Apostles of Denial : an examination and exposé of the history, doctrines and claims of the Jehovah’s Witnesses

354 Pages·1975·13.83 MB·English

by  Edmond Charles Gruss

APOSTLES OF DENIAL
AN EXAMINATION AND EXPOSE OF THE HISTORY,
DOCTRINES AND CLAIMS OF THE
JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES
Professor of History a.nd Apologetics
LChs Angelea Baptis.t College
Newhall, California
Permission has been granted by the author for distribution of
this book on the Internet provided it is distributed freely and no
changes are made to the text. Commercial use is prohibited.

At the author’s request, an appendix has been added entitled:
“Russell’s Bible Student Movement – A Millerite Offshoot.”
This material is taken from chapter 3 of the author’s book
Jehovah’s Witnesses: Their Claims, Doctrinal Changes and
Prophetic Speculation. What Does the Record Show? (2001)
Also added is an updated list of sources to contact for further
information. Otherwise, the text of this PDF is the author’s
original 1970 work.
Copyright 1970
PRESBYTERIAN AND REFORMED PUBLISHING CO.
First printing May 1970
Second printing October 1971
Third printing November 1971
Fourth printing January 1974
Fifth printing June 1975
Sixth printing with revisions, November 1975
Seventh printing June 1976
Eighth printing October 1978
Ninth printing April 1980
Tenth printing May 1983
Eleventh printing, March 1986
1SBN:O-87552-305-6
Printed in the United States of America
DEDICATED
TO THE CAUSE OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR
JESUS CHRIST
and
MY FAMILY, Gel-aldene, Susan and Mark,
constant sources of inspiration to His service
THE AUTHOR
Edmond C. Gruss. Professor of History and Apologetics
at Los Angeles Baptist College, in Newhall, California, was
born in Los Angeles in 1933. He received his A. B. from Los
Angeles Baptist College (1955) and his B. D. from Los An-
gel- Baptist Theological Seminary (1958). In 1961 he com-
pleted the Th. M. in Bible and Theology at Talbot Theological
Seminary, La Mirada, California. An M. A. in Modern Euro-
pean History from Drake University was added in 1964.
In addition to his college and seminary teaching Pro-
fessor Gruss has written articles on the cults and given
lectures in area churches. Interest in the cult field stems from
his conversion from the Jehovah's Witnesses in 1950. His wife
also graduated from Los Angeles Baptist College and is an
elementary teacher.
Reflecting his interests, the author is a member of The
American Historical Association, Organization of American
Historians, Far West Slavic Conference, Society for Early
Historic Archeology, and the Creation Research Society.
UPDATE

Other recent works by Edmond C. Gruss:

Jehovah's Witnesses: Their Claims, Doctrinal Changes,
and Prophetic Speculation. What Does the Record Show?

By Edmond C. Gruss

Published by Xulon Press, 2001
ISBN 193123230X, 9781931232302
376 pages

http://books.google.com/books?id=kSZL8BWc9KcC

The Four Presidents of the Watch Tower Society (Jehovah's Witnesses):
The Men and the Organization They Created

By Edmond C. Gruss

Published by Xulon Press, 2003
ISBN 1594671311, 9781594671319
264 pages

http://books.google.com/books?id=jFDi5jGsyV8C

Jehovah’s Witnesses: Their Monuments to False Prophecy

By Edmond C. Gruss (with Leonard Chretien)

Published by Witness, Inc., 1997
ISBN 188385877, 978188385875
307 pages

http://witnessinc.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_7_9&products_id=40

These books can also be obtained from:

Free Minds, Inc.

