In Jehovah's Witness communities, there is a certain problem of rivalry: who can get into this cherished number? After all, for example, only those who have been re-baptized in heaven and have been chrismated (the same 144 thousand) can take communion. Communion is performed by Jehovah's Witnesses once a year. This is the only holiday that they recognize - the day of the Jewish Passover - Nisan 14; a remembrance not of the Resurrection, but of the death of Christ. There is an unspoken permission to take communion only for decrepit old people, who theoretically can belong to the same 144 thousand. True, some of the young Jehovah's Witnesses also claim their right to receive Communion, because, they say, they feel that they are part of the 144,000 members, but others actively oppose this, and most of the applicants give up and renounce their claims. The communion looks like this: red wine and unleavened bread (matzah) are placed on the elevation. These, the Jehovah's Witnesses emphasize, are nothing more than symbols. But "these symbols are accepted only by a handful of "chosen by God." Those who "cherish an earthly hope worthily celebrate the Lord's Supper by attending it and paying respectful attention to the occasion, even though they do not partake of the bread and wine. Christ's sacrifice also benefits them (! — A.D.), allowing them to gain a good reputation in the eyes of God." [176] No comment...

In 1950, a Jewish translation of the Bible into English was published under the title "New World Translation". In this edition, most of the places where the divinity of the Savior is spoken of are juggled, and the Greek words Theos and Kyrios ("God" and "Lord") are almost everywhere replaced by the word "Jehovah" (except, of course, where the evangelists call Jesus Christ Lord and God). The names of the translators, of course, are unknown: the translation was published on behalf of the "Ruling Corporation", which at that time had only one person who studied Greek a little. Nobody knew the Hebrew language there.

Russian Jehovah's Witnesses were deprived of this translation for a long time. And if any of you happen to talk to Jehovah's Witnesses, ask what Bible translation they use. A few years ago, for some reason, Russian Jehovah's Witnesses took a great liking to the translation of Archimandrite Macarius (Glukharev), to which they liked to refer and which they even republished. According to experts, in their edition of this translation, they also made a large number of manipulations and substitutions. [177] Apparently, in connection with the conviction of deception in 2001, Jehovah's Witnesses stopped referring to this pseudo-makarian forgery and returned to the Synodal translation.

And at the end of 2001, the New Testament finally appeared in Russian in the translation of "Novy Mir". There is no New World Old Testament in Russian yet. And all Russian Jehovah's Witnesses are already flaunting hybrid new editions: the Old Testament in the Synodal translation in conjunction with the New World New Testament.

If you have such an opportunity, in conversations with Jehovah's Witnesses, you can refer them to the Greek original and show them where the leadership of the sect is making a substitution. In some cases, this makes sectarians think. And it is absolutely certain that the confusion of the sectarians will make a proper impression on those people whom they are trying to recruit.

4. Adventism and American populism of the late nineteenth century

Jehovah's Witnesses have two roots: Adventism and American populism of the late 19th century. He was an American, a man of little education (he graduated from no more than two years of school), from a poor family, but he loved to read very much and achieved a lot as a self-taught man. Miller was an agnostic skeptic until the age of 35, and then he was converted, began to actively study the Scriptures and became a Baptist preacher. Like most self-taught, he did not have a system, so he began to breed homegrown theories and became fascinated by the book of the prophet Daniel, on which many broke. Miller became infected with numerology and began to actively calculate the date of the end of the world. Of course, in the end he figured it out. And when our discoverer was reminded of the words of the Savior that no one can know either the day or the hour of His Second Coming, Miller replied that he was predicting not a day or an hour, but a year. In 1818, he calculated the year 1843. This made a tremendous impression on him: in 25 years, the world that had existed for many millennia would end! Everyone lives for themselves and does not suspect anything, and he, Miller, has discovered it! If you believe this, it becomes scary.

