10 Reasons Why Jesus is God Even in the Jehovah’s Witnesses' Bible

The NWTHS, in an effort to disprove the deity of Jesus Christ has a lot of inclusions, omissions or word replacements. For instance, John 1:1 in the NWTHS has the indefinite article "a" added before "God" and the capital "G" in God is replaced with a small letter "g."

Also in John 8:58, where Jesus said "Before Abraham was, I AM" the NWTHS replaced "I AM" with "I have been." But "I AM" is not the same as "I have been," because the phrase "I AM" speaks of the eternal, unchanging and continual existence of Jesus Christ. But the phrase "I have been," does not.

John 8:58

KJV: Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

One way to know that this passage was tampered with is because the next verse, John 8:59 said:

NWTHS: Therefore they picked up stones to hurl [them] at him; but Jesus hid and went out of the temple.

Well, the reason the Jews wanted to stone Jesus wasn’t because He insulted Abraham their father, but because they considered what He said as blasphemy. They understood what Jesus meant when He said, "Before Abraham, I AM." They knew that was how God described Himself to Moses in Exodus 3:14. They knew that God is truly the only "I AM." So, for Jesus to say that about Himself meant that He compared or equaled Himself with God.

But besides these passages, there are more passages in the Bible where at least both the King James Version (KJV) and the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (NWTHS) say exactly the same thing, yet still point to the deity of Jesus Christ.

As much as the Jehovah’s Witnesses have tried to tamper with the Bible, they have been able to rewrite only obvious passages mentioning the deity of Jesus Christ. They did not tamper with some other passages where Christ’s deity is not so obvious. Not because they didn’t want to, but perhaps because God blinded them from seeing those not-so-obvious passages so as to tamper with them. After all, God’s Word is a mystery, hidden from the wise and prudent, but revealed unto babes (Matthew 11:25).

What I have then tried to do in this article is point out those "not-so-obvious" passages in the Bible that prove the deity of Jesus and why? Unlike those passages changed in the NWTHS, these passages are exactly the same in the NWTHS as well as the KJV or any other mainstream translation. So if you get an opportunity to share the Gospel with a Jehovah’s Witness, and you get around to talking about the deity of Jesus Christ, at least you can gently point him or her to these passages from their own Bible.

So far, I’ve been able to find 10 such passages proving the deity of Jesus Christ. These may grow, as the Lord reveals other passages to me. These are the 10 reasons why Jesus is God, even in the Jehovah’s Witnesses' Bible…

1. Sin-Forgiving God (Mark 2:5-7; Matthew 9:2)

In Mark 2:5-7, we see a story of a man with palsy, whom Jesus told his sins were forgiven. But the scribes had a problem with that statement because they thought that Jesus blasphemed. They knew that when Jesus made the statement, "Son your sins are forgiven you," He was saying in essence that He was God. In fact, they said:

NWTHS: "Why is this man talking in this manner? He is blaspheming. Who can forgive sins except one, God?" -- Mark 2:7

Well, the scribes are right. Only God can forgive sins – in the real sense of the word. Jesus would have to be God to make such a statement. In fact, I believe He said that to subtly declare His deity.

When you really think about it, we can only sin against God. Even though we often use the phrase "I forgive you" flippantly when someone does something against us, in the real sense of the word, we have no power to forgive sins. When someone does something against us, the person offends us, not sin against us. But the person sins against God. We can only sin against God because He alone has the power to forgive sins.

For instance, in Genesis 39 when Potiphar’s wife tried to convince Joseph to sleep with her, Joseph said to her:

Notice that Joseph said he would sin against God, not Potiphar, his boss, if he slept with Potiphar’s wife. Why? Because he knew he could only sin against God, not man. He could offend man, but only sin against God. Likewise, King David in Psalm 51, which he wrote after he slept with Bathsheba (Uriah’s wife), wrote regarding God…

So, Jesus’ ability to forgive sin speaks to His deity. As the scribes rightly asked rhetorically in Mark 2:7, "who can forgive sins, except one, God?"

