HOW CAN A RELIGION WITH SOME FALSE DOCTRINES AND FALSE PRACTICES BE THE TRUE RELIGION?
THERE IS ONLY ONE TRUE RELIGION
Can there be more than one true religion? The apostle Paul answers the question in 2 Timothy 4:3, 4 (NIV).
3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
According to Paul, there is only one right thing, “the truth,” “the sound (or, ‘healthful’) doctrine.” This truth would not suit the desires of most people. Therefore, they would listen to teachers who said what they liked to hear. The result would be that they would believe myths rather than sound, healthful doctrine. That there is only one true church or congregation is also shown by Paul in 1 Timothy 3:15 (NIV):
If I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
The word “church” is derived from the Greek ekklēsia, which is most often translated as “congregation.” There is only one “congregation of the living God,” and it is “the pillar and foundation of the truth.” If we believe that the Bible is inspired by God, there is only one possible conclusion to draw:
Of all the churches or congregations with different doctrines and different practices, only one can be the true congregation of the living God — the one founded on and in support of “the truth.”
The same doctrine, that there is just one “church” or “congregation,” is found in the Hebrew Scriptures. In the book of Daniel, we find the expression, “the people of the holy ones of the Most High.” (Daniel 7:27, NJB) In the last chapter of Daniel, we read that his prophecies dealing with the time of the conclusion (end) would be sealed until this time. (Daniel 12:10–12) The angel who spoke with Daniel also showed that God would have a congregation of people. We read:
He raised his right hand and his left hand to heaven and swore by him who lives forever, ‘A time and two times, and half a time; and all these things will come true, once the crushing of holy people’s power is over.’ (12:7, NJB)
It is obvious that if the power of the holy people were to be crushed after a certain time, the holy people would have to be a tight-knit group that could be distinguished from all other groups and thus identified and targeted.
A symbolic beast is described in Revelation chapter 13. This beast “was given authority to act for 42 months,” which is the same three and a half times (years) mentioned in Daniel 12:7, during which time it would “wage war against the holy ones and conquer them.” (Revelation 13:5, 7, NWT13) Indeed, the dragon would “wage war with the remaining ones of her [the symbolic woman mentioned in 12:1–2] offspring, who observe the commandments of God and have the work of bearing witness concerning Jesus.” (Revelation 13:17, NWT13)
The references above show that there is only one group targeted, one true religion, which is a tight-knit group that can be identified in contrast with all other peoples. But who are they?
GOD’S PURPOSE WITH THE ONLY ONE TRUE RELIGION
God’s plan after Satan’s rebellion and the introduction of sin is expressed by the apostle Peter in Acts 3:19, 20:
20 and that he may send forth the Christ appointed for YOU, Jesus, 21 whom heaven, indeed, must hold within itself until the times of restoration of all things of which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets of old time.
How will the restoration of all things occur? Today, this old world is ruled by Satan, the Devil, and the first step is to destroy and remove Satan and the world that he rules.
A GREAT CROWD WILL SURVIVE THE GREAT TRIBULATION
In his great prophecy, Jesus referred to the prophecy in Daniel 12:1 about a great tribulation. We read in Matthew 24:21, 22:
21 for then there will be great tribulation such as has not occurred since the world’s beginning until now, no, nor will occur again. 22 In fact, unless those days were cut short, no flesh would be saved; but on account of the chosen ones those days will be cut short.
The situation where Satan and his wicked world will be removed is called “the great tribulation.” According to the word of Jesus, some “flesh” (human beings) would survive this great tribulation. The book of Revelation that was written by John is “a revelation by Jesus Christ, which God gave him.” (Revelation 1:1) In this book, Jesus returns to his words in his great prophecy, and we read in Revelation 7:9, 10, 13, 14:
9 After these things I saw, and, look! a great crowd, which no man was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes; and there were palm branches in their hands. 10 And they keep on crying with a loud voice, saying: “Salvation [we owe] to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
13 And in response one of the elders said to me: “These who are dressed in the white robes, who are they and where did they come from?” 14 So right away I said to him: “My lord, you are the one that knows.” And he said to me: “These are the ones that come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
With the words in the quotation, Jesus identified the “flesh” that would survive the great tribulation. There would be a great crowd from all the nations of the world that would survive the great tribulation.
