what do Jehovah witnesses believe happens to them when they die?

Answer 1

Jehovah's Witnesses believe the bible to teach that most dead humans will be resurrected to life in a restored paradise earth, with the hope of living forever under God and Christ.

So what does the bible teach about "the soul"?

A "soul" is a life, with no implication regarding some immortal otherwordly entity. Each deceased life is in Jehovah God's remembrance (with the potential for future resurrection), but the dead do not exist anywhere but memories until and unless the life is resurrected.

(Ezekiel 18:4) The soul that is sinning - it itself will die.

(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"]

(Genesis 2:17) But as for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad you must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will positively die.”

(Genesis 17:14) And an uncircumcised male who will not get the flesh of his foreskin circumcised, even that soul must be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant.”

(Judges 16:30) And Samson proceeded to say: “Let my soul die with the Philistines.” Then he bent himself with power, and the house went falling upon the axis lords and upon all the people that were in it, so that the dead that he put to death in his own death came to be more than those he had put to death during his lifetime.

(Job 33:22) And his soul draws near to the pit, And his life to those inflicting death.

(Psalm 78:50) He did not hold back their soul from death itself; And their life he handed over even to the pestilence.

(Isaiah 53:12) he poured out his soul to the very death

(Acts 3:23) Indeed, any soul that does not listen to that Prophet will be completely destroyed from among the people.’

(Revelation 16:3) And the second one poured out his bowl into the sea. And it became blood as of a dead man, and every living soul died, yes, the things in the sea.

Answer 2

How interesting that 6 JW answers all appealed to Ecclesiastes for biblical support for their soul annihilation theory (for 99.9% of them who won't go straight to heaven). There was a distinct lack of references to New Testament (or, Covenant) scriptures. Barely 4 verses have been alluded to, so far! However, if they would only be less selective with the Old Testament (or, Covenant) they would discover reason to believe that after physical death, there is conscious awareness of God's presence: Genesis 5:24 compared with Heb 11:5; 2 Kings 2:10-18; Job 19:25-26 compared with Matthew 5:8; Psalm 16:11; 17: 14-15; 49:15; 73:23-26.

Wouldn't it be lovely if some JW checked out these verses before replying then said, "Wow! Perhaps there's more to this matter than soul annihilation!"

Answer 3

Ecclesiastes 9:5,10 tells us that when we die we are conscious of nothing. If you compare this to John 11:11-15 we see Jesus comparing death to sleep. So Jehovah's Witnesses believe that when we die, its like we are asleep in death.

When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, he was told that his punishment was going to be death, if he didn't really die, but carried on living in some other form, wouldn't God have been lying to him? He told Adam that he was to return to the dust, return to the state he had taken him from - non-existence.

However, Jehovah's Witnesses do believe in a resurrection back to the earth in the future - see John 5:28, 29, Acts 24:15 which shows that the resurrection was future.

Hope that helps (oh, and Jehovah's Witnesses are not a cult and don't have multiple wives!)

Answer 4

We believe that when you die, you cease to exist. (Genesis 3:169; Ecclesiastes 9:5,6, 10; Ezekiel 18:4; Psalm 146:4; Isaiah 26:14; 53:12; John 11:11-14)

However, Jehovah also promises a resurrection to life on a paradise earth for most of those who have died.

Further information can be obtained from this web site.

Answer 5

Some tend to mention texts that superficially appear to support the false teachings of an immortal soul while ignoring or not explaining those which clearly state otherwise.

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Genesis 5:24 ; Heb 11:5; 2

Enoch was a just man living in world full of wicked people. It becomes obvious that Enoch did not see death in that he was not tortured or murdered by the people he preached.
Consider the following texts.

John 3:13
"Moreover, no man has ascended into heaven but he that descended from heaven, the Son of man."

Hebrews 6:19,20
"19 This [hope] we have as an anchor for the soul, both sure and firm, and it enters in within the curtain, 20 where a forerunner has entered in our behalf, Jesus, who has become a high priest according to the manner of Mel·chiz´e·dek forever."

Both these texts make it clear that before Jesus no man had entered heaven. He was the first one to live and die as a man
then finally go to heaven.

