Why Numbers 16:28-35 does not Prove the dead are Conscious

Does Numbers 16:30 Prove the dead are Conscious?

Numbers 16:28-30   Then Moses said: “By this you will know that Jehovah has sent me to do all these things, that it is not of my own heart: 29  If these people die a natural death as all men do and if their punishment is the same as that of all mankind, then Jehovah has not sent me. 30  But if Jehovah does something extraordinary with them and the ground opens and swallows them and everything that belongs to them and they go down alive into the Grave, you will certainly know that these men have treated Jehovah disrespectfully.”

In this passage we can see that the people in this story have wronged Jehovah and were going to experience death unlike the rest of mandkind. How did they die?

Numbers 16:31-35 "    As soon as he finished speaking all these words, the ground beneath them split apart. 32  And the earth opened and swallowed them up, along with their households and everyone who belonged to Kor′ah and all their goods. 33  So they and all who belonged to them went down alive into the Grave, and the earth covered them over, so that they perished from the midst of the congregation. 34  All the Israelites who were around them fled at their screaming, for they said: “We are afraid that the earth may swallow us up!” 35  Then a fire came out from Jehovah and consumed the 250 men offering the incense."

They fell into the Earth, then were destroyed when it closed up. So they literally went  into the grave alive. They are not alive in the Grave. The rest that didn't get swallowed by the earth were consumed by fire. 

For More Answers on Hell/Lake of Fire/Tartarus Click Here

My Bible Notes Part 1

During this series I will Type out all of my Written Bible notes on any particular Topic.
 Jesus the Son of God

• Proverbs 8:22-31, says that Jesus/Wisdom personified, was created/produced/acquired as the beginning of Jehovah's way/earliest of his achievements
• 1 Corinthians 1:24, Jesus Christ is refered to as the wisdom and power of God
• Ephesians 1:2, Undeserved kindness from God and Jesus Christ
• Ephesians 1:3, Lord Jesus Christ has a God
• Ephesians 1:4, We can also be in union with Christ. This shows that the union Jesus has with his father does not mean they are literally joined together as one being. Rather they are in union by their character traits/personality
• Ephesians 1:17, Lord Jesus has a God. Another indication Jesus isnt God.
• Revelation 1:1, Jehovah God gave Lord Jesus a revelation. Jesus sent his angel to present the revelation to John in signs. I also would like to word it, Jesus has the revelation relayed to John by means of his angel.
• Revelation 22:16, Jesus is telling John he sent an angel to give him the message.
• 1 Corinthians 15:15, It is God who raised Christ from death.
• 1 Corinthians  15:24, Jesus hands the Kingdom back to his father
• 1 Corinthians 15:28, Jesus(Not Almighty) subjects himself to the one who subjected all things to him ( Almighty Jehovah)

Does Colossians 2:16,17 mean we can participate in Holidays with pagan origins?

Colossians 2:16,17
Therefore, do not let anyone judge you about what you eat and drink or about the observance of a festival(holiday) or of the new moon or of a sabbath. 17  Those things are a shadow of the things to come, but the reality belongs to the Christ.

At first it caught me off guard how a plagarized holiday like Christmas could honor Jesus in any sort of way. But like every other scripture, context is important.

What is the New Moon Festival? 

Source:http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200001507?q=new+moon+festival&p=par
"God’s command to Israel was that at each new moon, which marked the beginning of the lunar months of the Jewish calendar, trumpets were to be blown over their burnt offerings and communion sacrifices. (Nu 10:10) Special sacrifices were to be offered on these days besides the continual daily sacrifice. The new-moon offering was to consist of a burnt offering of two bulls, one ram, and seven year-old male lambs, with corresponding grain and wine offerings, as well as one kid of the goats for a sin offering.—Nu 28:11-15.

This is all that was commanded concerning its observance in the Pentateuch, but thenew-moon observance grew in time to become an important national festival. At Isaiah 1:13, 14 it is placed alongside Sabbaths and festal seasons. In the time of the later prophets, at least, on new-moon days the people did not engage in commercial enterprise, as is indicated at Amos 8:5. This was more than the Scriptures required fornew-moon days. Even so, as the last two cited scriptures show, the Jews’ observance of the new moon had by that time become a mere formalism, hated in Jehovah’s eyes."

