For Those That Actually Study, and Believe In The Bible.I'd Like Some Clarification Please!!!!?

Question

While i'm not a Jehovas Witness they occasionally bring material to my home and I am polite and take it. Normally I dont read it but I did today because the title caught my eye and it was about false religions. Now one section in particular really made me wonder. Because it says: Most religions teach that the soul or spirit is some invisible part of a human that survives the death of the physical body. However, the Bible teaches a different doctrine. Ezekial 18:4 "The living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all." (Ecclesiastes 9:5) Jesus taught that the dead will be resurrected. Then it asks if my religion teaches that the soul will not die? Now I am confused because I have always assumed..not necessarily been taught...that when you die your soul goes on. Which is right? I am asking this question of those that believe in, and know the Bible.

Excuse me cbooth, but it seems to me that the majority of the answers i've gotten are from people that DO know the Bible.

Answer 1

It seems quite revealing to examine the way Jesus described death:

(John 11:11-14) [Jesus] said to them: “Lazarus our friend has gone to rest, but I am journeying there to awaken him from sleep.” 12 Therefore the disciples said to him: “Lord, if he has gone to rest, he will get well.” 13 Jesus had spoken, however, about his death. But they imagined he was speaking about taking rest in sleep. 14 At that time, therefore, Jesus said to them outspokenly: “Lazarus has died

It is also noteworthy that Jesus clearly agreed with the sister of Lazarus, during this exchange:
(John 11:23-24) .Jesus said to her: “Your brother will rise.” 24 Martha said to him: “I know he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.”

Notice what Martha did NOT say. She did not say, "Rise? Isn't he already in heaven?' Instead she refered to "Judgment Day" which takes place immediately after Armageddon.

(Acts 17:31) [God] has set A DAY in which he purposes to judge the inhabited earth in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed [Jesus], and he has furnished a guarantee to all men in that he has RESURRECTED him from the dead [caps added]

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/library/w/2002/6/1/article_01.htm
http://watchtower.org/library/lmn/article_08.htm

Answer 2

Hi! Great question!! I hope you don't get to confused by all these answers. I also was raised to believe that the soul leaves the body at death. However when I was a teenager I had neighbors that were Witnessess and I started a Bible Study with them about that subject. If you sit down with them and discuss it, they will show you from any Bible including the KING JAMES BIBLE what the bible really teaches on that subject. When you read scriptures about the soul, 99.9% of them teach clearly that the soul dies. There are one or two scriptures that APPEAR to contradict, such as the ones mentioned by other people at Matt. 10:28. But even that scripture in the last half says "be in fear of him that can DESTROY BOTH SOUL AND BODY in Gehenna"
Again it says the soul can be destroyed! I promise you that you will not be disapointed if you have a discussion with the Witnessess about it.

THE BIBLE SAYS TO
"MAKE SURE OF ALL THINGS
HOLD FAST TO WHAT IS FINE"
1 THESS 5:21

Please let us know the outcome if you have such a discussion!!
thanks,
Julie
You are the only exception I will make for my email! because you seem very sincere!!
[e-mail]

Answer 3

Hi Jehovahs Witnesses know the Bible better than any other religion i have met in over 50 yrs and can quote it better than many clergymen i have met so you question about the soul Exekiel 18:4 says that the soul will die is correct so let us consider what the Bible says a soul is at Gen 2:7 it states in part than when God breathed the breath of life in to the man 'HE BECAME A LIVING SOUL" not that he had one it comes from the Hebrew word ne'phesh in 1st Cor 15:45 it states in part that Adam became a living soul and in 1st peter 3 :20 it speaks of eight souls carried through the water from Greek Psyche see also Gen 9:5 Josh 11:11 mentions striking every soul with the edge of the sword (meaning people) Lev 24:17 reads in part in case a man strikes any soul of mankind fatally he should be put to death Acts 3 :23 any soul that does not listen to the prophet will be completely destroyed from among the people so from what the Bible is saying you are a soul and you can die does this clear up the matter for you you canm E-Mail me at any time with any questions you have best wishes Gorbalizer

Answer 4

The first thing I wanted to say is that the Bible we (JW's) us is the same bible as it's just a different translation...nothing major has been changed...The next thing I wanted to say was this: 'The bible says the soul that is sinning it itself will die' The opposite of life is death therefore we as sinners die....I could go on but it's late I mainly wanted to address the Bible issue.

Answer 5

The scriptures you quoted answer your question.

