Simply Jesus Pt. 23: “Destroy This Temple…”

In my last blog post, I shared a simple strategy for speaking with Jehovah’s Witnesses using four questions and the book of Revelation. Today’s post contains two similar witnessing strategies I’ve used that help prove Jesus and God the Father are one.

Remember, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Jesus was the first creation of God (Jehovah), that Jesus is not therefore God, and that He used to be the archangel Michael before coming to earth as Jesus. Therefore, keeping the conversation centered on the deity of Christ is vital in any discussion with a Jehovah’s Witness. Also, recall that to be most effective with a Jehovah’s Witness, you should let them read all of these Scriptures aloud from their own Bibles.

Finally, as was the case in the previous post, during the dialogue sections I will put the Jehovah’s Witnesses translation first, and then the New American Standard version as a reference.

This first witnessing strategy developed after a Jehovah’s Witness decided to read a section of John 17 to me in an attempt to refute a claim I just made about the divinity of Jesus. When she read verse 11 she stopped in her tracks and tried to change the subject. What follows is a modified version of that conversation.

1a) Say, “Can we please read Genesis 17:1 out loud?”

When Aʹbram was 99 years old, Jehovah appeared to Aʹbram and said to him: “I am God Almighty. Walk before me and prove yourself faultless.” (New World Translation)

Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before Me, and be blameless." (NASB)

1b) Now ask, “What is Jehovah’s (The Lord’s) name in this passage?”

Answer = God Almighty

2a) Say, “Can we please read John 17:11 out loud?

“I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, watch over them on account of your own name, which you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one.” (New World Translation)

“I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.” (NASB)

2b) Ask, “What does Jesus say His name is?”

Answer = The same name as His Father: Jehovah/God Almighty

I’ll give you one more, an apologetic strategy I used in my book:

1) Ask, “Who raised Jesus from the dead?”

(Let them answer = Jehovah/God the Father.)

2a) Ask, “Would you please give me a verse to support that belief?

(There are many, but if they can't think of one, offer Romans 10:9.)

2b) Ask them to read Romans 10:9 out Loud:

For if you publicly declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and exercise faith in your heart that God raised him up from the dead, you will be saved. (New World Translation)

If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (NASB)

3a) Say, “In John 2, Jesus drove many money changers out of the temple for defrauding and oppressing the people, and it greatly upset the authorities.

3b) Ask, “Will you please read John 2:18-21 out loud?”

Therefore, in response the Jews said to him: “What sign can you show us, since you are doing these things?” Jesus replied to them: “Tear down this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said: “This temple was built in 46 years, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was talking about the temple of his body. (New World Translation)

The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body. (NASB)

4) Ask: Who did Jesus say would raise Him from the dead?

Answer = He said He would.

5) Ask: Who raised Jesus from the dead?

Answer = Jesus and Jehovah/God Almighty are one.

These witnessing strategies are not clever “Gotcha” games played to humiliate the Jehovah’s Witness you’re conversing with. They are designed to glorify God. They are structured to reveal the truth that God Himself entered humanity to suffer on our behalf. He didn’t merely send one of His creations.

God Himself came down to rescue us, and we put Him to death. When we see the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ sacrifice, we see Jehovah, we see God Almighty embodying His love for us. And that singular truth makes all the difference in the world. 

Then did the whole creation see clearly that for man’s sake the Judge was condemned, and the Invincible was seen, and the Illimitable was circumscribed, and the Impassible suffered, and the Immortal died, and the Celestial was laid to the grave. … God was put to death, the King of Israel slain. – Melito 170CE, Volume 8, p. 756, 758