What is the Sabbath?

Source: http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1101989264?q=sabbath&p=par

"Sabbath is taken from the Hebrew sha·vath′, meaning “rest, cease, desist.” The sabbatical system prescribed in the Mosaic Law included a weeklySabbath day, a number of additional specified days throughout each year, the seventh year, and the fiftieth year. The weekly Sabbath of the Jews, the seventh day of their calendar week, is from sunset on Friday until sunset on Saturday. Many professed Christians have traditionally kept Sunday as their day of rest and of worship; others have adhered to the day set aside on the Jewish calendar."

As we can see, The New moon festival and the Sabbath were the holidays God commanded the Israelites to do before Jesus died. Now lets go back to Colossians 2:17 

"Those things are a shadow of the things to come, but the reality belongs to the Christ."

Conclusion:

The bible doesnt say that it is ok to celebrate holidays with pagan origins. This was part of the message from Paul to the brothers in Co·los′sae Telling them that since Jesus died for our sins, it was no longer necessary to celebrate the holidays Jehovah had commanded of them before. And that they shouldn't judge one another about what they do on those holidays.

Are jehovahs witnesses a false prophet?

Copy and pasted from http://defendingjehovahswitnesses.blogspot.com/2010/11/false-prophet.html 

Click on any link to view:

PROPHET (Insight-2 pp. 694-698; Watchtower Online Library)
The Greek pro·phe′tes literally means “a speaker out [Gr., pro, “before” or “in front of,” and phe·mi′, “say”]” and thus describes a proclaimer, one who makes known messages attributed to a divine source. (Compare Tit 1:12.) Though this includes the thought of a predictor of the future, the fundamental meaning of the word is NOT that of prediction. (Compare Jg 6:7-10.)

Why Jehovah's Witnesses Are Not False Prophets - Does the Watchtower Society Really Claim to be an INSPIRED Prophet?(Defend Jehovah's Witnesses)

Jehovah's Witnesses and the "False Prophecies" Accusation - A Misrepresentation of the Facts (Defend Jehovah's Witnesses)

Jehovah's Witnesses and the 'False Prophet' Claim (Defend Jehovah's Witnesses)

Have Jehovah’s Witnesses Ever Claimed to be INSPIRED Prophets? (Defend Jehovah's Witnesses)

Have Jehovah's Witnesses ever claimed to be an INSPIRED prophet? (Search For Bible Truths)

Does the Watchtower Society really claim to be an inspiredprophet? (Jehovah's Witnesses Questions and Answers)

The Problem with "False Prophecy" Polemics (Bible Translation and Study)

The Churches, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the Question of Unfulfilled Prophetic Expectations (Jehovah's Witnesses United)

Dates (1914; 1975) (Search For Bible Truths)

'False Prophet' Claim and Jerusalem 607 B.C.E. (Search For Bible Truths)

The Destruction of Jerusalem - 607 B.C.? (Search For Bible Truths)

Are Jehovah's Witnesses False Prophets? (From God's Word)

Why so many False Alarms? (Pastor Russell)

Has The Watchtower Society Ever Claimed to be Infallible?(Search For Bible Truths)

Was Nathan a False Prophet? (Jehovah's Witnesses Stand Firm)

Copy and pasted from http://defendingjehovahswitnesses.blogspot.com/2010/11/false-prophet.html

Do muslims worship the same god of Christians?

 The Bible Vs Koran/Qu'ran
Is the Bible the true word of God or is the Koran the true word of God is the question we all might ask. Muslims claim that the bible became corrupted and through the prophet muhammed, The original message came back into existence. Another claim is that Jesus was an ordinary prophet like Daniel or John, and not the son of God. 

Muslims say:
"Proof" of the biblical corruption is that there are many different versions of the bible that are worded different. A prime example of this would be John 1:1. Some bibles say the Word was God. Others say the word was A god. From a Non-Christian perspective this would seem like proof. 