If you want more please read:

1.If man has a soul – Why does Gen 2:7 say that man became a soul? (1 Cor 15:45)
Difference in being an elephant and having an elephant

1a.Why do many modern translations translate the Hebrew word for soul into being,
if the soul is something separate and distinct from the person? Gen 2:7 NIV

2.If man’s soul is immortal – Why does Ez. 18:4, 20 say it can die? (Acts 3:23)

2a.Why does Jesus say it can be destroyed? (Matt. 10:28)

3.If a man’s soul lives on after death – Why do man’s thoughts perish at death?
(Ps. 146:4; Eccl. 9:5,10)

3a.If a man’s soul lives on after death – Why did Jesus liken death to sleep?
(John 11:11-14; Acts 7:60)

3b.If a man’s soul lives on after death – Where is King David?
(Acts 2:29, 34; John 3:13)

4.What happens to a man’s soul when his spirit returns to God?
(Ps. 146:4; Eccl 12:7; Ps 104:29)

5.Why does the “New Encyclopedia Britannica” say that the Hebrew and Greek word for soul really means animated beings both human and non human. So Animals are souls (Breathers). (Gen. 1:20, 21, 24, 25; Lev 24:17, 18)

“The Hebrew term for ‘soul’ (nefesh, that which breathes) was used by Moses . . . , signifying an ‘animated being’ and applicable equally to nonhuman beings. . . . New Testament usage of psyche (‘soul’) was comparable to nefesh.”—The New Encyclopædia Britannica (1976), Macropædia, Vol. 15, p. 152.

6.Why does the “New Catholic Encyclopedia” state that the word soul never means a soul as distinct from the body or the individual person.

“There is no dichotomy [division] of body and soul in the O[ld] T[estament]. The Israelite saw things concretely, in their totality, and thus he considered men as persons and not as composites. The term nepeš [ne´phesh], though translated by our word soul, never means soul as distinct from the body or the individual person. . . . The term [psy•khe´] is the N[ew] T[estament] word corresponding with nepeš. It can mean the principle of life, life itself, or the living being.”—New Catholic Encyclopedia (1967), Vol. XIII, pp. 449, 450.

7.Please note “Immortality of the soul is a Greek notion formed in ancient mystery cults and elaborated by the philosopher Plato.” —Presbyterian Life, May 1, 1970, p. 35.

8.What was the original lie? (Gen 3:4) “You will not die.” if you disobey God.
The immortality of the soul concept says “You will not die if you disobey God.
Your immortal soul lives on someplace.”

So in reality the immortal soul idea is a teaching of Plato and not Jesus (#2a & 7)

The soul is the person, the individual being who breaths, thinks, eats and dies. (#1a & 2)

For a soul/person to live again God must resurrect that person (soul) to life again. (Acts 24:15)

For even more info:

http://www.watchtower.org/cgi-bin/lib/ProcessForm.pl

Answer 6

"despite if by way of his own account he develop into no longer somewhat political formerly turning out to be a member of the solid of The on a daily basis tutor, Colbert is a self-defined Democrat. In an interview on the Kennedy college of government at Harvard Institute of Politics, he stated that he has 'no problems with Republicans, only Republican rules.'" i do no longer think of i ought to video show him if he develop right into a republican.

Answer 7

Matthew 10:28
"And fear not them which kill the body,but are not able to kill the soul:but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

Yes,we do have a soul,and it can never die.When our earthly body dies,our souls go on to it's eternal destination. Revelations 20:12-15 talks about Judgement Day when all mankind will stand before Him to be judged."And the sea gave up the dead which were in it:and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them." "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.This is the second death." Even though after death the soul goes on to either Heaven or Hell,on Judgement Day,the bodies will be reunited with it's soul to be judged.The "second death" refers to eternal separation from God and an eternal damnation in hell.

Answer 8

The teaching that the 'soul' does not die is a Spiritualistic teaching. It began with satan telling Eve in the garden of Eden that if she were to eat of the forbidden fruit that she 'would not surely die'. That was the first teaching of the immortality of the soul. It is a lie that a lot of people swallow every day. The Bible does not teach the immortality of the soul, in fact it teaches that when we die, we only go to the grave.

Answer 9

The soul is the Spiritual part of you that is Eternal.

You are a soul just as you are a person.
You have a soul just as you have a body.
(English semantics won't answer this question)

Study with a trusted Teacher.
If those witnesses come again, compare your Bible with theirs, some verses may appear differently.

Answer 10

Why are you asking clarification from people who don't know the Bible? Are you hoping they will tell you something that you want to hear, but is not the truth from the Bible? It would be better to read the tract the Jehovah's Witnesses gave you and ask them anything you need to know.