According to Acts 24:15, Paul speaks about the resurrection from the dead, and we read:
15 and I have hope toward God, which hope these [men] themselves also entertain, that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.
The resurrection will give the righteous and the unrighteous the chance to accept Jesus’ ransom sacrifice and to serve God during the thousand-year Judgment Day.
Much work is needed to make the earth ready for the resurrection, and the great crowd that survives the great tribulation will be used for this work.
The reason why the great crowd will survive the great tribulation is that they will be used by God to make the earth ready for the resurrection of the dead and the later restoration of all things. |
THE GREAT CROWD IS THE MEMBERS OF THE ONLY TRUE RELIGION
The restoration of all things means that this earth will be transformed into a paradise, similar to the one in the Garden of Eden. It is obvious that the members of the great crowd that will survive the great tribulation cannot consist of persons who have supported the wrong actions in Satan’s old world. Revelation 7:14 says that: “they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” This means that they no longer follow Satan, but they have changed their personality and their beliefs, and they are now members of the only true religion.
And now we can see the real purpose of the only true religion. We read the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:14:
14 And this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end (telos) will come.
The last thing Jesus mentioned in his great prophecy was the great tribulation. Therefore, “the end” (telos) must refer to that tribulation. The purpose of Jesus’ followers, the only true religion in the time the end, was to preach the good news of the kingdom to all the nations.
It is important not to misunderstand this situation. In the first century CE, the purpose of preaching the good news of the kingdom was not to divide all living people into two groups: those who would be saved and those who would be everlastingly annihilated. But the purpose of the preaching was to find sincere persons who wanted to serve God, and who would be a part of the 144,000 members of the heavenly government. All other people who lived at that time who have not sinned against the holy spirit will receive a resurrection on Judgment Day.
The purpose of the preaching in the time of the end is not to separate all living humans into two groups, those who will be saved and those who will be everlastingly annihilated. But the purpose of the preaching is to find sincere persons who want to serve God, and who will be a part of the great crowd that will survive the great tribulation. All others, including those who die in the great tribulation, who have not sinned against the holy spirit will receive a resurrection on Judgment Day.
ONLY JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES WILL SURVIVE THE GREAT TRIBULATION
My book God’s Plan through the Ages for a Restoration of All Things (2025) discusses the thousand-year Judgment Day in detail. The claim that only Jehovah’s Witnesses will survive the great tribulation could be viewed as presumptuous. But we may see the situation differently when we look at the facts on the ground.
The only way to make peace on earth is to remove Satan’s old world and all humans who do the works of Satan. This will happen in the great tribulation. Those who survive will still be imperfect, and they need one thousand years to become perfect without sin. But the requirement for survival, logically, is that they know the basic truths of the Bible, that they have changed their way of life, and that they have taken on the new Christian personality.
The only worldwide group that fulfills these criteria is Jehovah’s Witnesses. There is no other group in the world most of whose beliefs are based on the text of the Bible! If just one person with the old personality of Satan’s world had survived the great tribulation, he could have caused problems for the peace and unity of the survivors or created obstacles to the work of the survivors. Therefore, persons with the old personality must die before or during the great tribulation. And they will receive a resurrection during the thousand years when everything has been arranged for the resurrection of the unrighteous. (Acts 24:15)
After the great tribulation, the work will begin to make the earth ready for the resurrection of the dead. This means that parts of the earth must be cultivated to produce food, houses must be built for those who will be resurrected, and many other arrangements must be made for the benefit of the resurrected ones.