This is not the case because the person(s) who translated the bible, wrote down what their interpretation of the bible was. Remember, the differences are somewhat minor and the context of the scripture doesn't change much. So they convey the same intended message. What I like to do when it comes to controversial scriptures, is look at different translations so I can get a better understanding of what the Bible is saying. Of course scriptures such as John 1:1 would require you to be knowledgable on the scriptures itself, and research what the original hebrew/greek texts say.

I could make this post longer by stating scriptures that muslims take out of context that would support the idea of Muhammed, but there is one crucial factor that discredits the Qu'ran as the book of God.

Jehovah or Allah +99 ?
I find it interesting how the prophets/ in the Bible all knew God's (Personal) Name Jehovah(English translation) Yahweh/YHWH(Hebrew), but Muhammed only knew his God as Allah(Arabic for God) and his 99 qualities. YHWH was in the original Hebrew scriptures alone close to 7000 times.
7000 Times!!

Conclusion
Personal name of Islam God, Allah. Personal name of Christian God, YHWH/Yahweh/Jehovah
Therefore it is reasonable to come to the conclusion that The Koran might be the inspired word of "A god", but is not inspired by the True God in the Bible.
For more info on God's Name Click Here

Genesis 6:3 "Then Jehovah said: “My spirit will not tolerate man indefinitely, because he is only flesh. Accordingly, his days will amount to 120 years.”"

Isaiah 42:8  "I am Jehovah. That is my name; I give my glory to no one else, Nor my praise to graven images."

Genesis 3:6 "Then Jehovah said to Cain: “Why are you so angry and dejected?"

Genesis 2:4 "
This is a history of the heavens and the earth in the time they were created, in the day that Jehovah God made earth and heaven."

Proverbs 18:10 "The name of Jehovah is a strong tower. Into it the righteous runs and is given protection."

Psalms 83:18   "May people know that you, whose name is Jehovah, You alone are the Most High over all the earth."

Genesis 7:1  "After that Jehovah said to Noah: “Go into the ark, you and all your household, because you are the one I have found to be righteous before me among this generation."

Revelation 15:3 "They were singing the song of Moses the slave of God and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and wonderful are your works, Jehovah God, the Almighty. Righteous and true are your ways, King of eternity.

Clearing Up Bible "Contradictions" Part 1

*Disclaimer*
The bible can easily contradict itself if not read and comprehended in its full context

#1

Matthew 27:5 "So he threw the silver pieces into the temple and departed. Then he went off and hanged himself"

Acts 1:18,19 "(This very man, therefore, purchased a field with the wages for unrighteousness, and falling headfirst, his body burst open and all his insides spilled out. 19  This became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their language A·kel′da·ma, that is, “Field of Blood.”)"

Conclusion:

Matthew mentions his method of suicide while Acts mentions he fell headfirst. From where did he fall headfirst? It's safe to assume that he was unsuccesful in hanging himself, and that the rope or tree branch broke causing him to fall and die.

#2

Exodus 6:2,3  " Then God said to Moses: “I am Jehovah. 3  And I used to appear to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but with regard to my name Jehovah, I did not make myself known to them."
Genesis 18:3 (Abraham talking) "Then he said: “Jehovah, if I have found favor in your eyes, please do not pass by your servant."

Conclusion:

It is true that Abraham did know Jehovah's name and also knew him as God Almighty. So to get a better understanding lets look at Exodus 3:14:

" So God said to Moses: “I Will Become What I Choose to Become.” And he added: “This is what you are to say to the Israelites, ‘I Will Become has sent me to you.’”

   Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did not know the meaning of the name Jehovah which is "I will Become what I choose to become" (Other translations would say "I Am who I am")

Examples of Scriptures With Modern Day Usage Part 1

   Proverbs 19:11 "The insight of a man certainly slows down his anger,And it is beauty on his part to overlook an offense

Proverbs 27:12 "The shrewd person sees the danger and conceals himself, But the inexperienced keep right on going and suffer the consequences.
Proverbs 16:18 "Pride is before a crash,And a haughty spirit before stumbling."
Proverbs 12:1 "The one who loves discipline loves knowledge, But the one who hates reproof is unreasoning."

