[quote]honest_lifter wrote:
[quote]Brother Chris wrote:
I know that Jehovah’s Witnesses do not accept anything besides Watchtower material, so I have pulled out my collection of Watchtower material, and I was given a New World Translation by a Jehovah Witness the other day. But, I’ll double check it on http://www.watchtower.org/e/bible/index.htm as it is the official website of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
I’ll be discussing the Divinity of Christ.
I am not sure how the Jehovah’s Witnesses archive their pamphlets, but I have here a Watchtower booklet dated 15th of Januardy '92.
The name of the article is “What Do the Scriptures Say about the Divinity of Christ?”, it starts on page 20, and on page 21 it says, “But do not JesusÃ???Ã??Ã?¢?? miracles prove that he was a God-man? No, for Moses, Elijah, Elisha, the apostles Peter and Paul, and others performed miracles without being God-men (Exodus 14:15-31; 1 Kings 18:18-40; 2 Kings 4:17-37; Acts 9:36-42, 19:11-12). Like them, Jesus was a human who performed miracles with God-given power (Luke 11:14-19).”
I’ll take a look at the first passage, Exodus 14:15-31, “15 Jehovah now said to Moses: Why do you keep crying out to me? Speak to the sons of Israel that they should break camp. 16 As for you, lift up your rod and stretch your hand out over the sea and split it apart, that the sons of Israel may go through the midst of the sea on dry land.” Who performed this miracle? Moses or Jehovah?
Let’s go to verse 21, “21 Moses now stretched his hand out over the sea; and Jehovah began making the sea go back by a strong east wind all night long and converting the sea basin into dry ground, and the waters were being split apart.” I ask again, how performed this miracle? Moses or Jehovah?
Lets look at 1 Kings 18:31-35, 31 So E-li’jah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom JehovahÃ???Ã??Ã?¢??s word had come, saying: Israel is what your name will become.Ã???Ã??Ã?¢?? 32 And he went on to build the stones into an altar in the name of Jehovah and to make a trench, of about the area sowed with two seah measures of seed, all around the altar. 33 After that he put the pieces of wood in order and cut the young bull in pieces and placed it upon the pieces of wood. He now said: Ã???Ã??Ã?¢??FILL four large jars with water and pour it upon the burnt offering and upon the pieces of wood.Ã???Ã??Ã?¢?? 34 Then he said: Ã???Ã??Ã?¢??Do it again.Ã???Ã??Ã?¢?? So they did it again. But he said: Ã???Ã??Ã?¢??Do it a third time.Ã???Ã??Ã?¢?? So they did it a third time. 35 Thus the water went all around the altar, and the trench also he filled with water. I ask, who did this miracle, Elijah or Jehovah?
Let’s continue to verse 38, “38 At that the fire of Jehovah came falling and went eating up the burnt offering and the pieces of wood and the stones and the dust, and the water that was in the trench it licked up.” So, who did this miracle of burning the bowl, Elijah, or Jehovah?
Okay, well we’ll take a look at 2 Kings 31-32, 31 And GeÃ???Ã???Ã??Ã?·haÃ???Ã???Ã??Ã?´zi himself passed along before them and then put the staff upon the boyÃ???Ã??Ã?¢??s face, but there was no voice nor paying of attention. So he went back to meet him and told him, saying: Ã???Ã??Ã?¢??The boy did not wake up.Ã???Ã??Ã?¢?? 32 At last EÃ???Ã???Ã??Ã?·liÃ???Ã???Ã??Ã?´sha came into the house, and there the boy was dead, being laid upon his couch. Who is about to do this miracle, Elisha or Jehovah?
Next two verses 33-34, 33 Then he came in and closed the door behind them both and began to pray to Jehovah. 34 Finally he went up and lay down upon the child and put his own mouth upon his mouth and his own eyes upon his eyes and his own palms upon his palms and kept bent over him, and gradually the child�??�?�¢??s flesh grew warm. Who is the miracle maker here, Elisha or Jehovah?
We’ll Look at Acts 9:38-40, 38 Now as LydÃ???Ã???Ã??Ã?´da was near JopÃ???Ã???Ã??Ã?´pa, when the disciples heard that Peter was in this city they dispatched two men to him to entreat [him]: Ã???Ã??Ã?¢??Please do not hesitate to come on as far as us.Ã???Ã??Ã?¢?? 39 At that Peter rose and went with them. And when he arrived, they led him up into the upper chamber; and all the widows presented themselves to him weeping and exhibiting many inner garments and outer garments that DorÃ???Ã???Ã??Ã?´cas used to make while she was with them. Who did this miracle, Peter or Jehovah?