The only worldwide group that believes in the thousand-year Judgment Day into which some will survive and make the earth ready for the resurrection is Jehovah’s Witnesses. They expect to survive the great tribulation, and they are willing and ready to take part in the enormous operation of making the earth ready for the resurrection.
There is also another side to the situation of Jehovah’s Witnesses that makes them particularly qualified for God’s work after the great tribulation, namely, their unity. They attend meetings twice a week, and they participate in the preaching work together. The members of each congregation know one another, and they meet regularly at small and large assemblies. Each congregation has a body of elders, and its members are accustomed to performing various tasks, such as building a Kingdom Hall, under the elders’ leadership.
The nature of the community of Jehovah’s Witnesses and the way they work together for a common goal makes them specifically qualified to be used by God to make the earth ready for the resurrection after the great tribulation.
FALSE TEACHINGS AND ACTIONS INSIDE THE ONLY TRUE RELIGION IN THE FIRST CENTURY CE
Charles Taze Russell and his friends began their Bible studies in the 1870s, and within a short time, they had found the basic doctrines of the Bible. The Bible Students took the name Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1931, and they continued to preach most of the doctrines that the Bible Students had discovered. When I became one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1961, almost one hundred percent of the doctrines, with one serious exception, were directly based on the Bible.[1] However, today, a little more than 90% of the doctrines of Jehovah’s Witnesses are directly based on the Bible. So, how can some false doctrines be a part of the only true religion?
In the first article in this series, I show that, contrary to the view of the present Governing Body, there was no governing body in the first century CE. Congregations were spread across the whole Middle East, and the only contact between them was traveling brothers who visited different congregations.
There was no central authority that could correct wrong matters. But the holy spirit inspired servants of God, such as Peter, John, James, and Paul, to write letters to the congregations to correct what was wrong. These letters show that, within the congregations of the true religion in the first century CE, there were false doctrines and false practices.
THE FALSE DOCTRINES AND PRACTICES IN FIVE OF THE SEVEN CONGREGATIONS IN ASIA
The best examples of false doctrines inside the true religion are the seven congregations in Asia to which Jesus, by the hand of John, sent letters. I will discuss this in detail, quoting from Revelation chapters 2 and 3:
To Ephesus: 2:2-6:
2 ‘I know your deeds, and your labor and endurance, and that you cannot bear bad men, and that you put those to the test who say they are apostles, but they are not, and you found them liars. 3 You are also showing endurance, and you have borne up for my name’s+ sake and have not grown weary. 4 Nevertheless, I hold [this] against you, that you have left the love you had at first. 5 “‘Therefore remember from what you have fallen, and repent and do the former deeds. If you do not, I am coming to you, and I will remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6 Still, you do have this, that you hate+ the deeds of the sect of Nic·o·laʹus, which I also hate.
To Smyrna: 2:8-10:
9‘I know your tribulation and poverty—but you are rich—and the blasphemy by those who say they themselves are Jews, and yet they are not but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of the things you are about to suffer. Look! The Devil will keep on throwing some of YOU into prison that YOU may be fully put to the test, and that YOU may have tribulation ten days. Prove yourself faithful even to death, and I will give you the crown of life.
To Pergamum 2:13-16:
13 ‘I know where you are dwelling, that is, where the throne of Satan is; and yet you keep on holding fast my name, and you did not deny your faith in me even in the days of Anʹti·pas, my witness, the faithful one, who was killed by YOUR side, where Satan is dwelling. 14 “‘Nevertheless, I have a few things against you, that you have there those holding fast the teaching of Baʹlaam, who went teaching Baʹlak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit fornication. 15 So you, also, have those holding fast the teaching of the sect of Nic·o·laʹus likewise. 16 Therefore repent. If you do not, I am coming to you quickly, and I will war with them with the long sword of my mouth.