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Kings 2:10-18

Elijah ascended into the atmospheric heavens and not the heavens were God resides. It becomes clear that he was simply transported from one location to another. The bible mentions that years latter Elijah wrote a letter to the king of Judah. This makes it obvious he was still on earth and had not died.
(2 Chronicles 21:12-15)

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Job 19:25-26;Matthew 5:8

Since nobody had been to heaven before Jesus how could someone have seen God?

Exodus 33:20
"And he added: “You are not able to see my face, because no man may see me and yet live.”"

So how did Job and others see God?

Job 42:5
"In hearsay I have heard about you,
But now my own eye does see you."

When one gets to know God and acquires understanding it can be said they see God. They perceive who God is.

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Psalm 16:11; 17: 14-15; 49:15; 73:23-26.

These passages again talk about seeing God which has already been explained, but its of interest that some of these passages were written by David. The bible clearly states in Acts 2: 34 That David did not enter heaven.

Acts 2:34
“For David DID NOT ASCEND INTO THE HEAVENS, but he says himself:


‘ The LORD said to my Lord,

“ Sit at My right hand,
( New King James Version)(Emphasis added)

Answer 6

The are two answers to this, as there are two rewards. For those of the anointed class, or Born Again of the Holy Spirit, once their time of service has ended on Earth, they are resurrected to their positions in Heaven, to serve as overseers for 1000 years over those of of the great crowd which no man can number. While on Earth, they were servants to their brothers and sisters, not having been given any special positions of power over others.

Those who pass away, and who are not of the anointed, JW or not, depending on what their heart condition is (sorry, I will leave that to someone else to explain), and what they have done in their lives to show that their faith was not dead, they will have their names written in the Book of Life. Now, that is likely a little more complicated than it sounds, as everything that made up the person, all the stored memories and experiences, are recorded for downloading into the new body they will receive at the time of the second resurrection.

They will not be raised to a paradise Earth, but one where the old system has been wiped away and the Earth is ready to be built into what it was suppose to be all along, a paradise. After that, than there are all those worlds orbits all those points of light in the sky, with eternity to explore them and terraform as need for an expanding humanity.

It should be noted that the Bible says everyone is raised in the second resurrection, those to life and those to a declaration of judgment. So, you will know what the decision is.

Consider the job ahead, and who may be doing it with you. Perhaps dismantling the pyramids with the men who designed and built them. Perhaps seeing the brilliance in Leonardo DeVinci, and telling him that his flying machine was really built.

Answer 7

Ecclesiastes 9 verse 5. when we die, we go to sleep in a deep deep sleep. either we go into the coffin or we are cremated like my husband was. then we wait for the for Jesus to wake us up like he did with his best friend Lazarus and live here on earth forever. Lazarus never went to heaven because he did what kind of friend would Jesus Christ be? we are not a cult and I am getting tired of people saying that we are. a cult worships man and live together. we live in our own homes and go where ever we want. Jehovah gave us free will. also we don't have many husbands or our husbands don't have many wives. one wife to one husband and we also have children, some of us do. that depends on the couple just like you. www.watchtower.org we can be your next door neighbor. also read in revelation about the 144,000 it is also in the king james bible and the meek shall live forever. Jehovah did not change his mind and he cannot lie.

Answer 8

This question would be best answered by a Jehovah's Witness than anyone else, but I suspect that the title of one of their books sums it up quite well, "You Can Live Forever In Paridise On Earth."

Answer 9

I thought the sub title of the War Cry was 'Thousands now living will never die.'

Should they be so unlucky then they'll go on knocking on doors. Jesus himself said, 'In my father's house are many mansions.' If they've all been converted into flats, that should keep the Jehovah's Witnesses busy.

Apologies to the Sally Army - It's the Watch Tower, not the War Cry. OOPS!

Answer 10

That they become wormfood, just like atheists believe. Jehovah's witnesses don't believe in a soul or hell, but instead that a copy of themselves is "resurrected" to live in a paradise earth that is established in the future. Basically, they become nonexistent since what lives on isn't their soul but a newly created duplicate of themselves.