Look at the next verses, 40 But Peter put everybody outside and, bending his knees, he prayed, and, turning to the body, he said: �??�?�¢??Tab�??�??�?�´i�??�??�?�·tha, rise!�??�?�¢?? She opened her eyes and, as she caught sight of Peter, she sat up. So, who did this miracle, Peter or Jehovah?
Acts 19:11-12, 11 And God kept performing extraordinary works of power through the hands of Paul, 12 so that even cloths and aprons were borne from his body to the ailing people, and the diseases left them, and the wicked spirits came out." Who did this miracle, Paul or Jehovah?
So, far if we have read, that our of the previous passages only Jehovah God has power to do miracles, others are involved, but only the power of Jehovah God working through these people do these miracles happen.
Now, let’s look at one of the miracles assigned to Jesus by the Watchtower material that I put up above.
Luke 11:14, 14 Later he [Jesus] was expelling a dumb demon. After the demon came out, the dumb man spoke. And the crowds marveled. Who did this Lord Jesus or Jehovah God?
Now, Jesus did about 44 miracles, we’ll only go through a few of them.
This is my favorite miracle, Jn 2:3-10:
3 When the wine ran short the mother of Jesus said to him: �??�?�¢??They have no wine.�??�?�¢?? 4 But Jesus said to her: �??�?�¢??What have I to do with you, woman? My hour has not yet come.�??�?�¢?? 5 His mother said to those ministering: �??�?�¢??Whatever he tells YOU, do.�??�?�¢?? 6 As it was, there were six stone water jars sitting there as required by the purification rules of the Jews, each able to hold two or three liquid measures. 7 Jesus said to them: �??�?�¢??Fill the water jars with water.�??�?�¢?? And they filled them to the brim. 8 And he said to them: �??�?�¢??Draw some out now and take it to the director of the feast.�??�?�¢?? So they took it. 9 When, now, the director of the feast tasted the water that had been turned into wine but did not know what its source was, although those ministering who had drawn out the water knew, the director of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him: �??�?�¢??Every other man puts out the fine wine first, and when people are intoxicated, the inferior. You have reserved the fine wine until now.�??�?�¢??
Who did this miracle Jesus, Ministers, or Jehovah God?
Next miracle, Jn 4:47-51:
47 When this man heard that Jesus had come out of Ju�??�??�?�·de�??�??�?�´a into Gal�??�??�?�´i�??�??�?�·lee, he went off to him and began asking him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of dying. 48 However, Jesus said to him: �??�?�¢??Unless YOU people see signs and wonders, YOU will by no means believe.�??�?�¢?? 49 The attendant of the king said to him: �??�?�¢??Lord, come down before my young child dies.�??�?�¢?? 50 Jesus said to him: �??�?�¢??Go your way; your son lives.�??�?�¢?? The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went his way. 51 But already while he was on his way down his slaves met him to say that his boy was living.
Did Jesus or did Jehovah do this Miracle?
Now, the Jesus calming of the seas Matthew 8:23-27
"23 And when he got aboard a boat, his disciples followed him. 24 Now, look! a great agitation arose in the sea, so that the boat was being covered by the waves; he, however, was sleeping. 25 And they came and woke him up, saying: �??�?�¢??Lord, save us, we are about to perish!�??�?�¢?? 26 But he said to them: �??�?�¢??Why are YOU fainthearted, YOU with little faith?�??�?�¢?? Then, getting up, he rebuked the winds and the sea, and a great calm set in. 27 So the men became amazed and said: �??�?�¢??What sort of person is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?�??�?�¢??
Now who calmed the seas, Jesus or Jehovah?
Now, let’s look at the hemorrhaging woman. This is in all three synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) documents this story. So, let’s look at Luke 8:43-46 – “43 And a woman, subject to a flow of blood for twelve years, who had not been able to get a cure from anyone, 44 approached from behind and touched the fringe of his outer garment, and instantly her flow of blood stopped. 45 So Jesus said: Ã???Ã??Ã?¢??Who was it that touched me?Ã???Ã??Ã?¢?? When they were all denying it, Peter said: Ã???Ã??Ã?¢??Instructor, the crowds are hemming you in and closely pressing you.Ã???Ã??Ã?¢?? 46 Yet Jesus said: Ã???Ã??Ã?¢??Someone touched me, for I perceived that power went out of me.Ã???Ã??Ã?¢??”
How as we have seen in the Hebrew and Greek texts, only Jehovah God has the power to perform a miracle. In Luke 8, we see that Jesus has the power to heal within Jesus. Jehovah God being the only one with the power to perform miracles and if Jesus has the power to perform miracles, it would be reasonable to say that Jesus must be the Jehovah God.[/quote]
Acts 10:38
“And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”
[/quote]
But how did Jesus do all these miracles? It never says that Jehovah did it, or that Jesus prayed to Jehovah and it happened. No, Jesus did it because he is Jehovah God.