To Thyatira 2:19-25:
19 ‘I know your deeds, and your loveand faith and ministry and endurance, and that your deeds of late are more than those formerly. 20 “‘Nevertheless, I do hold [this] against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezʹe·bel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and misleads my slaves to commit fornication+ and to eat things sacrificed to idols. 21 And I gave her time to repent, but she is not willing to repent of her fornication. 22 Look! I am about to throw her into a sickbed, and those committing adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. 23 And her children I will kill with deadly plague, so that all the congregations will know that I am he who searches the kidneys and hearts, and I will give to YOU individually according to YOUR deeds. 24 “‘However, I say to the rest of YOU who are in Thy·a·tiʹra, all those who do not have this teaching, the very ones who did not get to know the “deep things of Satan,” as they say: I am not putting upon YOU any other burden. 25 Just the same, hold fast what YOU have until I come.
To Sardis 3:1-5:
1 “And to the angel of the congregation in Sarʹdis write: These are the things that he says who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars, ‘I know your deeds, that you have the name that you are alive, but you are dead. 2 Become watchful, and strengthen the things remaining that were ready to die, for I have not found your deeds fully performed before my God. 3 Therefore, continue mindful of how you have received and how you heard, and go on keeping [it], and repent. Certainly unless you wake up, I shall come as a thief, and you will not know at all at what hour I shall come upon you. 4 “‘Nevertheless, you do have a few names in Sarʹdis that did not defile their outer garments, and they shall walk with me in white ones, because they are worthy. 5 He that conquers will thus be arrayed in white outer garments; and I will by no means blot out his name from the book of life, but I will make acknowledgment of his name before my Father and before his angels.
To Philadelphia 3:8-10:
8 ‘I know your deeds—look! I have set before you an opened door, which no one can shut—that you have a little power, and you kept my word and did not prove false to my name. 9 Look! I will give those from the synagogue of Satan who say they are Jews, and yet they are not but are lying—look! I will make them come and do obeisance before your feet and make them know I have loved you. 10Because you kept the word about my endurance, I will also keep you from the hour of test, which is to come upon the whole inhabited earth, to put a test upon those dwelling on the earth.
To Laodicea 3:15-19:
15 ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or else hot. 16 So, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth. 17 Because you say: “I am rich and have acquired riches and do not need anything at all,” but you do not know you are miserable and pitiable and poor and blind and naked, 18 I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire that you may become rich, and white outer garments that you may become dressed and that the shame of your nakedness may not become manifested, and eyesalve to rub in your eyes that you may see. 19 “‘All those for whom I have affection I reprove and discipline. Therefore be zealous and repent.
The main points of the seven letters are as follows:
Ephesus: The congregation had left the love it had at first.
Smyrna: The congregation had experienced tribulation and poverty. But it was spiritually rich.
Pergamum: Some in the congregation were adhering to the false teaching of Balaam and to the sectarian teaching of Nicolaus.
Thyatira: The congregation tolerated Jezebel, who claimed to be a prophetess and who misled the congregation members to commit sexual immorality and idolatry.
Sardis: The congregation had the name of being alive, but was actually spiritually dead.
Philadelphia: The congregation had little power. Nevertheless, the members kept the words of Jesus and were faithful to his name.
Laodicea: The congregation members were lukewarm, and they were miserable and pitiful and poor and blind and naked.
The letters were sent to “the angel” of each congregation. The Greek word angelos means “messenger.” In many cases, it refers to spirit creatures. But in this case, angelos must refer to one messenger of each congregation, or to the bodies of elders in each congregation.
The seven congregations were a part of the only true religion. Nevertheless, bad things occurred in the congregations, and the elders who led did not take appropriate action to address them. There were false teachings in the congregations; there were sects, idolatry, and even sexual immorality. Yes, all of these bad things were committed by congregation members within the only true religion at the end of the first century CE, while those in leadership were complicit or did nothing to stop it.
Then, in the second century, some elders in the Christian congregation gave themselves more power and they became bishops. Later, a clergy of priests below the bishops was created. Gradually, more and more unscriptural teachings and practices were added to the true Christian congregations until, in time, they ceased to be the only true religion.
