who are they?
Jehovah’s Witnesses want people to know them better. You may know some as neighbours, workmates, or people you meet in daily life. You may also have seen them in the street with magazines, or spoken to them at your door. However you first met them, they want to explain who they are and what they believe.
They are also interested in your welfare. They want to be friends, not strangers. In most respects, they are like other people. They face the same money worries, health problems, and emotional strain. They make mistakes just as everyone does because they are not perfect or infallible.
Still, they study the Bible closely and try to correct themselves when they see a need.
They have chosen to dedicate themselves to God and to do his will. Because of that, they try to let God’s Word guide their choices and their work. They also look to God’s holy spirit for help and direction. That belief shapes their worship and their daily conduct.
Their Bible View
They value Bible-based belief above human opinion.
For them, teachings must agree with Scripture, not with creed or speculation.
That is why they welcome comparison with the Bible and invite people to check what they say.
If a claim fails that test, they reject it.
“Not at all! But let God be found true, even if every man be found a liar,
– Romans 3:4
just as it is written, so that you may be proved righteous in your words
and win when you are judged.'”
“Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they accepted the word with the greatest eagerness of mind, carefully examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.”
– Acts 17:11
They treat the Bible as God’s Word. They accept its 66 books as inspired and trustworthy. They call the New Testament the Christian Greek Scriptures, and the Old Testament the Hebrew Scriptures. They read both parts as real history unless the setting clearly shows a symbol or figure of speech.
They also believe that some Bible prophecies have already been fulfilled, some are being fulfilled, and some are yet to be fulfilled!
That view shapes the way they read the Bible. It also keeps them focused on the message they share. For them, the Bible is not a book of theory; it is a guide for life.
Their Name
They use the name ‘Jehovah’s Witnesses’ for themselves, as they see it as a fitting description, because it shows that they bear witness about Jehovah, his position as God, and his purpose. Words such as “God”, “Lord”, and “Creator” are titles that can apply to more than one person. By contrast, Jehovah is a personal name that is used for the almighty God and Creator of the universe.
The Bible gives strong weight to that name. In Isaiah, Jehovah says that the name belongs to him alone. He also says that no other god was formed before him, and none will come after him. That is why his worshippers use the name with care and respect.
“I am Jehovah. That is my name; I give my glory to no one else. nor my praise to graven images.”
– Isaiah 42:8
The name also appears in a passage that speaks about witnesses. There, the nations are pictured as though they were in a courtroom. They are told to present proof for their gods, while Jehovah’s people are called to bear witness for him. That passage explains why the name fits their work and their message.
“You are my witnesses,” declares Jehovah, “Yes, my servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and have faith in me And understand that I am the same One. Before me no God was formed, And after me there has been none. I, I am Jehovah, and besides me there is no saviour.“
– Isaiah 43:10, 11
Jehovah had witnesses long before the Christian era began. Hebrews chapter 11 lists many faithful men and women, and the next chapter speaks of them as a cloud of witnesses.
The lesson is plain: faithful people have long borne witness to God. That pattern continues in the Christian Greek Scriptures as well.
“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also throw off every weight and the sin that easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race set before us.”
– Hebrews 12:1
The same pattern appears in the Christian Greek Scriptures.
The account in John 18:37 says that he came to bear witness to the truth. The same account also calls him the faithful and true witness.
He later told his disciples that they would be witnesses to the ends of the earth.
“So Pilate said to him: “Well, then, are you a king?” Jesus answered: “You yourself are saying that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is on the side of the truth listens to my voice.””
– John 18:37
“To the angel of the congregation in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation by God.”
– Revelation 3:14
“But you will receive power when the holy spirit comes upon you, and you will be witnesses of me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the most distant part of the earth.”
– Acts 1:8
That is why some 9 million – and counting – Jehovah’s Witnesses today preach the good news of God’s Kingdom under the rule of his Son in over 230 countries. They believe their name matches their work. They speak about Jehovah, his Kingdom, and the hope set out in the Bible!
