The Watchtower cites several proof texts in support of its teaching that there is no conscious existence after death. Here is how to address them. (pp. 254-256)

 Ecclesiastes 9:5 (pp. 254-255)

At some point the Witnesses will refer you to a partial quotation from Ecclesiastes 9:5: “the dead know nothing at all…” (Watchtower translation). Some Witnesses have memorized an earlier version: “the dead… are conscious of nothing at all…”

Jehovah’s Witnesses repeat those words like a mantra. They consider this verse to be the definitive declaration of the state of the dead—all other Bible passages are required to be interpreted to conform to it.

In order to focus on the context, ask one of the Witnesses to read Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 aloud: “For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing at all, nor do they have any more reward, because all memory of them is forgotten. Also, their love and their hate and their jealousy have already perished, and they no longer have any share in what is done under the sun.” (Watchtower translation).

Say, “Just because a statement is made in the Bible doesn’t mean that it expresses God’s viewpoint. Does no one have any further reward beyond the grave? Is all memory of them forgotten? Is there no further hope of life on earth? Doesn’t that contradict the Watchtower’s teaching that we can live forever in paradise on earth?” Let them struggle with the contradiction and try to explain it to you. Keep them focused on these verses and avoid letting them jump to other Scriptures.

Then ask them to look at the larger context of passage. Most of the book of Ecclesiastes is expressed—not from God’s eternal perspective—but from the perspective of a man who sees this present life as all there is, the only possible source of satisfaction. Have one of the Witnesses read aloud Ecclesiastes 1:2, where the preacher laments that everything is meaningless. Is this God’s view of life? If so, there would be no point reading on to the next verse, let alone all the way to Ecclesiastes 9!

So the context of Ecclesiastes 9:5—the entire verse, the verses around it, and the book as a whole—refutes the idea that this is God’s revelation concerning the state of the dead to which our interpretation of all other Bible passages must conform.

Ezekiel 18:4 (p. 255)

Jehovah’s Witnesses usually only quote the last part of Ezekiel 18:4: “The soul who sins is the one who will die.” Often they will use an earlier translation, which reads, “The soul that is sinning—it itself will die.” Encourage them to read the rest of Ezekiel 18. Point out that the topic under discussion is not the condition of the dead. It is whether God judges a person for his own sins or for the sins of others. Here, the word “soul” is simply being used as a synonym for “person,” which is one of that word’s meanings.

Psalm 146:4 (pp. 255-256)

In the Watchtower translation, Psalm 146:4 reads: “His spirit goes out, he returns to the ground; on that very day his thoughts perish.” The Watchtower quotes this verse in isolation as if it were speaking about the condition of the dead. However, the context is verse 3: “Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, who cannot bring salvation.” The passage isn’t talking about whether people have souls or spirits which are still conscious after death. It is simply explaining why we shouldn’t place our trust in powerful men. They die and are buried, and in this life all their plans and promises die with them.

Study Questions

How might you respond to these Watchtower proof texts in support of its teaching that the dead experience nothing at all unless and until God resurrects them someday? (These are Watchtower translations of these scriptures.) (pp. 254-256)

• Ecclesiastes 9:5: “…the dead…are conscious of nothing at all.”
• Ezekiel 18:4: “The soul that is sinning—it itself will die.”
• Psalm 146:4: “His spirit goes out, he returns to the ground; on that very day, his thoughts perish.”