- Mar 5, 2024
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The Unbiblical Doctrine Of Soul Sleep, Part 2
Note: Above is an image of a Babylonian king who was a giant by comparison with his conquered enemies, and such men were described in scripture as continuing to have a conscious existence in Hell after death. Please see Part 1 if you have not read it yet. A link is provided at the bottom of this page.
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One of the texts of scripture most brutally misinterpreted by Jehovahs Witnesses is found in Ecclesiastes, Chapter 9. The passage in its context reads like this:
3 There is this evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one event to all. Yea, the heart of the sons of men is filled with evil, and madness is in their heart during their lifetime, and after that they go to the dead. 4 For who is he that has fellowship with all the living? For him there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the living will know that they shall die, but the dead know nothing, and there is no longer any reward to them, for their memory is lost. 6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, have now perished. Yea, there is no portion for them any more for ever in all that is done under the sun... 10 So whatsoever your hand shall find to do, do with all your might. For there is no work, nor planning, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Hades (or Sheol) where you are going. (Ecclesiastes 9:3-6, 10 LXX)
The writer here was describing the difference in conditions that existed amongst the living versus amongst the dead. Those amongst the living could still plan, work, strategize and use their wisdom to better their situation, whereas those living amongst the dead could not. This applied even to the righteous dead, who had essentially made their bed by the time they got to the afterlife. As he stated in verse 1, "The righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God. Yea, there is no man that knows either love or hatred, even though all are before their face" (v.1). The word "know" here was used in the sense of experiencing something, such as marital love or deep-seated enmity. The truth being communicated here was that though they could still see events going on on the earth from Sheol (the Hebrew term for Paradise), they could no longer participate in them, or "know" them experientially.
God has always allowed the righteous dead to view things going on in the earth, which is why in Hebrews it states that we have a cloud have witnesses now watching us from Heaven, just as the Olympic athletes of old had amphitheaters of people watching them run their race to the finish.
1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2)
But those in Heaven can no longer play a part in things going on in the earth, which was the same point the writer of Ecclesiastes made in verse 6. For even the righteous now living in Hades or Sheol, wisdom would no longer do them any good, because they could no longer affect anything being done "under the sun" (v.10). They had now passed on to an existence amongst the dead.
This is also why the writer urged his readers to enjoy life, and the fruits of walking in wisdom while still alive. He advised enjoying physical pleasures like eating and drinking (v.7), enjoying being handsomely and comfortably attired (v.8), enjoying the pleasures of marriage (v.9), and taking joy in the rewards of work (v.10). Why? Because you could still better yourself while alive through the use of wisdom. But no amount of wisdom could effect you in the afterlife, for even those in Sheol (more specifically the Paradise side of Sheol where the righteous dead abided) were no longer able to improve their wealth, their standard of living, their emotional affairs by pursuing love or marriage, or be vindicated against their enemies. All hopes of personal achievement were now gone, because earthly achievements had passed into history and disappeared from memory (v.5). Like conditions that exist in Heaven today (according to reports) the righteous can no longer marry, there are no such things as formal jobs in the sense we understand them, and there are no enemies to be vindicated against.
This is the context of the Chapter, but unfortunately the Jehovahs Witnesses like to divorce a few verses from the surrounding context and then use them to teach that the spirit of mankind ceases to exist after death, and that there is no such thing as Sheol or Hades (they erase these words from their Bible and insert the word "grave" in their place, even though the word is literally "Hades" in the Greek).
So what can be done for those who believe such things? As stated in Part 1, they are spiritually asleep at the wheel. Soul sleep is taught nowhere in the Bible, and they are badly deceived. The best answer is to pray that the Lord recover them from their spiritual slumber, because there are dangers involved. Such deceptions, especially regarding things like the supposed non-existence of Hell, can ultimately lead them to the very place they believe doesn't exist, and by the time they wake up it may be too late.
Blessings in Christ,
Hidden In Him
For Part 3 in this series:
Note: Above is an image of a Babylonian king who was a giant by comparison with his conquered enemies, and such men were described in scripture as continuing to have a conscious existence in Hell after death. Please see Part 1 if you have not read it yet. A link is provided at the bottom of this page.