2. A Worship-Worthy God (Revelation 1:12-17)

There are several instances in the Bible where whenever someone tried to worship an angel, the angel would stop the person from worshipping him. For instance, in Revelation 19:1-10, when John, the Revelator, tried to worship an angel, the angel prevented him from doing so, saying that he was just a servant like John, but that only God should be worshipped.

NWTHS:

At that I fell down before his feet to worship him. But he tells me: "Be careful! Do not do that! All I am is a fellow slave of you and of your brothers who have the work of witnessing to Jesus. Worship God; for the bearing witness to Jesus is what inspires prophesying." – Revelation 19:10

But in Revelation 1:12-17, when John saw Jesus he bowed to worship Him, but Jesus didn’t stop him from worshipping Him. Because He is God and worthy to be worshiped.

NWTHS:

And when I saw him, I fell as dead at his feet. And he laid his right hand upon me and said: "Do not be fearful. I am the First and the Last… – Revelation 1:17

Well, if Jesus Christ is the first of God’s creations, it means that the rest of mankind is equal to Jesus. If not, it would mean that one’s older sibling is superior to one just by virtue of being older.

So, if it means that the rest of mankind is equal with Jesus Christ, why then does Jesus allow other human beings to worship Him without stopping them from worshipping Him, since God alone is worthy to be worshipped? Even angels did not allow human beings to worship them.

It’s obvious. It’s because He is God!

3. The First and the Last (Isaiah 44:6; Revelation 1:17-18)

As mentioned above, the Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Jesus Christ is the first of God’s creation. If Jesus is the first of God’s creation, that makes Him the first, but not the last. But Jesus said that He is the First and the Last (Rev. 1:17). But what is even more interesting is that God said the same thing about Himself in Isaiah 44:6. Well, there can be only one first and last.

NWTHS

"This is what Jehovah has said, the King of Israel and the Repurchaser of him, Jehovah of armies, ‘I am the first and I am the last, and besides me there is no God. -- Isaiah 44:6

NWTHS 

And when I saw him, I fell as dead at his feet. And he laid his right hand upon me and said: "Do not be fearful. I am the First and the Last, and the living one; and I became dead, but, look! I am living forever and ever, and I have the keys of death and of Ha´des. -- Rev. 1:17-18

Now, if God said that He is the First and the Last, and besides Him there’s no God, why then did Jesus refer to Himself as the First and the Last also? At least we can tell that the "him" in Revelation 1:17 is referring to Jesus Christ, not God, because Jesus is the only living One who was dead but now lives. God didn’t die.

4. Same attributes as God (Daniel 7:9-10 vs. Rev. 1:13-15)

There are several instances in the Bible where Jesus Christ is described as having the same attribute as God. For instance in Malachi 3:6, God reminded the Israelites about His unchanging nature.

Well, the writer of Hebrews, in Hebrews 13:8 wrote the same thing about Jesus Christ:

If Jesus is the first born of all creations, why would the writer of Hebrews say that He is the same yesterday, today and forever? Only God is unchanging! Even angels change! After all, Lucifer and a third of the angels rebelled against God (Isaiah 14:12-20 and Ezekiel 28:12-17).

Also, to prove that Jesus is God, the same way God was described in Daniel 7:9-10 is the same way Jesus was described in Revelation 1:13-15. In Daniel 7, Daniel had a vision and in the vision he saw the Ancient of Days (God):

5. One with the Father (John 10:30-33)

In John 10:30 Jesus told the Jews, "I and the Father are one." To which the Jews picked up stones to stone Him.

NWTHS

I and the Father are one."

Once more the Jews lifted up stones to stone him. Jesus replied to them: "I displayed to YOU many fine works from the Father. For which of those works are YOU stoning me?" The Jews answered him: "We are stoning you, not for a fine work, but for blasphemy, even because you, although being a man, make yourself a god." – John 10:30-33

Notice that the word God in verse 33 was replaced with the phrase a god, even though the original Greek manuscript has the word God. But what is contradictory about this is that why would the Jews want to stone Jesus for claiming to be ‘a god?’ There were several different gods at that time, as there are today. So claiming to be "a god" would not amount to blasphemy or a reason for stoning.