DISUNITY AND FALSE TEACHINGS IN THE CONGREGATION IN CORINTH
Ancient Corinth was a metropol that was typical of Satan’s world, with excessive materialism, idol temples, widespread prostitution, and even religious practices involving sacred sex. Paul had preached to the Corinthians, and a Christian congregation was formed.
The Christian Corinthians believed in the Christian doctrines. But there were also problems in the congregation. We read in 1 Corinthians 1:10:
Now I exhort you, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you should all speak in agreement, and that there should not be divisions (skhisma) among you, but that you may be fitly united in the same mind and in the same line of thought.
Christians are free people, and in their personal lives, different people will make different decisions. But because the Christian faith originates with God, in matters of faith, everyone should have the same opinion and the same view. What was the reason why there was a lack of unity in the congregation in Corinth? Corinth? We learn the reason from verses 11 and 12:
11 For the disclosure was made to me about YOU, my brothers, by those of [the house of] Chlo’e, that dissensions (eris) exist among you. 12 What I mean is this, that each one of YOU says: “I belong to Paul,” “But I to Apollos,” “But I to Cephas,” “But I to Christ.” 13 The Christ exists divided.
According to Louw and Nida, the word eris, which is translated by “dissensions,” has the meaning, “to express a difference of opinion, with at least some measure of antagonism or hostility — ‘to argue, quarrel, dispute’” Were the dissensions in Corinth right or wrong? To think highly of persons as originators of the Christian faith was wrong. Those who looked up to persons were implicitly creating divisions.
If we were in the congregation of Corinth with the divisions developing there, we would have no choice but to oppose the three mentioned sects and separate ourselves, in effect causing another division, saying, “I belong to Christ.” However, in this case, we have not created a sect because, unlike the others, our purpose in causing divisions is to distance ourselves from the teachings of the real sect promoters, and stress that, in support of the original Christian teaching, we “belong to Christ”. The point is that if something is wrong, we must oppose it, even if it causes divisions. This is what Paul implies in 1 Corinthians 11:19 (NWT84):
For there must also be sects (hairesis) among YOU, that the persons approved may also become manifest among YOU.
The point here is not that it is correct to make a sect (a division) inside the Christian congregation. But when there are wrong teachings or practices within the congregation, those who want to serve God must make a distinction and distance themselves from those who support them.
In the Corinthian congregation, those who wanted to serve God had to make a division by saying, “I belong to Christ.”
ELDERS IN CORINTH WERE AGRANDIZING THEMSELVES
A typical trait of Satan’s world that is mentioned in Ecclesiastes 8:9:
9 All this I have seen, and there was an applying of my heart to every work that has been done under the sun, [during] the time that man has dominated man to his injury.
Many humans seek power for themselves, and they use this power to aggrandize themselves and suppress others. This was also the case in the Corinthian congregation regarding the superfine apostles. I quote 2 Corinthians 11:2-6 (above) and 11:12-15 (below):
2 For I am jealous over YOU with a godly jealousy, for I personally promised YOU in marriage to one husband that I might present YOU as a chaste virgin to the Christ. 3 But I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent seduced Eve by its cunning, YOUR minds might be corrupted away from the sincerity and the chastity that are due the Christ. 4 For, as it is, if someone comes and preaches a Jesus other than the one we preached, or YOU receive a spirit other than what YOU received, or good news other than what YOU accepted, YOU easily put up [with him]. 5 For I consider that I have not in a single thing proved inferior to YOUR superfine apostles. 6 But even if I am unskilled in speech, I certainly am not in knowledge; but in every way we manifested [it] to YOU in all things.
12 But what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to eliminate the pretext of those who are wanting a basis for being found equal to us in the things about which they boast. 13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself keeps disguising himself as an angel of light. 15 It is therefore nothing extraordinary if his ministers also keep disguising themselves as ministers of righteousness. But their end will be according to their works.
There are four areas where the “superfine apostles” deviated from the truth:
- They had elevated themselves to the position of apostles of Jesus (verses 12, 13).
