'Father, into your hands I commend my Spirit' Luke23:46
We are looking at how Jehovah’s Witnesses think about the elements of the Christian Pasch (Easter). We have looked at the cross in two previous posts, and there is a major study on the Watchtower ‘cross’ coming in our next newsletter. If you haven’t already you may want to sign up to our mailing list from our website.
Ecclesiastes
On their website the Watchtower addresses the question, ‘What happens when you die?’
‘The Bible says: “The living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all.” (Ecclesiastes 9:5; Psalm 146:4) Therefore, when we die, we cease to exist. The dead can’t think, act, or feel anything.’
Proof-texting is commonplace with Jehovah’s Witnesses and, almost invariably, it gets them into all kinds of trouble. If they insist Ecclesiastes 9:5 is talking about the afterlife they must deal with the rest of the chapter, which doesn’t help their case at all.
This verse tells us the dead, ‘have no more reward and the memory of them is forgotten.’ But Jesus said those who are persecuted are rewarded in heaven. (Mt.5:12) Mark tells us that the woman who anointed him at Bethany would be remembered wherever the gospel is preached. (Mk.14:9)
Verse 6 tells us the dead, ‘have no more share in all that is done under the sun.’ But John the Revelator tells us about new heavens and a new earth prepared for the resurrected in Christ. (Rev.21:1-4)
The key to understanding this text is in Solomon’s repeated refrain, ‘all is vanity,’ (1:2,14,; 2:17,23 through 12:8) The writer is looking at things from man’s perspective. Solomon is looking at the tragic reality of the fall. Life seems vain when our human knowledge is limited (8:14-17). The unpredictability of life and certainty of death speak of vanity (9:1-6). Clearly, in God’s purposes, all is not vanity. God declares through Ezekiel:
‘For I am the LORD; I will speak the word that I will speak, and it will be performed. It will no longer be delayed, but in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak the word and perform it, declares the Lord GOD.” (Ez.12:25)
We are reminded by Paul, ‘And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.’ (Ro.8:28)When Solomon declares all to be vanity he is clearly writing about his experience, of all that he had seen ‘under the sun,’ (1:14) Wickedness in place of judgement (3:16), the pointless hoarding of wealth (5:13). If Jehovah’s Witnesses insist on taking literally Ecclesiastes 9:5 then they must deny the hope we receive through the resurrection, deny reward and the memory of those gone before.
Is Death Annihilation?
Nowhere does the Bible equate death with annihilation. Consider:
Adam died the day he disobeyed God (Gen.2:17) yet Adam lived a further 800 years after he fathered Seth (Gen.5:4)
Jesus warned his followers, ‘...do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Mt.10:28) making a clear distinction between the death of the body and the death of the soul.
Paul, in a powerful passage in Romans, declared, ‘For one who has died has been set free from sin. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.’ (Ro.6:7-11)
The believer has died to sin but is alive to righteousness. Sin is not annihilated, neither are you annihilated in your death to sin.
Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words explains the Greek thanatos, used 111 times to signify death:
(a) "death," is used in Scripture of: (a) the separation of the soul (the spiritual part of man) from the body (the material part), the latter ceasing to function and turning to dust, e.g., John 11:13; Hebrews 2:15;5:7;7:23. In Hebrews 9:15.
(b) the separation of man from God; Adam died on the day he disobeyed God, Genesis 2:17, and hence all mankind are born in the same spiritual condition, Romans 5:12,14,17,21, from which, however, those who believe in Christ are delivered, John 5:24; 1 John 3:14. "Death" is the opposite of life; it never denotes non-existence. As spiritual life is "conscious existence in communion with God," so spiritual "death" is "conscious existence in separation from God."
Note Vine’s explanation of spiritual death as "conscious existence in separation from God." A death in which one is conscious of one’s state. Similarly, physical death means the end of man’s life here on earth, in separation from this world and its cares. There is nothing to indicate annihilation, a total non-existence. Finally, note Jesus' words above in Luke 23.
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