If the bible states that the dead are unconscious and know nothing, then why do people think you go to heaven?

Question

Ec 9:5 - "For the living are conscious that they will die, but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all, neither do they anymore have wages, because the remembrance, of them has been forgotten."

Ec9:10 - "All that your hand finds to do, do with your very power, for there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in She'ol {common grave} , the place to which you are going."
Ps:146:3,4 - "Do not put your trust in nobles, Nor in the son of earthling man, to whom no salvation belongs, His spirit goes out, he goes back to the ground, In that day his thoughts do perish."
John:11:11 - 14
"He said these things, and after this he said to them "Lazarus our friend has gone to rest, but I am journeying there to awaken him from sleep." Therefore the disciples said to him "Lord, if he has gone to rest, he will get well." Jesus, had spoken, however, about his death."

Well, no, your soul doesn't go to heaven because your soul is your body.
Ge2:7: "And Jehovah God proceeded to form the man out of dust from the ground and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man came to be a living soul"

Answer 1

The vast majority of Witnesses hope to enjoy life ON EARTH forever, rather than in heaven.

Jehovah's Witnesses understand heaven to refer to the dwelling place of spirit creatures such as Jesus and the angels. They understand the Scriptures to teach that exactly 144,000 humans will join Christ Jesus as kings and priests to administer God's Kingdom (which will soon replace all earthly governments).
(Daniel 2:44) God of heaven will set up a kingdom... It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite
(Revelation 14:1) Lamb [Jesus] standing upon the Mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand
(Revelation 20:6) they will be priests of God and of the Christ, and will rule as kings with him

Over whom will they rule? Over the vast majority of mankind, most of whom will have been raised from the dead after Armageddon.
(John 11:23,24) Jesus said to her: “Your brother will rise.” Martha said to him: “I know he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.”

Hell is NOT someplace/something mankind needs to fear; there is no suffering in the grave. Sometime after the resurrection, death and "hell" will themselves be destroyed.
(Ecclesiastes 9:5) For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all
(Ecclesiastes 9:10) there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol ["hell"]
(Revelation 20:14) And death and Hades ["hell"] were hurled into the lake of fire


Almighty Jehovah God selects those few who have the heavenly calling. Each person "feels" his own hope and each person's hope remains unquestioned by his fellow Christians. Still the vast majority (literally more than 99.9%*) of Jehovah's Witnesses expect an EARTHLY hope, the same hope given to Adam and Eve.
(Genesis 1:28) God blessed them and God said to them: “Be fruitful and become many and fill THE EARTH and subdue it [caps added]
(Genesis 2:17) You must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will positively die [so never eating from that tree means never dying]

Learn more:
http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/2000/10/1/article_02.htm
http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/2000/10/1/article_01.htm
http://watchtower.org/library/jt/index.htm

Answer 2

The immortal of the soul is a teaching of Plato.

“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.

When Lazarus was resurrected, his sisters said that He must smell by now.

It isn't that Jesus inserted Lazarus' soul back into the body, Lazarus went from being a dead soul to a live soul

Matt19:28 talks about a re-creation.

John 5:28, 29, talks about memorial tombs where the dead are in Jehovah's memory.

Answer 3

The dead bodies have no conscious because the soul and spirit of a dead person have passed either to Heaven or Hell. Your soul and spirit never cease to exist. You go to one place or the other.


Mark 12:27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.

I Cr 13;8a
10-19-6

Answer 4

First, the number is 144,000 who are chosen to rule with Christ...
Those with the earthly hope who die before Armaggedon, will be resurrected to the earthly paradise with PHYSICAL bodies just as Lazarus was. Recall that ? Because God has a perfect MEMORY, He can/will raise the dead with all the same qualities,& unique personality that makes each person who he/she was before they died! Just like Lazarus... Remember that account? Mary & Martha were elated with joy ! ...(John 11: 1...45)

Also, KaeMae, Jehovah did not give Adam a SOUL. KJV states: "The LORD GOD... "breathed into his nostrils and man BECAME a living soul"... False religion has really confused people with their doctrine of soul, like all their other false doctrines such as Hell/Trinity/etc
Also, since millions have died, (including our loved ones, we can be grateful that they are in God's memory,which simply means Jehovah REMEMBERS THEM ! He will resurrect the PERSON, the same person who died,with all his/her characteristics- not just a MEMORY...
It is all because of Jehovah's love and perfect memory that this can/will be fulfilled.
Remember this: God created the first man from the dust of the ground. He can/will "re-create" physical bodies once again, to "restore life" to the dead.

KaeMae needs to study more ;)

Answer 5

Simply Put They dont go to heaven. It is noly a select few that go to heaven 144000 part of the little flock. Every one else the great crowd has hope of being ressurected and living forever on earth. If you look up the def of hell/hades you will find out that it says it is the common resting place for mankind or the grave. Not a buring hell like everyone says.

Answer 6

He's talking about the flesh, not the spirit. When the flesh (man) goes to the grave, there is no consciousness. The flesh returns to dust, the spirit returns to GOD. Jesus told the thief on the cross next to him, "TODAY ye shall be with me in paradise." Absent from the body, is present with the LORD.

Answer 7

Because those verses were written before the Babylonian exile. The concept of an independent "soul" and an afterlife came in after exposure to foreign cultures, notable the Greeks.

Answer 8

because the teaching of the immortal soul is a lie jesus christ is the only person to ascend to heaven according to the book of john in the third chapter the dead are exactly that dead they await a ressurection from god this is what jesus taught there would not need to be a ressurection if your soul lived on the soul that is sinning itself will die. this is not immortal . death in the bible is likened to a deep sleep you are aware of nothing the teaching of the immortal soul is from the devil who told adam and eve you wil be like god if you disobey him what happened they died not rewarded with immortal souls and were not punished in an everlasting fire which if true should have been told to adam and eve maybe they would have thought twice.the immortal soul is responsible for many suicides of people who want to be with thier dead loved ones it is responsible for those who kill thier enemies only to be rewarded with virgins in heaven? ghost are not dead people they are simply theatrics of satan and his demons to help perpetuate this lie and it seems to be working well if speaking to the dead were to help us why does a loving god command us not to inquire of the dead because they are not dead people at all they are demons. its a surreal world we live in dont even get me talking about those damn anal probing aliens those lil bastards be aware.

Answer 9

If only the 144,000 go to heaven and the rest go to paradise, the ones that go to paradise that physically died first, will they have a new physical body, if their soul is somehow attached to their body, then how can they be resurrected if their soul is their body; because the dead body rots.Are we just a memory , how can a memory be resurrected?

Answer 10

The "death" that is spoken of is "spiritual" death..all of us are in a sense born dead. We are separated from "Life" by our own sin/sin nature...we must accept the gift of life through the atoning sacrifice of Christ's death!
The dead..all those that do not "choose" Life...do not wish to know anything, as then they would have to make the decision of whether or not they want to obey God, to seek His forgiveness...to repent from their sins. To be reborn!