__________________________________
One of the texts of scripture most brutally misinterpreted by Jehovahs Witnesses is found in Ecclesiastes, Chapter 9. The passage in its context reads like this:
3 There is this evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one event to all. Yea, the heart of the sons of men is filled with evil, and madness is in their heart during their lifetime, and after that they go to the dead. 4 For who is he that has fellowship with all the living? For him there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the living will know that they shall die, but the dead know nothing, and there is no longer any reward to them, for their memory is lost. 6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, have now perished. Yea, there is no portion for them any more for ever in all that is done under the sun... 10 So whatsoever your hand shall find to do, do with all your might. For there is no work, nor planning, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Hades (or Sheol) where you are going. (Ecclesiastes 9:3-6, 10 LXX)
The writer here was describing the difference in conditions that existed amongst the living versus amongst the dead. Those amongst the living could still plan, work, strategize and use their wisdom to better their situation, whereas those living amongst the dead could not. This applied even to the righteous dead, who had essentially made their bed by the time they got to the afterlife. As he stated in verse 1, "The righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God. Yea, there is no man that knows either love or hatred, even though all are before their face" (v.1). The word "know" here was used in the sense of experiencing something, such as marital love or deep-seated enmity. The truth being communicated here was that though they could still see events going on on the earth from Sheol (the Hebrew term for Paradise), they could no longer participate in them, or "know" them experientially.
God has always allowed the righteous dead to view things going on in the earth, which is why in Hebrews it states that we have a cloud have witnesses now watching us from Heaven, just as the Olympic athletes of old had amphitheaters of people watching them run their race to the finish.
1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2)
But those in Heaven can no longer play a part in things going on in the earth, which was the same point the writer of Ecclesiastes made in verse 6. For even the righteous now living in Hades or Sheol, wisdom would no longer do them any good, because they could no longer affect anything being done "under the sun" (v.10). They had now passed on to an existence amongst the dead.
This is also why the writer urged his readers to enjoy life, and the fruits of walking in wisdom while still alive. He advised enjoying physical pleasures like eating and drinking (v.7), enjoying being handsomely and comfortably attired (v.8), enjoying the pleasures of marriage (v.9), and taking joy in the rewards of work (v.10). Why? Because you could still better yourself while alive through the use of wisdom. But no amount of wisdom could effect you in the afterlife, for even those in Sheol (more specifically the Paradise side of Sheol where the righteous dead abided) were no longer able to improve their wealth, their standard of living, their emotional affairs by pursuing love or marriage, or be vindicated against their enemies. All hopes of personal achievement were now gone, because earthly achievements had passed into history and disappeared from memory (v.5). Like conditions that exist in Heaven today (according to reports) the righteous can no longer marry, there are no such things as formal jobs in the sense we understand them, and there are no enemies to be vindicated against.
This is the context of the Chapter, but unfortunately the Jehovahs Witnesses like to divorce a few verses from the surrounding context and then use them to teach that the spirit of mankind ceases to exist after death, and that there is no such thing as Sheol or Hades (they erase these words from their Bible and insert the word "grave" in their place, even though the word is literally "Hades" in the Greek).
So what can be done for those who believe such things? As stated in Part 1, they are spiritually asleep at the wheel. Soul sleep is taught nowhere in the Bible, and they are badly deceived. The best answer is to pray that the Lord recover them from their spiritual slumber, because there are dangers involved. Such deceptions, especially regarding things like the supposed non-existence of Hell, can ultimately lead them to the very place they believe doesn't exist, and by the time they wake up it may be too late.
Blessings in Christ,
Hidden In Him
For Part 3 in this series:
The Unbiblical Doctrine Of Soul Sleep, Part 3
Lastly, people like the Seventh Day Adventists and the Jehovah's Witnesses will flatly dismiss the story of Lazarus and the Rich man in Hell as being literal in any sense, instead teaching that it is merely a "parable." But is it? I will start by posting the passage of scripture first:
19 "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs...
Lastly, people like the Seventh Day Adventists and the Jehovah's Witnesses will flatly dismiss the story of Lazarus and the Rich man in Hell as being literal in any sense, instead teaching that it is merely a "parable." But is it? I will start by posting the passage of scripture first:
19 "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs...