- They preached another Jesus than the one Paul preached (verse 4).
- They presented another spirit than the one Paul presented (verse 4).
- They misled the members of the Corinthian congregation (verse 3).
We know nothing about the superfine apostles except what is quoted above. But it is clear from the way Pasul describes them that they had bad motives and tried to lead the congregation members away from the truth. The fact that Paul warns the congregation about the superfine apostles shows that they were still a part of the Corinthian congregation and that they exerted their wrong influence inside the congregation.
The important conclusion is that in some Christian congregations in the first century CE, there were false doctrines and practices. But despite this, these congregations belonged to the only true religion.
THE PILLAR AND THE FOUNDATION OF THE TRUTH IS NOT DESTROYED BY SOME FALSE DOCTRINES AND PRACTICES
The holy spirit supported the Christian congregations in the first century. Most of what was taught and practiced conformed to the principles and laws of Jehovah God. But in five congregations in Asia and in the congregation in Corinth, there were some doctrines and practices that contradicted the healthy doctrines of the true religion.
The important conclusion is that in some Christian congregations in the first century CE, there were false doctrines and practices. But despite this, these congregations belonged to the only true religion.
[1]. The exception was the view of the ransom sacrifice, which was different from the view of the Bible Students. See my book, God’s Plan Through the Ages for a Restoration of All Things.
FALSE TEACHINGS AND ACTIONS INSIDE THE ONLY TRUE RELIGION IN THE TIME OF THE END
The setting of the five articles in this series how the creation of the Governing Body in 1971 was a disaster, while the implementation of the elder arrangement has been a blessing. In the first part I demonstrated how Jehovah’s Witnesses had full Christian freedom with very few e3xtra-biblical laws during the 26 years from 1945 to 1971, and the zenith of the Christian freedom was experienced in 1972, when the elder arrangement was implemented.
The second article shows how the members of the Governing Body immediately after the creation of the Governing Body in 1971 began to make human commandments that attacked the Christian freedom. However, the article shows how Christian freedom to a great extent existed in most of the 20th century.
It was first in the 21st century that the members of the Governing Body gave themselves all power over the doctrines, the properties, and the money, and the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses became a dictatorship. The result is that today a little more than 90% of the doctrines and practices are directly built on the Bible, and the rest are human commandments.
I have argued that Jehovah’s Witnesses is the only true religion, and the examples of the seven congregations in Asia and from the congregation in Corinth show that false doctrines and false practices can exist inside the only true religion. However, the fact that the members of the Governing Body and elders they have appointed, function as bishops and a clergy, exactly the same as elders in some congregations di in the second century CE, does this mean that Jehovah God no longer approve Jehovah’s Witnesses as the only true religion?
OVERSKRIFT 2
“Dette er en eksempeltekst til nettsiden. Når du skriver tekst til nettsiden så er det viktig å huske på at det både er en potensiell kunde som leser dette, men også Google skal «lese» denne teksten. Prøv å skriv innhold som er informativ for det produktet eller den tjenesten du tilbyr, der søkeord, fraser og setninger flettes inn på en naturlig og lettleselig måte. ”
OVERSKRIFT 3
Dette er en eksempeltekst til nettsiden. Når du skriver tekst til nettsiden så er det viktig å huske på at det både er en potensiell kunde som leser dette, men også Google skal «lese» denne teksten. Prøv å skriv innhold som er informativ for det produktet eller den tjenesten du tilbyr, der søkeord, fraser og setninger flettes inn på en naturlig og lettleselig måte.
CONCLUSION
Dette er en eksempeltekst til nettsiden. Når du skriver tekst til nettsiden så er det viktig å huske på at det både er en potensiell kunde som leser dette, men også Google skal «lese» denne teksten. Prøv å skriv innhold som er informativ for det produktet eller den tjenesten du tilbyr, der søkeord, fraser og setninger flettes inn på en naturlig og lettleselig måte.