How you can relate to Proverbs 19:11
Example: You have a bully at school and he gives you a hard time. Normally you would fantasize on your many ways to get revenge. Little did you know, the bully has problems of his own. His dad abuses him/is unreasonable,has weight problems, no real friends, and is poor. You're basically his vent for anger. Once you realize this, you might (depending on the type of person you are) hate him less/show sympathy and might even feel guilty that you had all those negative thought about said person.
How you can relate to Proverbs 27:12
Let's say your playing Need for Speed. The unexperienced player, might keep running over the spike strips. The seasoned player would say "Your not getting me again spike strips", and then win the race/Escape the cops. Another example could apply to your household. There's only enough ice cream left in the freezer for one person, and you and your sibling both race to get it. Of course you could both try to fight for it, but things may get out of hand quickly with drastic results. You could make the sacrifice to give it up, or sacrifice your soon to be scratched up face. Your choice.
How you can relate to Proverbs 16:18
An example of dangerous pride is a Father with kids. The dad would want his kids to see him in only good light. If they make a mistake in the presense in their kids, they would find some excuse for their actions. While this isn't always bad, it can be. Since your kids see that you avoid taking responsibility for your actions, more than likely they will follow in your footsteps. As for being haughty (cocky), you most likely will hold your opinions higher than anyone else's. An example would be a teenager in high school. Studying (as boring as it is) can help you score better on your work. Most kids think that studying is unnecessary and a waste of time. The kids who study more, will obviously get the better grade.
How you can relate to Proverbs 12:1
This coincides with Proverbs 16:18 above. We all know that discipline sucks, even though it is meant to teach a lesson. Some might find ways to work around the discipline. While it might seem like a good idea, all you're doing is teaching yourself how to escape punishment.

Who is Jehovah?

Psalms 83:18   "May people know that you, whose name is Jehovah, You alone are the Most High over all the earth."

Exodus 6:2,3  " Then God said to Moses: “I am Jehovah. 3  And I used to appear to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but with regard to my name Jehovah, I did not make myself known to them.

Revelation 15:3 "They were singing the song of Moses the slave of God and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and wonderful are your works, Jehovah God, the Almighty. Righteous and true are your ways, King of eternity.

Isaiah 42:8  "I am Jehovah. That is my name; I give my glory to no one else, Nor my praise to graven images."

Jehovah is the name of the God in the Bible

Why don't I see Jehovah in my Bible?
God's name was in the the original Hebrew Texts  around 7,000 times.The most mentioned name throughout the whole book. Of course it wasn't Jehovah, but instead it was in old Hebrew texts written as YHWH. Since only a few knew his original name,(Im talking about the Jews right now) the majority were not aware of the correct pronunciation. Out of fear for pronouncing it wrong and being disrespectful, they replaced his name with the word Adonai(Lord). This is why in most translations of the Bible, you will find LORD(All Caps) or GOD(All Caps) in the same place that YHWH would be.

If his original name is YHWH, where did Jehovah come from?
Since I try to make my posts as short and potent as possible, I simply cannot go into full detail on how this came about. But if you are interested, here's some articles that describe it better.
Click Here To Read It.


Why is it important for your bible to contain God's name in it?
Well there can be many benefits. People usually confuse Jesus and Jehovah as the same person, since they are both called Lord in the bible. Also, Jehovah appears more times in the bible than Jesus. Most people don't even know who Jehovah/YHWH/Yahweh is, simply because of the lack of his name being used in the scriptures.

Psalms 145:18 "Jehovah is near to all those calling on him, To all who call on him in truth"

Romans 10 :13 "For “everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved.”

He clearly wants us to use him name. Even gods of the pagan religions had names. It's only fair that we address our God by his name aswell.

The "Hell" fabrication exposed by the Bible

Click Here for Simplified Version

People think "Hell" is a place where people are tortured with fire. Others say that it's a place where you are tortured by being sepearated by God. Others also say that It is a place where you simply cease to exist so you can't be tortured. Which interpretation does the bible agree with?

What does the Bible say happens when we die?

