# What Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Believe? > Jehovah’s Witnesses worship Jehovah as Almighty God, teach that Jesus is his Son and not God, and say he began ruling in 1914. They teach that 144,000 go to heaven and that other obedient people will live on earth. - Canonical: https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/what-do-jehovahs-witnesses-believe - Religions: Jehovah's Witnesses - Denominations: none - Beliefs: none - Tags: jehovahs-witnesses - Updated: 2026-10-10 - Author: [Paul Ambrose](https://apologetics.wiki/author/hi-its-paul) ([GitHub](https://github.com/hi-its-paul)) Jehovah’s Witnesses worship one Almighty God, whose name they say is Jehovah. They honor Jesus as Savior and Son of God, and they deny that he is Almighty God. They teach that God’s Kingdom is a real government, that Jesus began ruling in 1914, that 144,000 people go to heaven to rule, and that the earth is the eternal home of other obedient people. Their own summary is [What Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Believe?](https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/jehovah-witness-beliefs/) Whether that confession is Christianity is [Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Christians?](/jehovahs-witnesses/are-jehovahs-witnesses-christians) ## Key points - Their beliefs page says they worship the one true and Almighty God, the Creator, whose name is Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. - The same page says they are Christians because they follow Jesus as Savior and Son of God, and that Jesus is not Almighty God and that there is no Scriptural basis for the Trinity. - It says Jesus is King of God’s Kingdom and began ruling in 1914, and that 144,000 will be resurrected to heaven to rule with him, while obedient people receive everlasting life on earth. - It says the dead pass out of existence, that there is no fiery hell, and that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. - Their page [Who Is Jehovah?](https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/who-is-jehovah/) says he directs worshippers to use his name, and that the Tetragrammaton appears some 7,000 times. The footnote sends that figure to a lexicon. This site has not made the count. - The Nicene confession is that Jesus is God. [The Trinity](/christianity/the-trinity) [Is Jesus God?](/christianity/is-jesus-god) ## Who do Jehovah’s Witnesses say Jesus is? Their beliefs page says they follow the teachings and example of Jesus and honor him as Savior and as the Son of God, and that they are therefore Christians. The next sentence says they have learned from the Bible that Jesus is not Almighty God and that there is no Scriptural basis for the Trinity. They cite John 14:28. [John 14:28](/bible/john/14/28) (King James Version) says, “my Father is greater than I.” The verse does not say that the Son is a creature, or that he is not God. The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible, the New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible), renders the last clause of John 1:1 as “a god.” [New World Translation of John 1:1](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/john/1/#v43001001): > In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god. [John 1:1](/bible/john/1/1) in the King James Version says the Word was God. The Greek clause has no indefinite article. [John 1 and the Word](/jehovahs-witnesses/john-1-and-the-word) walks through that sentence. The rest of their account of Jesus is on these pages: [Is Jesus the Creator or a Creature?](/jehovahs-witnesses/is-jesus-the-creator-or-a-creature) [Is Jesus Michael the Archangel?](/jehovahs-witnesses/is-jesus-michael-the-archangel) [Should Jesus Be Worshipped?](/jehovahs-witnesses/should-jesus-be-worshipped) [What Does Firstborn of All Creation Mean?](/jehovahs-witnesses/what-does-firstborn-of-all-creation-mean) [Who Is the Alpha and the Omega?](/jehovahs-witnesses/who-is-the-alpha-and-the-omega) [Was Jesus Raised Bodily?](/jehovahs-witnesses/was-jesus-raised-bodily) [Is the Holy Spirit a Person?](/jehovahs-witnesses/is-the-holy-spirit-a-person) They also say the holy spirit is not a person. Their beliefs summary does not name an unforgivable sin. [Matthew 12:31](/bible/matthew/12/31) says blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven. What they teach about the spirit is on the holy-spirit page, not a definition this summary invents. ## The 144,000 and the great crowd Their beliefs page says a relatively small number, 144,000, will be resurrected to life in heaven to rule with Jesus, and that God will bless obedient people with everlasting life in an earthly paradise. [Who Go to Heaven?](https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/go-to-heaven/) says the Bible indicates that 144,000 people will be resurrected to heavenly life, and that the number is literal because it is set beside a great crowd which no man was able to number. The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible, the New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible), reads [Revelation 5:10](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/revelation/5/#v66005010) as rule over the earth: > and you made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they are to rule as kings over the earth. [Revelation 5:10](/bible/revelation/5/10) in the King James Version says, “we shall reign on the earth.” “Over the earth” and “on the earth” are not the same phrase, and “they” is not “we.” Their reading puts the rulers in heaven and the subjects on earth. The King James sentence puts the reign on the earth. [Revelation 7:4](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/revelation/7/#v66007004) in that same Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible says 144,000 were sealed