Physical Death Cannot Be Annihilation
In gross misunderstanding of the Bible use of the word death, and in what often appears to be wilful ignorance of the application of certain scriptures, members of the sect calling themselves "Jehovah's Witnesses" teach that physical death consists of absolute annihilation. They teach that at physical death man ceases to exist in any sense, that he is completely destroyed. These self-styled witnesses, and for that matter, atheists and others of a materialistic bent, would have us believe that, man does not possess a spirit which transcends the body and continues to exist after physical death. Such an idea is a flat contradiction of plain Bible teaching. "Then (in physical death, J.F.B.) shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." (Eccl. 12:7.)
To my knowledge there is not one passage in the Bible which uses the term death to mean absolute annihilation, cessation of existence, or complete destruction. On the other hand there is an abundance of passages which use the word death to mean "a separation." This is true whether the word has reference to physical death, spiritual death, or death in some other sense such as "dead to sin", (Rom. 6:2) or "dead to the law". (Rom. 7:4.) In Rom. 7:4 Paul taught that the Jews were separated or delivered from the Law of Moses by Jesus Christ, therefore they were dead to the law. In Rom. 6:2-4 Paul taught that Christians are separated from sin by obedience to the gospel, therefore they are dead to sin. Verse 7 clearly defines the inspired meaning of the word dead, "For he that is dead is freed from sin." In Col. 1:21 Paul taught that men are reconciled to God having been alienated from him by wicked works, but in Eph. 2:1 he said that those saved had been dead in trespasses and sins. Hence, it is seen that the same cause, wicked works or trespasses and sins, wrought the same result, spiritual death or alienation which is a separation from God's favor.
The above passages clearly show that the word death means a separation. Death, with reference to man's physical passing from this earth is used in the very same sense. Eccl. 12:7 has already been cited showing that in physical death the body returns to the earth and that the spirit returns to God. In short, the spirit is separated from the body. James used the relationship between the body and the spirit to illustrate the relationship between faith and works, and said "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." (James 2:26.) While many other passages could be used with reference to the existence, nature, and perpetuity of man's spirit, the two above are sufficient to prove that man does have a spirit and that it does not cease to exist with physical death.
Inconsistency of "Annihilation" Doctrine There are many passages which would be made meaningless by the "annihilation" doctrine. The scope and length of this article do not permit a consideration of all or even most of these. However, consideration is given here to a few of the more obvious of such passages.
1. In Acts 24:15 Paul said that there shall be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust. If death is annihilation then there is nothing left of man. If this is true then the dead cannot be resurrected, but must be recreated if they are to live again. Too bad the apostle did not have a Jehovah's Witness to correct him in his use of words which he spoke by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Or is it more probable that the apostles of Christ, if preaching today, would withstand these modern, so-called Jehovah's Witnesses as they did the false teachers of their day?
Note also, that the passage above teaches a resurrection of the just and the unjust which means both the righteous and the wicked will come forth from the dead to receive their rewards. (John 5:28-29, II Cor. 5:10.) The Witnesses also teach falsely on this point, saying that only the righteous will be raised, but that the wicked are punished by physical death in the fact that they will exist no more.
2. In Luke 16:19-31 is recorded the account told by Jesus of the rich man who died and was in torment and of Lazarus who died and was carried to Abraham's bosom. It matters not for the purpose of this study whether this account is literal or a parable for in either case Jesus would use true facts and the proper relationship between these facts in his teaching.
If death is annihilation then how can the fact be accounted for that these two departed men, one of them a good man and the other evil, still existed. The rich man (or ex-rich man, I Tim. 6:7) could see, verse 23; speak, verse 24; feel pain, verse 25; remember, verse 27-28.
In an attempt to get around the account of the rich man and Lazarus, Jehovah's Witnesses usually turn to Eccl. 9:4-5 and begin to chant "Yes, but the dead know not anything at all." Unfortunately, they neglect verse 6 which modifies the sense in which "the dead know not anything at all" reading ... neither have they a portion in anything any more that is done under the sun." When men pass from this world, that is, dwell no longer under the sun, they can no longer attain to reward because their period of probation is past. At that point they can do nothing to change their reward, their destiny is sealed; and that is exactly the point Christ made in Luke 16:25-26.
3. In Phil. 1:20-24 Paul expressed a desire to die and depart this woe ridden world, for to do so having lived faithfully he would be with Christ. However, if death is annihilation, then death for Paul would have been a cessation of existence in any sense, and if ceasing to exist would have put Paul with Christ then Christ is non-existent also since he died on the cross. But, if Christ does not exist he is not risen from the dead, and if Christ is not risen, the gospel has no power which renders faith and hope of an eternal reward absolutely vain. (I Cor. 15:12-20.)
4. Luke records the speech of Paul made before the council of the Jews in Jerusalem in Acts 22:1-10. In verse 6 Luke said "But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question." This immediately brought dissension between the Pharisees and Sadducees which Luke explains in verse 8. "For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both."
These Sadducees were rank materialists who believed that life consists of nothing beyond this world. How like these Sadducees are the Jehovah's Witnesses, who, while teaching a resurrection (which to be consistent with their doctrine cannot be a resurrection but a recreation), say that it will consist only of a restoring of the righteous to this fleshly state and deny that man has a spirit.
To materialists of his day, the Sadducees, Christ said, "Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God." (Matt. 22:29.) Christ's sharp rebuke to the Sadducees who denied the existence of a spirit (and notice that they were consistent in their claim even though wrong, for denying spirit they also denied a resurrection) is an unmistakable condemnation of such a doctrine. Realizing that a denial of spirit is diametrically opposed to the doctrine of Christ, notice John's statement that, "Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God ..." How fitting then is the master's statement in answer to materialists of this day who, puffing themselves up in their own ignorance, bear witness not to the truth of God's word, but to the presumptuous, arrogant, and fallacious claims of the Watchtower Society. "Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God."