http://www.freeminds.org/
ABBREVIATIONS OF TRANSLATIONS USED
IN THIS BOOK'
ASV American Standard Version (1901). Unless other-
wise stated all quotations from the Bible are from
this version.
ED The Emphatic Diaglott
KJV King James Version (1611 ).
NWT New World Tra;nslation (1950-1960). Unless other-
wise noted the 1951 revised New World Translation
of the Christian Greek Scriptu~esa nd the five vol-
umes of the New World Translation of the Hebrew
Scriptwes are quoted.
RSV Revised Standard Version (1952)
lQuotation of any of the above translations does not
indicate endorsement or agreement with all of its contents.
NOTE :
Quotation marks included in the titles of many of the
Witnesses' books have been deleted in most cases.
When pronouns are capitalized in the New World Trans-
lation it indicates that they are in the plural number.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. INTRODUCTION - - - - . 1
Background of the Title -------------_-------------- 2
Purpose of the Study -----_~_--------_--------_--------2
Importance of the Stu.d y -.- ----_---------__-------------- 3
Procedure and Organlzatlon --_----- 1- _-__------------- 5
Sources of Data 6
11. JEHOVAH'S WITNES'SES: ANCIENT AND MODERN
ANCESTORS ----_-------------_----------------------- 9
111. THE HISTORY OF JEHOVAH% WITNESSES: SOME
RECENT PUBLICATI0N.S 18
. .
IV. THE HISTORY OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES: THE
PERIOD UNDER CHARLES TAZE RUSSELL
(1870-1916) . -- - -----_- -.- 38
Background and Formative Years 38
Years of Organization and Growth 41
Reasons for Success 51
-----.
V. THE HLSTORY OF THE JEHOVAH'S WITNE.SSES: THE
PERIOD UNDER JOSEPH FRANKLIN RUTHERFORD
(1917-1942) --__--------~----_------------_---------5 3
Background and Early Years of Administration -- 53
Years of Doctrinal Change and Expansion ---_----------- 56
Reasons for Rutherford's Success ---------- -------------- 65
VI. THE HISTORY OF THE JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES: THE
PERIOD UNDER NATHAN HOMER KNORR (1942 to
present) ........................................ 67
VII. THE HISTORY OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES:
A PERIOD OF TRANSITION _---_-------------------- 73
VIII. A S'UMMARY OF WHAT THE JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES
BELIEVE -------------------------_-------_---------- 79
Source of Authority: The Bible --__---~_-_--------------- 79
Doctrine of God ---------------- -----__--------------- 80
Satan and the Angels ..........~. ....................... 84
Doctrine of Man 84
Doctrine of Christ: His Person --_----__-----------_----- 86
Doctrine of Christ: His Work -----__---_-~------------ 89
Doctrine of Salvation _----_-_--------_----------------- 91
Doctrine of the Ordinances -----__--~------------------ 93
Doctrine of the Last Things 94
Other Distinctive Doctrines -----_-----_-------_------_- 102
A Summary -_~~----_------~__------------------------ 104
IX. A REFUTATION OF SOME OF THE MAJOR DOCTRINES
OF THE JEHOVAH% WITNES,SES 105
The Trinity and the Deity of Christ __------------------_ 105
The Bodily Resurrection of Christ --------_--------_--_-_ 135
The Ransom and Salvation By Faith 142
The New Birth --_-_------ 150
Satan _ . - - - - - 1 54
The Nature of Man and His Destiny . -- -- - - _ 154
Eternal Punishment and the Future State 161
TABLE OF CONTENTS-(Continued)
CHAPTER PAGE
The "Second Presence" (Second Coming) of Christ ---_---- 172
Blood Transfusion -----------------------------_-------- 183
Conclusion ......................................... 190
X. THE TRANSLATIONS AND BIBLES OF THE WATCH
TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY _----_------_--- 191
Some Bibles Used and Printed by the Watch Tower
Bible and Tract 'Society ............................ 191
The Emphatic Diaglott ---_--------_-------_----------_- 193
The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures----__._ 196
The New World Translation of the Christian
Greek Scriptures _---. 197
The New World Transl~a tion ~ of the Hebrew
Th.Se cNriepwtu rWeso rld Transla~~ tio. n .o f the_ Hol.y .S c. ri-p tures.~---22 1,l3l
Summary - .. 214
XI. THE JEHOVAH'S WITNES!SES AND BIBLICAL
INTERPRETATION .. . 215
Interpretation for the Individual Witness .. .. 215
The Interpretative Methods of the Jehovah's Witnesses
as Viewed by Those Outside the Society ..-. 217
The Watch Tower Bile and Tract Society as "The
Channel" ._ ---_----------- --------- 218
The Witnesses' Intenpretative Sy~ stem in Operation-------- 220
Conclusion -__--_-_--------_-_-__------------------- 238
XII. .SOME TOOLS AND METHODS OF THE
NEW WORLD SOCIETY --_---------------_------_----- 240
Literature 240
Meetings 244
Conventions or Assemblies -------_-------------------- 245
Films .~. . . 246
The Jehovah's Witness seven-Step Program 247
Conclusion . 249
XIII. DEALING WITH JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES 250
Previous Preparation : 251
The Encounter - . - 252
Dealing with ~atch~owPeurb lications in Private Study--- 255
XIV. CONCLUSION ---- 258
h Summary of the Study __--------__-------_----------- 258
The Problem and How It Must be Met -------_-------_--- 259
Testimonies of Former Jehovah's Witnesses -------------- 260
The Challenge _-----_--------------------------_------- 263
APPENDIX A: OTHER RUSSELLITE GROUPS _--_---_--___-_- 264
Reasons for secession -------__-------------------------2 64
Secession Groups -----_--------_----------------------- 266
The Laymen's Home Missionary Movement -----------_--- 267
The Dawn Bible Students Association -----_-------------- 272
The Associated Bible Students and the Pastoral
Bible Institute -----_---_---_-----_------------- 276
Back to the Bible Way --_--_----------_-__-------------- 278
Other Sects and Publications in America -_--------__----2 79
Other Sects and Publications in Europe ------------------ 284
vii