why do jehovah's witnesses teach that your soul is located in the blood only?

Question

according to jehovah's witness doctrin, 144k are the only ones the bible says are going to heaven to rule with jesus right? how are they going to get there? will they be raptured physically? or will thier souls be taken up to heaven either after thier death or during the great tribulation? and if thier souls were to go up then why are they the only ones who get souls? i want one to. or do i have to be worthy enough to have a soul? hmmm.
and what about that teaching in leviticus 17:11 in the new world translation (jehovah witness exclusive bible) were it says the soul of the flesh is in the blood. how could an anointed person go to heaven if thier soul is in the blood?
i am being serious. i would really appreciate an answer. thank you
much respect.

edge...the blood scripture he is refering to is the same one in my question. leviticus 17:11

PLEASE STOP DANCING AROUND MY QUESTION. I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE A STRAIGHT FORWARD ANSWER FROM SOMEONE WHO KNOWS THIS DOCTRIN

Answer 1

Jehovah's Witnesses are not anti-medicine or anti-technology, and they do not have superstitious ideas about some immortal "soul" literally encapsulated in blood. Instead, as Christians, the Witnesses seek to obey the very plain language of the bible regarding blood.

As Christians, they are bound by the bible's words in "the Apostolic Decree". Ironically, this decree was the first official decision communicated to the various congregations by the twelve faithful apostles (and a handful of other "older men" which the apostles had chosen to add to the first century Christian governing body in Jerusalem). God and Christ apparently felt (and feel) that respect for blood is quite important.

Here is what the "Apostolic Decree" said, which few self-described Christians obey or even respect:

(Acts 15:20) Write them [the various Christian congregations] to abstain from things polluted by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood.

(Acts 15:28-29) For the holy spirit and we ourselves have favored adding no further burden to you, except these necessary things, 29 to keep abstaining from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication. If you carefully keep yourselves from these things, you will prosper.


Quite explicitly, the Apostolic Decree plainly forbids the misuse of blood by Christians (despite the fact that nearly every other provision of former Jewish Mosaic Law was recognized as unnecessary). It seems odd therefore, that literally one Christian religion continues to teach that humans must not use blood for any purpose other than honoring Almighty God.

A better question would ask: How can other self-described Christian religions justify the fact that they don't even care if their adherents drink blood and eat blood products?


Jehovah's Witnesses recognize the repeated bible teaching that blood is specially "owned" by God, and must not be used for any human purpose. Witnesses do not have any superstitious aversion to testing or respectfully handling blood, and Witnesses believe these Scriptures apply to blood and the four primary components which approximate "blood". An individual Jehovah's Witness is likely to accept a targeted treatment for a targeted need, including a treatment which includes a minor fraction derived from plasma, platelets, and/or red/white blood cells.

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/hb/
http://watchtower.org/library/vcnb/article_01.htm

Answer 2

In the 15th chapter of 1st Corinthians, Paul was talking about the heavenly resurrection; that flesh and blood could not go into the heavenly realm of God's kingdom.

Thus a person must die and if they are chosen as the 144,000 they will be born again as spirit creatures. They will work in God's government by ruling with Christ over the earth.-Rev 5:10

It should be noted that Revelation shows that the living members of the 144,000 (or "remnant") will endure extreme persecution to entice Satan to go after God's chosen people during the war of Armageddon. -Zechariah 14:1

Answer 3

I can't speak for JW's, but the Bible clearly teaches that the soul is in the blood. The body is a part of the soul, and most of the soul's functions take place in the brain. "Soul" is an abstract term for the intellectual functions of the human being.

Answer 4

Gen. 9:4: "“Every moving animal that is alive may serve as food for you. As in the case of green vegetation, I do give it all to you. Only flesh with its soul—its blood—you must not eat.”

Answer 5

I dont want to dance around questions. They believe that because they mistranslated the bible and misinterpreted what the other version said about blood.
The 144,000 is a misunderstanding of what the Bible says. These are virgin male Jews according to the bible, but they put their own meaning and context upon them.

Answer 6

They teach this and go in circles around it because they are sheep. They do not know the answers to ANY of our Questions and they probably never will. They are experts at hedge-walking

Answer 7

JW's, LDS, JDS and all the others that "Add or Take Away" form God's Word are the Occult. They are all very lost souls.

Answer 8

I believe according to jw's you can only be one of the 144,000 if you were alive before 1914. You had to be alive when Christ supposedly finally sat on his throne. That being said the JW's have a lot of beliefs that are not Biblical.

Utuk - could you provide chapter and verse for your claim that the Bible teaches that? I would like to read it.

Answer 9

If I remember correctly, JWs believe that the soul = life. According to them, your soul dies when you die. It is true that they believe only 144k will go to heaven. They keep changing their doctrine, theres no point in keeping track with it.

Answer 10

For one thing, their New World Translation is based on a re-writer's idea of how she wants scripture to be. It is not based on translation from Hebrew or Greek, at all.

Upon studying some of the Greek, for example, I have found that their claims are false and mistaken. Other teachings they have are based on circular reasoning, which the Bible need no circular reasoning - scripture interprets scripture. Also, they have teachings which are out of context.

I have been a Christian for over 30 years and have found no claims the JW's have that cannot be proven otherwise. I have never met any one of them that knows Greek or studies anything but what their leadership tells them they are allowed to study. They accept alleged Greek translations, but none have ever read from any of the oldest manuscripts available. They won't even exchange literature - I am supposed to take theirs, but they won't take mine.

Much of the earmarks show that religion to be a cult.