Why do Jehovah's Witnesses believe in the annihilation or extinction of the soul?

Question

Please cite scriptures in justification of this doctrine (i.e. the extinction of the soul or spirit). Thanks.

Please don't call JW's a cult. This question was not asked to stir up ignorant statements like that.

Answer 1

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the soul that sins will die and that we do not have a soul that seperates from the body at death. Since we all sin and we all die they therefore conclude that our soul dies with us. This extinction of the soul is otherwise known as soul annihilation.

But WHY do they believe this, you ask. Well, it's all tied up with their belief that only 144,000 persons will ever go to heaven and that the rest of obedient humanity will live forever on a paradise earth. They do not accept that there is such a thing as hell fire and that when we die, we simply return to the ground.

I am unable to cite any scriptures in justification of this doctrine. In the first 65 books of the Bible, the word death never means annihilation but separation. Then, in Revelation, we hear about 'the second death'. If the second death is the ultimate punishment for sin and it means annihilation, and since Jesus bore the full penalty for sin in his death, then why was Jesus not annihilated?

Jesus himself said "they will go away to external punishment, but the righteous to eternal life" (Matthew 25:41). The punishment lasts as long as eternal life. This is not annihilation. The Greek words 'Ekmendenisis' and 'Ekmendenizw' were not used.

Daniel 12:2 says "Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt." Matthew 8:12 says that sinners will be "thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." How can that be if they no longer exist?

Donal Macleod, Professor of Systemantic Theology at the Free Church of Scotland College, Edinburgh sums it up thus: "It was never accepted as part of Christian orthodoxy. Church fathers, reformers and Puritans all believed in eternal punishment." Soul annihilation is a modern heresy.

Answer 2

No, they're particularly somewhat diverse. seventh Day Adventists are lots closer to mainstream Protestants, different than the certainty that they have got church on Saturday as a results of fact they suspect the unique sabbath might desire to be suggested. yet they're trinitarians, they are in a position to have fun trip journeys and take area in politics, and are not particularly ordinary for proselytizing. Jehovah's Witnesses pass door to door attempting to transform human beings, and don't have fun trip journeys or take area in politics or different issues that are too "worldly". and that they have got not got self belief interior the trinity. they don't be conscious the Saturday sabbath like Adventists, and purely have their conferences on Sunday. there is rather lots only one ingredient that the two have in elementary, and that's the doctrine of conditional immortality (which skill human beings have not got souls that are wakeful in between dying and their resurrection, and persons who're no longer saved would be annihilated interior the top, extremely than go through eternal torment in hell).

Answer 3

To begin with, your in error.
The bible clearly states the soul that is sinning, it will die.
Indicating that the soul and body are one and the same.
The spirit on the other hand IS the life force that "runs" things about the human body, giving it the energy to move and the will to accomplish. Memories etc are works of the human spirit. A dead thing wouldn't go back to Jehovah, but he owns all spirits.........Better thinking? Keep trying! You'll get it right one day.
MY point is keep studying with us. It's ok to make a mistake. Keep asking and it will be given you!

Added........Concerning cults...........JW's are a nation now, more than 7 million strong world wide.

Answer 4

.First!! The words of three different Bible translations state at Genesis 2: 7, that MAN CAME TO BE A LIVING SOUL.
This alone tells the story that all living souls can die, and indeed, God told Adam that on the day that he disobeyed Him, the Father, that he would die, for "dust you are and to dust you will return"-Gen. 2: 17. He began to die on that day because he became imperfect. Granted, it took 930 years to die because he had been perfect in every way and environmentally speaking, the world was unpolluted at that time and, God's "day" is as a thousand years to us--2 Peter 3: 8.
As to the annihilation of the soul, since we are living souls, all those not found written in the book of life--Rev. 20: 15 will be hurled into the lake of fire--e.g. eternal death--Gehenna.
Jesus stated, "do not become fearful of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul" because he will call the dead to life in the resurrection and God, Yahwah God, will make them alive, through the Christ and for the Christ, the first-born Son of Yahwah God.
Yes, it does seem complicated, but it is indeed that simple.

Answer 5

The Bible calls a human or an animal, a 'soul'. The 'spirit' (breath of life) is the spark of life, the energy that keeps the soul functioning. Please read the next verse carefully. It does not say that humans are formed of a body and a soul, but that humans are souls.

"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." -- Genesis 2:7


Christians and non-Christians say that a soul is immortal. But, the Bible states the opposite.

"The soul that is sinning—it itself will die." -- Ezekiel 18:4


If you want to find out more go to this links:
("What Has Happened to Hellfire?")
http://www.watchtower.org/e/20020715/article_02.htm
("Do You Have an IMMORTAL SPIRIT?")
http://www.watchtower.org/e/20010715/article_02.htm

Answer 6

Gen 2:7: "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."

This scripture does not say that man was given a soul but that he became a soul, a living person.

Ezekiel 18:4,20 "The soul that is sinning it itself will die."

The soul is not something that lives on after a person is dead. We ourselves are souls.


When we are living we are living souls, when we are dead we are dead souls.

Ecc. 9:5,10 Please read this scripture.