out of every tribe of the sons of Israel. [Revelation 7:4](/bible/revelation/7/4) in the King James says an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. The number matches. The chapter then lists twelve tribes. [Revelation 7:9](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/revelation/7/#v66007009) in the New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) says “a great crowd, which no man was able to number,” standing before the throne and before the Lamb. [Revelation 7:9](/bible/revelation/7/9) in the King James says “a great multitude, which no man could number,” standing before the throne and before the Lamb. The crowd is before the throne in both wordings. Their teaching assigns that crowd to earthly life and the 144,000 to heaven. [What Is Armageddon?](/jehovahs-witnesses/what-is-armageddon) is their account of the war that, on their page, destroys people who do wicked things, and of the date 1914. ## Must true worshippers use the name Jehovah? [Who Is Jehovah?](https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/who-is-jehovah/) says Jehovah is God’s unique name, that it comes from a Hebrew verb meaning “to become,” and that a number of scholars suggest the name means “He Causes to Become.” “A number of scholars suggest” is their hedge. The same page says the exact pronunciation in ancient Hebrew is not known, and that the form “Jehovah” appeared in William Tyndale’s translation of 1530 as “Iehouah.” The fact line says the Hebrew word for God’s name in the form of the Tetragrammaton appears some 7,000 times in the Bible. Footnote d cites the *Theological Lexicon of the Old Testament*, volume 2, pages 523–524. The figure is their citation of that lexicon. This page has not counted the occurrences. The same fact line says most translations remove God’s name and replace it with a title such as “Lord.” “Arbitrarily” is their word for that choice. The King James Version prints JEHOVAH in [Exodus 6:3](/bible/exodus/6/3) and [Psalm 83:18](/bible/psalms/83/18), and LORD in most other places. [Isaiah 43:10](/bible/isaiah/43/10) says, “Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD.” Their 1931 resolution takes the name Jehovah’s witnesses from that passage. [Who Founded the Jehovah’s Witnesses?](/jehovahs-witnesses/who-founded-the-jehovahs-witnesses) They say God directs those who worship him to use his name, citing Isaiah 42:8, Joel 2:32, Malachi 3:16, and Romans 10:13. [John 4:23](/bible/john/4/23) (King James Version) says the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. [John 4:24](/bible/john/4/24) says those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The verses name the Father, spirit, and truth. They do not command the English name Jehovah. Where the New Testament Greek has “Lord,” the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible, the New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible), often prints Jehovah. [Does “Jehovah” Belong in the New Testament?](/jehovahs-witnesses/does-jehovah-belong-in-the-new-testament) [What Is God’s Name?](/christianity/what-is-gods-name) [How Reliable Is the New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible)?](/jehovahs-witnesses/how-reliable-is-the-new-world-translation) [How Has the New World Translation Changed?](/jehovahs-witnesses/how-has-the-new-world-translation-changed) [Has the New World Translation Been Changed?](/jehovahs-witnesses/has-the-new-world-translation-been-changed) ## Kingdom, death, marriage, and the congregation Their beliefs page says the Kingdom is a real government in heaven, not a condition in the heart, and that Jesus began ruling in 1914. It says people who die pass out of existence and do not suffer in a fiery hell, and that God will bring billions back by a resurrection. It says marriage is the union of one man and one woman, with sexual immorality the only basis for divorce, citing Matthew 19:4–9. [Matthew 19:4](/bible/matthew/19/4) says he who made them at the beginning made them male and female. One wife is that standard, as they state it. The Governing Body, a small group at their world headquarters, provides direction, and they cite Matthew 24:45. [Who Is the Faithful and Discreet Slave?](/jehovahs-witnesses/who-is-the-faithful-and-discreet-slave) [The Watch Tower and Scripture](/jehovahs-witnesses/the-watchtower-and-scripture) [How Do You Read Watchtower Language?](/jehovahs-witnesses/how-do-you-read-watchtower-language) [How Have Watchtower Teachings Changed?](/jehovahs-witnesses/how-have-watchtower-teachings-changed) They say they avoid the misuse of blood by taking blood transfusions, that they do not participate in warfare, and that they remain neutral in politics. [Why Don’t Jehovah’s Witnesses Take Blood?](/jehovahs-witnesses/why-dont-jehovahs-witnesses-take-blood) They do not celebrate birthdays or Christmas. The observance they keep is the Memorial of Jesus’ death. [Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Celebrate Birthdays and Christmas?](/jehovahs-witnesses/do-jehovahs-witnesses-celebrate-birthdays-and-christmas) [Does the Trinity Depend on 1 John 5:7?](/jehovahs-witnesses/does-the-trinity-depend-on-1-john-5-7) answers the comma that is not the basis of the confession. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does the name Jehovah’s Witnesses mean? They take it from Isaiah 43:10, “Ye are my witnesses.” They say the witnesses are witnesses of Jehovah. The 1931 resolution and Russell’s earlier refusal of a party name are in [Who Founded the Jehovah’s Witnesses?](/jehovahs-witnesses/who-founded-the-jehovahs-witnesses) ### How many wives can a Jehovah’s Witness have? Their beliefs page says marriage is the union of one man and one woman. ### Do Jehovah’s Witnesses accept same-sex marriage? That page states God’s standard of marriage as one man and one woman. It does not use a modern political label. The sentence they publish is the marriage sentence. ### What Bible do they use? The New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) is the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible. Where its wording differs from the Greek and the King James, the pages linked above put the two wordings side by side. ## Passages quoted on this page ### John 14:28 King James Version. > Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I. ### John 1:1 King James Version. > In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ### Matthew 12:31 King James Version. > Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. ### Revelation 5:10 King James Version. > And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. ### Revelation 7:4 New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible). [Open on jw.org](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/revelation/7/#v66007004) > And I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000, sealed out of every tribe of the sons of Israel: ### Revelation 7:4 King James Version. > And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. ### Revelation 7:9 New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible). [Open on jw.org](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/revelation/7/#v66007009) > After this I saw, and look! a great crowd, which no man was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes; and there were palm branches in their hands. ### Revelation 7:9 King James Version. > After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; ### Exodus 6:3 King James Version. > And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. ### Psalms 83:18 King James Version. > That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth. ### Isaiah 43:10 King James Version. > Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. ### John 4:23 King James Version. > But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. ### John 4:24 King James Version. > God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. ### Matthew 19:4 King James Version. > And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, ## Sources Numbered to match the HTML References list. Item 1 is `#ref-1` under `#references`. Scripture links to the King James Version on this site. 1. [What Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Believe?](https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/jehovah-witness-beliefs/) (Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. The summary of their basic beliefs.) 2. [What Is God’s Kingdom?, Paragraphs 9, 18, 20, and 23](https://www.jw.org/en/library/books/bible-teach/what-is-gods-kingdom/) (The 144,000 rule with Christ. Armageddon destroys people who do wicked things. Christ became King in 1914.) 3. [Who Go to Heaven?](https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/go-to-heaven/) (144,000 resurrected to heavenly life. The great crowd is the group no man could number.) 4. [Who Is Jehovah?](https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/who-is-jehovah/) (The name, the hedge that a number of scholars suggest “He Causes to Become,” and the claim of some 7,000 occurrences, footnoted to a lexicon.) 5. [Gospel of John, 1:1; 4:23–24](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/1/1). King James Version 6. [Revelation, 5:10; 7:4; 7:9; 16:16](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/revelation/5/10). King James Version 7. [Isaiah, 43:10](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/isaiah/43/10). King James Version 8. [Exodus, 6:3](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/exodus/6/3). King James Version 9. [Psalm, 83:18](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/psalms/83/18). King James Version ## See also - [Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Christians?](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/are-jehovahs-witnesses-christians) — Jehovah’s Witnesses say yes: they follow Jesus, baptize in his name, and pray in his name. They also say he is not Almighty God and not part of a Trinity. The Nicene confession is that Jesus is God. - [Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Celebrate Birthdays and Christmas?](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/do-jehovahs-witnesses-celebrate-birthdays-and-christmas) — No. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not celebrate birthdays or Christmas. They say birthday parties have pagan roots and that the only birthday feasts in the Bible end in death, and they keep the Memorial of Jesus’ death instead. - [Does “Jehovah” Belong in the New Testament?](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/does-jehovah-belong-in-the-new-testament) — The New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) uses the name Jehovah 237 times in the New Testament. The Study Edition’s note on Acts 7:60 says the Greek manuscripts read “Lord.” - [Has the New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) Been Changed to Fit Doctrine?](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/has-the-new-world-translation-been-changed) — John 1:1, John 8:58, Colossians 1, Luke 23:43, Hebrews 1:6, and Philippians 2:9 in the Greek, the King James Version, and the New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible). - [How Do You Read Watchtower Language?](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/how-do-you-read-watchtower-language) — Hedged sentences in Insight, the 1920 Millions booklet, the 1975 articles, and later Watchtower explanations, and the question each one leaves: which verse says that directly? ## History [View history on GitHub](https://github.com/Apologetics-Wiki/apologetics-wiki/commits/main/src/content/articles/what-do-jehovahs-witnesses-believe.md)