What happens to a disfellowshipped Jehovah's witness at death?

Answer 1

The Bible states that we are dust. We return to the ground (grave) to dust and are "sleeping". We "sleep" until Jehovah awakes the righteous and unrighteous ones in the resurrection. Only a selected few (144,000) will go to heaven and rule with Jesus. The others will live on earth in a paradise was Jehovah originally purposed.

Answer 2

Answer

Absolutely nothing different than before. Disfellowshipping is a draconian and judgemental punishment imposed without authority or justification by a human organisation and has nothing whatsoever to do with God's grace or mercy or goodness or judgement. It is a human punishment that goes against all that Christ taught about forgiveness and love for one's neighbour.

Of course Jehovah's Witnesses will argue that disfellowshipping is somehow 'scriptural' and will quote Paul's first (surviving) letter to the Corinthians where he answers specific points about specific concerns that the Corinthian church had in the city, especially with regard to pagan worship in that cosmopolitan port.

Of course, Paul's letter of guidance is not a treatise on theology or a catalogue of Christian rules for for all time, nor is it the insightful doctrine that Paul sets out, say, in Romans. Yet JWs still refer to a couple of verses in these books (plus a few others in other private letters of Paul to individuals, again answering specific points and taken out of context) to lend credence to and support their own hypocritical stance. Absolutely nowhere in the gospel accounts do we hear of Jesus ever suggesting we shun or turn aside from those who fall away from God's Kingdom. On the contrary, we are told to forgive them 'not seven times but seventy times seven', and are commanded to 'love our enemies and to pray for those who persecuted us'. This is a stark contrast to the JW practise of disfellowshipment where the excuse of ostracising and snubbing those who have not adhered to the cultic practices of the JW organisation are somehow corroborated by their version of 'scripture'.

If a member of the Jehovah's Witness cult is disfellowshipped because they have seen the light and have agreed to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord, God, and Saviour, then they will, at death, be taken into God's nearer presence and safe keeping. Otherwise they will be judged by God alone - as Jesus Christ - and not by others who have no authority to judge in the first place.

The Bible's Answer

If the aforementioned were true, then the Apostle Paul was not the Saint we all think him to be for he sanctioned disfellowshipping, as you can read for yourself at 1 Cor 5:11-13. This held true for those disfellowshipped due to apostasy. Please read Titus 3:10,11 and 1 Timothy 1:19,20.

Disfellowshipping is loving discipline which is designed by God to bring the erring one back to his senses as spoken of in Hebrews 12:11.

Since we are not judges of the hearts of those who have unrepentantly sinned in the past, only God and His Son can make decisions as to whether one who has been disfellowshipped will be resurrected to life in a Paradise earth, which is the hope set out in the Bible for the dead. Please read John 5:28, 29.

A "cult" is defined as " religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader." Under this subheading, you will only find scriptural answers to your questions.

1 Timothy 3:15,16 quite honestly says "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness". The Bible's standards hold true for all time and there is a right and wrong course of life. Jehovah speaks of forgiving those who are REPENTANT of their sins, not those who "carry on in sin".

But, ultimately, the question raised here deserves a scriptural answer: John 5:28,29: "Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deedsto a resurrection of judgment.

Only God knows the heart. If you're asking this question, you obviously still care what Jehovah and Jesus think of you and that counts for much. We do not believe in a cruel hellfire so put that fear to rest. Please view the Jehovah's witnesses official website for further reliable information on what their views on topics really are. www.watchtower.org.