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The Current Teaching Of The Watchtower Society:
The cross is a pagan symbol and was not the instrument of death used by the Romans to kill Jesus. Jesus died on a torture stake (or pole). The cross does not picture the death or the resurrection of Jesus. It is not the Christian symbol nor is it a symbol of hope.
What the Bible Says about THE CROSS:
| 1. There Is No Question That Jesus Died On A Cross Rather Than On A Torture Stake: | |
|---|---|
| A torture stake required one nail in the hands (nailed over the head), but the Bible says there were two nails used in the hands | Jhn 20:25 |
| The Bible says Jesus' hands were outstretched, not over His head during his death | Jhn 21:18, 19 |
| The Romans placed a sign above Jesus' head, not above his hands; if He had died on a stake, the normal reference would have been to the hands which would have been nailed over the head | Mat 27:37 |
| The thieves that died with Him were described as being on the right hand and the left, as opposed to "at the side of" or "at His left and right" | Mar 15:25-27 |
| 2. It Is To Be Expected That There Would Be Confusion Concerning The Cross As An Emblem For Christ, For The Bible Indicates There Will Be Such Confusion: | |
|---|---|
| The Cross is foolishness to unbelievers | 1Cr 1:18, 23; 2:2 |
| There will be enemies of the Cross | Phl 3:18, 19 |
| The cross, though demeaned by men, will bring glory | Gal 6:14 |
| Believer are to pick up their cross and follow Jesus | Mat 16:24 |
NOTE: The Watchtower Society claims in the Kingdom Interlinear, pages 1155 and 1156, that Jesus died on a torture stake not a cross. To support their case, they cite a reference to Decruce Liber Primus by the 16th century author, Justus Lipsius. Included with this reference is a copy of an etching from page 19 of Decruce Liber Primus in which the torture stake is detailed with a victim suffering on it. But, at another point in the same work, Justus himself states explicitly that such a device was not used in the torture death of Jesus: on page 47, he pictures Jesus on a conventional 4 piece cross (vertical stake, foot board, cross bar, and sign). As evidence for his conclusion about the cross he cites various early church fathers who were aware of the Roman practices in Jerusalem during the era in which Christ died.
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