Christians: Question, needs an answer about afterlife?

Question

Why does most of the Old Testament teach that there is no afterlife (see Ecclesiastes 9:5-6, for example), while later Old Testament writings and the New Testament do?

And don't tell me it's the "translation", and if it was how do you know it's the exact same Bible, Jesus brought, I mean just changing the order of one word can change the whole meaning, or even a letter!

I didn't say HE wrote it, I said how can you be sure that it's the exact ame book 1000's of years ago?

Answer 1

Dear ~Daydreaming Lady~,

The Old Testament does not teach there is no afterlife. Let's take a look at Ecclesiastes 9:5-6:

"For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten. Indeed their love, their hate and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a share in all that is done under the sun."

Notice the phrase "under the sun." It is part of a running theme throughout Ecclesiastes. (I think I counted 27 occurrences of that phrase; 6 in chapter nine alone.) This is talking about life in the here-and-now on earth, where we are currently living "under the sun." The author is not saying that there is no afterlife, but that the dead no longer have awareness or participate in this earthly life.

You can also find later in Ecclesiastes where the author talks some about what happens after people die. For example, Ecclesiastes 12:7 tells us that "the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it," and in Ecclesiastes 12:14 we see that "For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil."

Answer 2

Perhaps you could quote a verse in the Old Testament that more specifically mentions that there is no "afterlife", probably because my understanding of the verses you've mentioned is different...

Ecclesiastes 9: 5-6 reads that "the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten... their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun." If we take these verses literality, then what it says is true of dead people, for a dead man cannot think, cannot love, cannot hate, cannot benefit from anything, are forgotten over time, and cannot take part in the world of the living. In a phrase: Ecclesiastes 9: 5-6 speaks of life with death, not that there is no life after death. If we also read Ecclesiastes 9: 10, it says specifically "in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom." This confirms that the subject is about death, with no mention (or relation) of the presence or absence of the "afterlife."

To take an earlier passage from the Old Testament, we can see what happened to Saul in 1 Samuel 28, specifically verses 11-12. If Samuel was able to be summoned up (and with the will of God, it was the real Samuel), then you can deduce that there is an afterlife...

Answer 3

First let's start with that Jesus did not bring the Bible it was written by a series of different people over the course of thousands of years. As for the verses in Ecclesiastes, they refer to the fact that believers will have the rewards of heaven,and that they will be remembered by God. While non believers are cast into hell and forgotten by God. God thru various prophets goes on to explain that even if you confess believe and recieve with your final breaths you will be welcomed into heaven, but once death comes if you are a non believer, you are lost to God forever. I have read the Bible through several times and do not recall anywhere the implication that there is no afterlife. The way to get to heaven however did change in the New Testament and this change is forshadowed in the later Old Testament. Before the birth, life, death and resurection of Jesus believers were required to give lambs as offerings to atone for their sins (see Duet. and Levitcus the whole books) then with the events of Jesus life, He became the final offering for our sins. (see the gospels Matthew Mark Luke and John). I hope this answer helps and is clear. Any other questions you will find a link to my 360 page and I will do my best to answer them.

Answer 4

Solomon had the wisdom of God and not to many people can make that claim . Solomon, in the book of ecclesiates was talking a lot of depressing talk . I mean, the first time I read this I fell deep into a pit, mentally and well it seemed pointless to live, I really felt like that and some people who knew me were asking what was wrong and I told them I had started reading the Bible......Well my point is now that I have learned more about the Bible I can tell you this...Solomon needed to experience nothing in life. He was a farmer or sheppard,he was a king had money and lots of it , had women and lots of them, had wisdom and lots of it,people would tavel far just to ask for advice or to seek his wisdom. A Queen from another Country had to come see this man who was full of wise words because there was so much talk about him....
And my point is that he wrote this book to share those things with us and believe it or not, Bill Gates has nothing compared to King Solomon, thats true.
So then this man had it all and the overall meaning of the book he writes(eccles.) is that, it is all meaningless without God, and even with God he has a difficult time grasping the full meaning of life and of death, and I think this is what he is really attempting to portray here .

Answer 5

If you read the preceding verses, I think you can see that this is talking more about the activities of this life. He talks about things done under the sun, which I see as those things we do in this life. Most of the stuff we worry about in this life has little to no eternal consequence. That is what I see him saying here.
An earlier book int eh old testament actually supports the idea of a life after death. Job says, "And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God." (Job 19:26). This seems to be pretty strong evidence for a belief in a life after death.
If this doesn't satisfy, perhaps we need a little more detail on what you're looking for.

Answer 6

if you read Ecclesiastes as a whole, you will see that Salomon was talking about VANITY of this world, and how mostly everything under the sun is vanity.the passage that you mentioned actually means that, Still, anyone selected out for life has hope, for, as they say, "A living dog is better than a dead lion." The living at least know something, even if it's only that they're going to die. But the dead know nothing and get nothing. They're a minus that no one remembers. Their loves, their hates, yes, even their dreams, are long gone. There's not a trace of them left in the affairs of this earth.

You have to remember that Christ Changed everything, don't read a passage and take it literally, you have to read everything in order to understand it and remember to pray before doing so.

There was no Resurrection before Christ, Christ came gave his life for us, and proved himself by resurrecting, and since we as Christians are Crucified with Christ we also receive the Resurrection on earth with our baptism in waters and them we resurrect from death in later days, Read the book of Daniel & Isaiah, part of the OT which also explains some of this.

Answer 7

To add just slightly to Lexicon's answer:
The Sanhedrin was made up of to groups: the pharisees and sadducees. The pharisees did believe in and afterlife. The sadducees did not.
In the Bible, an afterlife is taught throughout, although as today, there were those who twisted the scripture to mean what they wanteed it to.
We all have to understand "context". Strive for that and pray a lot.

Answer 8

Eccl 9:
5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.

Go to a grave and dig it up and talk to the bones there.
There dead, bones nothing there no good or bad or anything.
Why do you look for the living among the dead?

Answer 9

Ecclesiastes is a very unique book in the Bible and was written from a "spiritless" point of view. The term "under the sun" refers to the physical world without God. That is why the entire book is written without offering hope or reason for existence. Written by Solomon, the wisest man said to have lived... he ends this book with a rebuttal to his own "vainity of life" premise by saying that there is only one purpose in life and that is to serve God.

We are spirit creatures, in your heart you know that. There is an eternity of life awaiting us all... where you spend that time is your choice. Serve God

Answer 10

As usual, you Muslims love to twist Biblical scripture into pretzel meanings. Are you that insecure with your text that you must play scrabble with ours?

As the other person who answered, this scripture is talking about death period. Verse 4 explains 5 & 6 best.

Ecc 9:4 -- For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

These verses are not refering to after life.

You're right this has nothing to do with translation it's about whether you have faith in the Bible. Muslims research the Bible not because they want to know God but to diminish the meaning of God's one and only word for their own agenda.

Nice try, but it doesn't fly.