over 235 lands feel that they properly refer to themselves as Jehovah's Witnesses.

Sino ang Mga Saksi ni Jehova?

Kaming Mga Saksi ni Jehova ay matagal nang umiiral dito sa Pilipinas kaya hindi na lingid sa mga Pilipino ang tungkol sa aming mga paniniwala maliban na lamang sa mga hindi pa namin nakakausap. Sila yaong mga nakatira sa mga subdibisyon at kondominyum na hindi nagpapapasok sa amin upang ipaabot ang Mabuting Balita na nasa Bibliya. Iyon ay aming iginagalang kaya gumagawa kami ng mga pagsisikap upang mapaabutan sila ng espirituwal na mensahe at para sa akin itong ginagawa ko ay isa ng paraan bagamat hindi ko isinaisantabi ang napakaepiktibong paraan, ang pagbabahay-bahay. Hindi ko layunin ang maki-pagdebate sa internet, iyon ay labag sa simulain ng Bibliya. Tulad ng sinaunang mga Kristiyano maaari akong makipagkatuwiranan at ipagtanggol ang aking paniniwala sa isang maayos at kapaki-pakinabang na paraan. May karapatan akong sagutin o hindi ang sinumang nagtatanong na sa aking palagay ay hindi karapat-dapat bigyang pansin. Pinasisigla ko ang mga tanong na kapaki-pakinabang at nakapagtuturo.

Ang Mga Saksi ay mayroon nang salin ng Bibliya sa tatlong pangunahing wika: Tagalog (Bagong Sanlibutang Salin ng Banal na Kasulatan), Cebuano (Bag-ong Kalibutang Hubad sa Balaang Kasulatan) at Iloko (Baro a Lubong a Patarus ti Nasantuan a Kasuratan), isinalin mula sa Ingles (New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures) na kami mismo ang nag-imprenta. At ang aming magasin na Ang Bantayan ay isinalin mula sa Ingles sa pitong pangunahing wika: Tagalog, Cebuano, Iloko, Pangasinan, Samar-Leyte (Waray), Bikol at Hiligaynon (Ilonggo).

Baka itanong ninyo: "Bakit kailangan pa ninyong magsalin ng sarili ninyong Bibliya, marami naman ang naririyan na at tinatanggap naman ng maraming relihiyon?"

Totoo iyon. Sa katunayan matagal naming ginamit ang King James Version dito sa Pilipinas at binigyan pa kami ng pahintulot ng Philippine Bible Society na ito ay ilathala noong 1986 gamit ang aming imprenta sa Japan. Noong 1993 isinalin namin ang Bagong Sanlibutang Salin ng Kristiyanong Griegong Kasulatan gamit pa rin ang Hebreong Kasulatan ng King James. Ngunit noong taong 2000 isang malaking kagalakan para sa amin na ang buong Bibliya ay isinalin na sa isang moderno at madali-unawaing salita sa Tagalog, Cebuano at Iloko. Ito ay ang Bagong Sanlibutang Salin ng Banal na Kasulatan na may kabuuang 108,602,000 kopya sa unang labas nito at patuloy pang inilalathala. Kung nais mong makakita ng kopya nito pakisuyong mag-email sa akin.

Ang King James Version ay kakikitaan ng maraming lipas-na-sa-panahong mga salita. Halimbawa ang salitang nangagkaisa ay hindi na ginagamit, sa halip ang salitang nagkakaisa ang ginagamit na ngayon. At marami pang ibang salita, at mga pangungusap pa nga. Nariyan din ang mga tekstong nagkakasalungatan. Ang Genesis 6:6 ng KJV ay kababasahan ng ganito: "At nagsisi ang Panginoon na kaniyang nilalang ang tao sa lupa, at nalumbay sa kaniyang puso." Ito ay salungat sa isang teksto ng KJV rin mismo sa 1 Samuel 15:29 "At ang Lakas ng Israel naman ay hindi magbubulaan o magsisisi man; sapagka't siya'y hindi isang tao na magsisisi."

Sa salin naming NW (New World Translation) sa Tagalog ito ang pagkasalin sa Genesis 6:6 "At ikinalungkot ni Jehova na ginawa niya ang mga tao sa lupa, at siya ay nasaktan sa kaniyang puso," at "At, isa pa, ang Kamahalan ng Israel ay hindi magbubulaan, at hindi Siya magsisisi, sapagkat Siya ay hindi makalupang tao upang magsisi" naman sa 1 samuel 15:29.

Napakarami pang mga salita, talata at ilang teknikal na mga bagay sa KJV ang hindi namin ginamit. Una ang aming salin ay hindi mula sa ibat-ibang bersiyon ng Bibliya tulad ng KJV, NIV, ASV atbp. kundi mula sa sinaunang mga kopya ng manuskrito tulad ng Codex Vaticanus, Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Alexandrinus, Codex Bezae, Codex Ephraemi, Latin Vulgate, Curetonian Syriac, Syriac Peshita, Sinaitic Syriac codex at Armenian Version atbp. Pangalawa, ito'y literal na salin mula sa ilang nabanggit na mga manuskrito at hindi dahil sa ito'y sumasang-ayon sa aming paniniwala. Bukas kami sa mga pagsusuri upang ipaliwanag ang aming paraan ng pagsasalin.

Hanggang ngayon marami pa rin ang nagtatanong na kung bakit kami daw ay nangingilak ng salapi, kakausapin muna tapos iaalok ang mga literatura at pagkatapos ay manghihingi ng pera.

Sa pahina 2 ng Ang Bantayan na lagi naming ipinababasa sa may-bahay (sapagkat itinatanong agad nila kung may bayad ba) ito'y kababasahan: Ang paglalathala ng Ang Bantayan ay bahagi ng pambuong-daigdig na pagtuturo sa Bibliya na tinutustusan ng kusang-loob na mga donasyon.

Una ito ay kusang-loob. Kung hindi magbibigay ng donasyon ang may-bahay ay hindi namin ipinagpipilitan ito. Ngunit kung siya ay interesado ngunit walang ibibigay na donasyon, ito ay ibinibigay namin at binabalikan upang lalo pang mapasulong ang kaniyang kaalaman sa Bibliya.

Pangalawa ito ay bahagi ng pambuong-daigdig na gawain. Para sa higit pang kaalaman sa aming mga gawain pakisuyong i-klik lamang ang mga links sa itaas.

Sa mga kababayan naming may-kapansanan sa pandinig at pagsasalita (deaf-mute), marunong man o hindi sa wikang pasenyas at nagnanais matuto sa Bibliya, kami ay nalulugod na tumulong sa inyo. Pakisuyong mag e-mail lamang sa amin at ibigay ang inyong pangalan, lokasyon at telepono (celfone o landline).