Tag: Ecclesiastes 9:5 (page 1 of 2)

The Rich Man and Lazarus: Watchtower Interpretation

One of the primary passages that refutes the Watchtower’s everlasting-nonexistence-of-the-wicked doctrine is Jesus’ account of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31. If necessary, set aside an entire session to study this account. Continue reading

What Happens Between Death and Resurrection?

Bible teach Ch 7

Click image to access this “Bible Teach” chapter on the Watchtower’s website

Chapter 7, “Real Hope for Your Loved Ones Who Have Died,” and two related appendices explain what the Watchtower believes will happen to people after they die.

Christians don’t all agree on the sequence of end times events, so it’s only fair that I give you my views before critiquing the Watchtower’s. If your opinions are different than mine, you can make the necessary adjustments in your conversations with Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Unlike the Watchtower, I believe the Bible teaches that people have separate souls and spirits that surviving physical death. At death, the souls and spirits of the saved go to heaven to be with Christ (Philippians 1:23). The souls and spirits of the unsaved go to Hades to await the final judgment (Luke 16:19-31).

Resurrection is a reuniting of body, soul, and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Resurrection bodies won’t be identical to the bodies that died, but there will be continuity, as there is between a seed and the plant it produces (1 Corinthians 15:35-43). Continue reading

Dealing with Watchtower Afterlife Proof Texts

Bible teach Ch 6

Click image to access this “Bible Teach” chapter on the Watchtower’s website

For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all, neither do they anymore have wages, because the remembrance of them has been forgotten.” (Ecclesiastes 9:5, Watchtower’s New World Translation, 1984 edition)

This verse is probably the Witnesses’ favorite proof text referring to the afterlife. They frequently quote only a few words from it—“the dead… are conscious of nothing at all” or “the dead know nothing at all” (from the 2013 edition).

For them, this definitively excludes the possibility of human beings having a soul or conscious spirit that survives the death of the body.

Continue reading

Soundbite Witnessing Safeguards

SafeguardsAs we saw in the previous blog article, using soundbites in witnessing has a downside.

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t use them.

However, it does mean that it’s important to establish some safeguards. Continue reading

The Negatives of Soundbite Witnessing

Thumbs DownAs we saw in the first two blog articles in this series, using soundbites in witnessing can be a very effective communication tool.

Unfortunately, it also has a downside. Continue reading

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