ARE JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES FALSE PROPHETS?

Jehovah’s Witnesses freely admit that they have made failed predictions in the past. Is this enough to categorize them as false prophets?
Deuteronomy 18 verse 22 states that a false prophet is one who, in the name of the Lord, makes a prophecy which does not take place and is not true.  How does this entire square with the Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that just because they have made a few errors does not mean that they are therefore false prophets?

First of all, the Watchtower (which is the organizational name of Jehovah’s Witnesses) claimed to have been acting as God’s uniquely-appointed official, or modern-day prophet, when it issued its numerous false predictions.  This alone, according to Deuteronomy 18, is enough to qualify them as false prophets.  But there’s more.

The prophecies proclaimed by the Watchtower were not considered by the organization as “optional.”  In other words, to remain a Jehovah’s Witness in good standing, you must wholeheartedly believe in and uphold these prophecies made by the Watchtower.  They were certainly not expendable.

You see, the prophecies themselves concerned important events holding significant implications.  For example, the Watchtower initially proclaimed that Jesus’ second coming happened invisibly in the year 1874.  Today, Jehovah’s Witnesses believed this event actually took place in the year 1914.  It’s important to note that Paul issued very strong warnings about those setting false dates concerning Christ’s return (2 Thes. 2:1-3).

Fourth, the Watchtower’s false prophecies have produced nothing but despair and disillusionment, and have caused many Jehovah’s Witnesses to resort to drastic measures which they would not have taken otherwise.  Numbers of Jehovah’s Witnesses, for instance, quit their jobs and liquidated their personal belongings as they anticipated the world to end in the year 1975.  Needless to say, that prediction never materialized.

Well, when all the facts are considered, it becomes readily apparent that Jehovah’s Witnesses are false prophets who fill people “with false hopes” (Jer. 23:16).

From CRI perspective, I am Rev. Billy Beaufils, ThM, MA, (Doctorate Candidate)

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