Miller began to preach, and since he was a "charismatic" and convinced man, he gained more and more supporters. The people were hysterically waiting for the Second Coming. And then 1843 came, but nothing happened. Miller began to count again in the hope of finding a mistake, and, of course, it was found: the date of the Second Coming had to be postponed until March 21, 1844, the day of the vernal equinox, when everything was supposed to happen. But even then nothing happened. Miller fell into depression, but his fanatical followers convinced him that it was necessary to count according to the Jewish calendar, according to which the new year came on October 21, 1844. His confidence was passed on to the people, everyone stopped sowing and ploughing and gathered in white robes by a mountain in New York State in anticipation of the rapture to heaven. But the appointed day passed, and again nothing happened. This day became the day of the Great Disappointment (the official term used in religious textbooks).

When this happens, some participants step away from the movement, while others frantically try to find a reason to prove that everything was actually right (as we said, it's hard to give up something that has been invested so much). So it happened this time. A faithful follower of Miller, Hiram Edson, the day after the Great Disappointment, walked in a field overgrown with ripe wheat, where he received a "revelation from God": the coming of the Lord had taken place, but it was a heavenly coming—Christ had entered the Holy of Holies of the Heavenly Temple, where He had previously been barred. There he began the "judgment of inquiry," that is, he examines the life of every Christian and judges who is worthy of the resurrection and who is unworthy. This judgment will take 80 to 100 years, and then the Second Coming will come. This is the key doctrine of Adventists (in addition to Sabbath observance and belief in the death of the soul along with the body), in which the roots of Jehovism lie.

На формирование самой крупной современной адвентистской секты — “Адвентистов седьмого дня— решающее влияние оказала “пророчица” Элен (Елена) Уайт (1827–1915). Она была обычной девушкой, но когда ей было 15 лет, кто-то кинул ей в лицо громадный камень, Элен была изуродована и долго находилась между жизнью и смертью, но ее выходили, после чего у нее начались странные припадки, которые она называла “небесными откровениями”. Эти откровения изданы, очень почитаются, а адвентисты считают их вероучительными источниками наряду с Библией. Правда, еще современники указывали на то, что многие из этих “откровений” были откровенным плагиатом, в том числе из опубликованных источников, — как правило, популярных журналов о “здоровом образе жизни”. Но адвентистов это не смущало. Большая часть иудаизирующих черт адвентизма седьмого дня (таких, как соблюдение субботы, диетарные правила и т. д.), а также их отказ от употребления спиртного восходят именно к наследию г-жи Уайт и ее “откровениям”.

Итак, “Свидетели Иеговы” выросли на адвентистской почве. Второй корень секты — популистское движение в Америке конца XIX века. Тогда слово “популизм” имело несколько иное значение, чем теперь, — это было название движения протеста маленького человека в капиталистическом обществе, задавленного огромными корпорациями. Популистские лидеры представляли правительство как единую коррумпированную систему, которая контролируется богатым классом, или олигархией, и присваивает все плоды труда простого человека, являющегося лишь выбрасываемым после использования винтиком в этой большой машине. Все большие, традиционные церкви и деноминации виделись тоже частями единой государственной машины, противостоящей маленькому человеку и перемалывающей его. В первую очередь в Америке это касалось Римо-католической церкви и больших протестантских деноминаций. В качестве антитезы возникали мелкие политические партии и религиозные движения, которые протестовали против давления на личность со стороны крупных образований.

Новосозданная секта, впоследствии получившая название “Свидетелей Иеговы”, также начала воспринимать внешний мир как врага — мир, представленный прежде всего лжеучением институциализированных церквей, тиранией земных правительств и угнетением человека громадными предприятиями. Все это нужно было раз и навсегда отвергнуть.[178]

Этот изначальный протест иеговистов нашел отклик в сердцах очень многих простых людей, задавленных тяжелыми условиями жизни.

5. История возникновения иеговизма и последующая борьба за власть в секте