*(NWT)Ecclesiastes 9:5  "For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing at all, nor do they have any more reward, because all memory of them is forgotten."

This scripture states that the dead are conscious of nothing at all. How could you be in pain when your are sleeping? Let us quote another scripture that supports this thought.

    *(NWT) Psalms 146:4 " .His spirit goes out, he returns to the ground; On that very day his thoughts perish.
  
   1 Thessalonians 4:13" Moreover, brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who are sleeping [in death], so that you may not sorrow as the rest do who have no hope."

      Psalms 13:3 Look upon me and answer me, O Jehovah my God. Give light to my eyes, so that I may not fall asleep in death,
  
   *(NWT)John 11: 11-14".........: “Laz′a·rus our friend has fallen asleep, but I am traveling there to awaken him.” 12 .........“Lord, if he is sleeping, he will get well.” 13 Jesus, however, had spoken about his death. But they imagined he was speaking about taking rest in sleep.14 Then Jesus said to them plainly: “Laz′a·rus has died,
    
   Here we can see how Jesus compared his friend Lazarus death to sleeping.

What is Hell?
If we go by what the scriptures say. Hell would be synonomous with Sheol(Hebrew) and Hades(Greek). We know this because in the Septuagint[Greek translation of the O.T.], Hades is replaced with Sheol. Another word synonomys to these are Pit. These words all cary the connotation of the Unified grave of Mankind. Which is why you will also see It translated Grave. The word hell came later on and in many bibles, mashes up 3 different words into one. Which is why I sometimes hesitate using the word because of the deception is carries with it. The following words usually translated as hell are Hades,Gehenna, and Tartarus. I will get into these later.

Can Hades and Lake of Fire be the Same place?

(NWT)Revelations 20:13-15 "And the sea gave up the dead in it, and death and the Grave [/Hades/Sheol gave up the dead in them, and they were judged individually according to their deeds. 14 And death and the Grave were hurled into the lake of fire. This means the second death, the lake of fire. 15 Furthermore, whoever was not found written in the book of life was hurled into the lake of fire."

Not only are we told that Hades will be thrown into the fire, We are also told "this means the second death,the lake of fire". So this lake of fire seems to be symbolic. Let's continue with other scriptures.

Does Numbers 16:28-35 Prove the dead are Conscious?(The answer is no)

Click Here(Opens in new tab)



What is the Lake of Fire(Second Death)?

*(NWT)Revelation 20: 14,15 "And death and the Grave were hurled into the lake of fire. This means the second death, the lake of fire.15 Furthermore, whoever was not found written in the book of life was hurled into the lake of fire."

At this point it should be obvious that the lake that burns with fire and sulfur is the lake of fire, but i'll post the scriptures for further verification. Revelations 21:8
"..........their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This means the second death.”"

Two times it has been said the lake of fire means the second death. It's clear at this point that God want's us to know that this fire means, the second death. He also wants us to know how what "second death" actually means. What exactly is this everlasting fire? That is also mentioned in Revelation 20:10?
" And the Devil...... was hurled into the lake of fire and sulfur, ........ and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever"

 The following scriptures are going to tell us.

Sodom and Gomorrah hit with Symbolic everlasting fire
Jude 7 "....... Sod′om and Go·mor′rah and the cities ......and pursued unnatural fleshly desires; they are placed before us as a warning example by undergoing the judicial punishment of everlasting fire."

Genesis 19:24 "Then Jehovah made it rain sulfur and fire on Sod′om and Go·mor′rah—it came from Jehovah, from the heavens."

2Peter 2:6 "And by reducing the cities of Sod′om and Go·mor′rah to ashes, he condemned them, setting a pattern for ungodly people of things to come."

Now which of the Following did God do?
A. Literally Torture Sodom and Gomorrah with  fire
B. Spiritually seperate them(Keep in mind God destroyed them because of this reason)
C. Annihilate Sodom and Gomorrah and it's residents

If you chose A. Go back to school. If you choose B. Go back to school. If you chose C. You Passed.
Keep in mind fire has been used before to show destruction.
Numbers 16:30"......you will certainly know that these men have treated Jehovah disrespectfully."
Numbers 16:35" