Questions About Death and the Afterlife

Some time ago, Karen’s mother died. From childhood Karen, who lives in the United States, had believed that at death all good people go to heaven. This belief brought her little comfort. She wondered: ‘What does my mother look like, now that she is up in heaven? How will I find her when I get there, if I get there? When I die, could I end up somewhere else?’

Karen began a careful study of the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses. She learned that the dead are not in heaven but are as if in a deep sleep. “They are conscious of nothing at all,” states Ecclesiastes 9:5. What, though, about seeing her mother again?

The following clear statement from the Bible gave her comfort and hope: “Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear [Christ’s] voice and come out.” (John 5:28, 29) Karen learned that by means of his Son, the God of the Bible is going to bring the dead back to life right here on earth. “Bible teachings on death and the resurrection make so much sense,” she said.

[Picture on page 23]

Karen, U.S.A.