If you are Jehovah Witness what do you believe happens when you die?

Question

My grandmother recently passed away from cancer. She was a devoted Jehovah Witness for many many years. She never pushed the religion onto me and I never really felt the need to ask. But now I want to know, what did she believe would happen to her when she died? Does she believe she is in heaven or just gone forever?

Answer 1

I'm sorry for your loss and sorry to lose one of our faithful sisters, but be assured that she is asleep in death awaiting the resurrection that Jesus promised. A resurrection into a paradise earthly condition that the bible promises will take place in the future. Her hope is that when she awakens from death, she will be in a paradise earth filled with peace.

Ecc 9:5,6 & 10 "As for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all...there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisom in (the grave)."

Ps 146: 4 "his spirit goes out, in that days his thougts do perish"

What did Jesus say about the dead? Speaking of Lazarus, he told his disciples that "Lazarus our friend has gone to rest." John 11: 11-14 Jesus compared death with sleep.
Acts 7: 60 speaks of Stephen death that he "fell asleep" Paul wrote about some in his day who had "fallen asleep" in death. 1 Cor. 15: 6

The hope for all those who have died is the resurrection. Jesus taught that someday "all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out" John 5:28 "The sea gave up those dead in it, and death and Hades gave up those dead in them" Rev. 20: 13 "There is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous"
Acts 24: 15

Hope of a paradise earth. "The meek will possess the earth and live forever upon it" Ps 37: 10, 11 & 29 "God will make wars to cease to the ends of the earth" Ps 46:9 ; Is 2:4 "The righteous one will sprout, and the abundance of peace until the moonis no more" or forever Ps 72: 7; There will be peace between man and animals (Is 11: 6-9; 65: 25) The whole earth a paradise ( Is 65: 21 -24; Rev 11: 18) "The lame one will climb up just as a stag" Is 35: 6; "No resident will say: 'I am sick'" Is 33:24; "The eyes of the blind will be opened." Is 35: 5; "There will come to be plenty of grain on the earth" Ps 72: 16;

"He will wide out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore, the former things have passed away." Rev. 21: 4

I hope to be living at that time when the earth is a paradise and be able to greet all my loved ones who are resurrected, especially my mother and grandparents.

Answer 2

Hope to give you some confort with this little story happened quite a few years ago.

NINE-YEAR-OLD Christopher Heslop was one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, as was Matthew, his 14-year-old brother. They had spent the October morning, along with their uncle, aunt, and two cousins, calling from house to house in their Christian ministry near Manchester, England. In the afternoon, they set out together on a sight-seeing trip to Blackpool, a nearby seaside resort. All 6 were among 12 people killed instantly in a motorway crash, described by the police as “an absolute holocaust.”

The night before the tragedy, death had been the subject discussed at a neighborhood Bible study attended by the Heslop family. “Christopher,” said David, his father, “was always a very thoughtful boy. That night, he spoke clearly about a new world and his hope for the future. Then, as our discussion continued, Christopher suddenly said: ‘The thing about being one of Jehovah’s Witnesses is that while death hurts, we know we will see each other again on earth one day.’ Little did any of us present realize how memorable those words were going to be.”

After the accident, the headline of the Manchester Evening News read: “I don’t fear death, said crash child,” and the article quoted Christopher’s exact words.

Have faith.
My condolances

Answer 3

At Ecclesiates 9:5,6,10 it tells us the condition of the dead. at John 5:28,29 talks about a future resurrection for all those who have died. Your grandmother will be resurrected on a paradise earth.(John 17:3) Why not investigate into what Jehovah's witnesses believe? All of it is Bible-based.

Answer 4

Your grandmother is asleep in death right now but rest asure that she no longer feels any pain anymore..As Ecc 9:5 states that as the living we are conscious that we will die but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all..But there will come a time when we will be able to see ALL of our loved ones again..take a minute and look up Rev.21:3,4...... and remember your grandmother, I am sure thought of this often and it is a great hope for the future...

Answer 5

same thing you will do when you die. either go into the coffin and put into the ground, or cremated. we believe when you die you go into hell, the common grave. not to be harmed, because Jehovah would never harm us. we then will be asleep until Jesus Christ resurrect us and we live on earth forever on a paradise earth that Adam and Eve lost. I am so sorry for you, it is hard losing a love one. I lost my husband of 35 years three years ago. I miss him so much. just remember the good times you had with grandma. please see our website at www.watchtower.org to learn more about Jehovah Witnesses

Answer 6

I'm so sorry that you feel such pain in this loss. I have lossed both of my grandmother's now.

The posts on here are true. If you have any questions you can contact the local Kingdom Hall, in your phone book under Churches, and ask questions.

The thought of seeing all my grandparents in the new system brings tears of joy to my eyes. Can't waite to explain things to them all. Ut, oh, the tears are starting.

Answer 7

I was raised as a Jehovah's Witness. And Yes in part, the believe that when you die, that is it. That you return to dust. I know that is not very comforting. But they also believe that they were loved by God, and that he will remember them in his memory. That he loves them enough that when armaggedon comes to rid the world of evil, that it will be made a paradise again. And God will remember your Grandmother for the faithful servent she was and bring her back to life, to live in a paradise forever, as her reward.

Answer 8

Job believed that if he was faithful until death, he would be remembered by God and in time be resurrected. This was the belief of all of God's servants in ancient times. Jesus himself confirmed this hope and showed that God would use him to raise the dead. Christ's own words give us this assurance:

"The hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear [Jesus'] voice and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment."—John 5:28, 29.

Answer 9

She is sleeping as Jesus said about lazarus in John 11, even that Jesus knows that he wasn´t suffering and that he will bring him back from dead, Jesus cry, dead is pretty sad, but we have another oportunity according to Acts 24:15 "and I have hope toward God, which hope these [men] themselves also entertain, that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.

Your grandma belongs to that group, she will come back.
If humans can create or "clone" another human, couldn´t God do the same? repeat the same body with the same information that she had in his memory, of course he can.

Answer 10

I believe there's no suffering after Death, nor joy. So sorry to hear about your loss, but I invite you to search a little bit more about your grandmas beliefs that way not only you feel closer to her knowing what she used to love also you will share the same hope so yourself can wait for her to wake up from the place where she sleeps now. Take care.