Answer 7

First, consider the soul. You may remember that the Bible was originally written mainly in Hebrew and Greek. When writing about the soul, the Bible writers used the Hebrew word ne′phesh or the Greek word psy·khe′. These two words occur well over 800 times in the Scriptures.

People. “In Noah’s days . . . a few people, that is, eight souls, were carried safely through the water.” (1 Peter 3:20) Here the word “souls” clearly stands for people—Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives. Exodus 16:16 mentions instructions given to the Israelites regarding the gathering of manna. They were told: “Pick up some of it . . . according to the number of the souls that each of you has in his tent.” So the amount of manna that was gathered was based upon the number of people in each family. Some other Biblical examples of the application of “soul” or “souls” to a person or to people are found at Genesis 46:18; Joshua 11:11; Acts 27:37; and Romans 13:1.

Life as a person. Sometimes the word “soul” means one’s life as a person. Jehovah told Moses: “All the men who were hunting for your soul are dead.” (Exodus 4:19) What were Moses’ enemies hunting for? They were seeking to take Moses’ life. Earlier, while Rachel was giving birth to her son Benjamin, “her soul was going out (because she died).” (Genesis 35:16-19) At that moment, Rachel lost her life. Consider also Jesus’ words: “I am the fine shepherd; the fine shepherd surrenders his soul in behalf of the sheep.” (John 10:11) Jesus gave his soul, or life, in behalf of mankind. In these Bible passages, the word “soul” clearly refers to life as a person. You will find more examples of this sense of “soul” at 1 Kings 17:17-23; Matthew 10:39; John 15:13; and Acts 20:10.

A further study of God’s Word will show you that nowhere in the entire Bible are the terms “immortal” or “everlasting” linked with the word “soul.” Instead, the Scriptures state that a soul is mortal, meaning that it dies. (Ezekiel 18:4, 20) Therefore, the Bible calls someone who has died simply a “dead soul.”—Leviticus 21:11.

1 Peter 3:20: “In Noah’s days . . . a few people, that is, eight souls, were carried safely through the water.” (The Greek word here translated “souls” is psy·khai′, the plural form of psy·khe′. King James Version, American Standard Version, Challoner Version, and Knox also read “souls.” Jer. Bible and Today's English Version say “people”; Revised Standard Version, New English Bible, and New American Bible use “persons.”)

“The belief that the soul continues its existence after the dissolution of the body is a matter of philosophical or theological speculation rather than of simple faith, and is accordingly nowhere expressly taught in Holy Scripture.”—The Jewish Encyclopedia (1910), Vol. VI, p. 564.

Ezekiel 18:4: “Look! All the souls—to me they belong. As the soul of the father so likewise the soul of the son—to me they belong. The soul* that is sinning—it itself will die.” (*Hebrew reads “the ne′phesh.” King James Version, American Standard Version, Revised Standard Version, New English Bible, and Challoner Version render it “the soul.” Some translations say “the man” or “the person.”)

Matthew 10:28: “Do not become fearful of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul [or, “life”]; but rather be in fear of him that can destroy both soul* and body in Gehenna.” (*Greek has the accusative case of psy·khe′. King James Version, American Standard Version, Revised Standard Version, New English Bible, Today's English Version, Challoner Version, Jerusalem Bible, and New American Bible all render it “soul.”)

Acts 3:23: “Indeed, any soul [Greek, psy·khe′] that does not listen to that Prophet will be completely destroyed from among the people.”

Psalms 146:4: “His spirit [Hebrew, from ru′ach] goes out, he goes back to his ground; in that day his thoughts do perish.” (New American Bible, Rotherham, Young, and Challonger Version [145:4] here render ru′ach as “spirit.” Some translations say “breath.”) (Also Psalms 104:29)

“The problem of immortality, we have seen, engaged the serious attention of the Babylonian theologians. . . . Neither the people nor the leaders of religious thought ever faced the possibility of the total annihilation of what once was called into existence. Death was a passage to another kind of life.”—"The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria" (Boston, 1898), M. Jastrow, Jr., p. 556.

How comforting it is to know that this is exactly what God will do for all of those resting in “the memorial tombs”! (John 5:28, 29) At the time of the resurrection, Jehovah will form a new body for a person sleeping in death and bring it to life. What a joyful day that will be!

If you would like further information, please get in touch with Jehovah's Witnesses at the local Kingdom Hall. Or visit

Bible - Translation.

References

Answer 8

Here's one.

Eze 18:4

(ASV) Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

(BBE) See, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so the soul of the son is mine: death will be the fate of the sinner's soul.


(KJV+) Behold,2005 all3605 souls5315 are mine; as the soul5315 of the father,1 so also the soul5315 of the son1121 is mine: the soul5315 that sinneth,2398 it1931 shall die.4191

(KJVA) Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

(LITV) Behold, they are all My souls. As the soul of the father, also the soul of the son, they are Mine. The soul that sins, it shall die.

(YLT) Lo, all the souls are Mine, As the soul of the father, So also the soul of the son--they are Mine, The soul that is sinning--it doth die.

Answer 9

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.

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/lmn/index.htm?article=article_08.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/19970515/article_02.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/20050501/article_02.htm

Answer 10

When did this happpen? They do believe that Moses went up to the top of the mountain and went inside a space ship and had the tablet made...when we die the spaceship comes down and retrieves the body.