Also in John 14:7-9, Jesus said:

6. My Lord and My God (John 20:28)

One of the most compelling verses in the Bible, even the NWTHS, is in John 20:28 when Thomas touched Jesus’ hands and sides after His resurrection before he could believe that indeed He rose from the dead. Thomas exclaimed, "My Lord and My God!" proving that Jesus indeed is God. If not, he wouldn’t have made that statement or he would have been blaspheming. And if Jesus is not God He would have corrected Thomas when he made that statement.

7. The Omniscient God (John 21:15-17; Matt: 9:4, 12:25)

Another attribute of God exhibited by Jesus Christ is His omniscience; i.e., the ability to know all things. In John 21:15-17, after Jesus’ resurrection, He asked Peter three times if He loved Him, then told him to feed His lambs, tend His sheep and feed His sheep.

NWTHS

He said to him the third time: "Simon son of John, do you have affection for me?" Peter became grieved that he said to him the third time: "Do you have affection for me?" So he said to him: "Lord, you know all things; you are aware that I have affection for you." Jesus said to him: "Feed my little sheep. – John 21:17

Notice Peter’s response. Peter said, "Lord, You know all things." Well, only God is all knowing; i.e., omniscient!

Also, there are other passages in the Bible (Matthew 9:4, 12:25) that talk about Jesus knowing the thought of the Pharisees or His opponents. For instance, in Matthew 9:4, the passage says that "Jesus knew their thought." Well, a thought knowing attribute is an attribute of God; i.e., His omniscience. Only God knows the thoughts of man. The Psalmist says that He knows our thoughts from afar off (Psalm 139:2 and Psalm 94:11).

So, if Jesus is not God, He could not have known the thoughts of the people. By the way, this is an actual knowing of someone’s thought, and not mind reading.

8. The Resurrection and the Life (John 10:17-18)

There are several instances in the Bible where dead people were brought back to life. From Elijah raising the Zarephath’s widow’s son (1 Kings 17:17-24) to Jesus raising Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:22-24, 35-43), to Peter raising Tabitha (Acts 9:39-40), to Paul raising Euthycus (Acts 20:9-10). One thing these ‘resurrections’ have in common is that these were cases where someone raised another person from the dead. Not the dead people themselves raising themselves from the dead.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ, on the other hand, is another proof of His deity. Only God has the power to lay down His life and raise it back again! In the other ‘resurrections’ the people who died just died, and they needed someone else to raise them up. Besides, the people who were raised from the dead later died again at some point. But Jesus raised Himself up; never to die again. He lives -- forever!

NWTHS

This is why the Father loves me, because I surrender my soul, in order that I may receive it again. No man has taken it away from me, but I surrender it of my own initiative. I have authority to surrender it, and I have authority to receive it again. The commandment on this I received from my Father." -- John 10:17-18

Indeed, Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25).

9. The Special-Miracle-Working God (John 11)

So, not only was Lazarus dead but his body had started to decompose, yet Jesus raised him from the dead. Only God, the One who could make even dry bones come alive again (Ezekiel 37:1-14), could raise a person that’s been dead for four days!

In Isaiah 9:6, Isaiah prophesied about the coming of Jesus saying:

NWTHS

For there has been a child born to us, there has been a son given to us; and the princely rule will come to be upon his shoulder. And his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

If you agree that the subject and object of this passage is the coming Messiah, you notice that the verse says that His name be called "Mighty God" (with a capital ‘G’) and "Eternal Father." Well then, if this passage is about Jesus Christ, and it says that He is the Mighty God and Eternal Father, why then did the Jehovah’s Witnesses change the "G" in John 1:1 to "a god?"

Besides, the word ‘eternal’ means "having infinite duration," "continued without intermission," "timeless," or "seemingly endless." So, if Jesus is the first creation of God, as the Jehovah’s Witnesses claim, then He wouldn’t be eternal. Everything created has time or happened within time. To be eternal means to exist before and after time. So, definitely Jesus cannot be the first creation of God. If He were, He wouldn’t be eternal!

Anyway, without belaboring the point, Jesus Christ, as a Christian song goes, is not just a man, He is God! Amen!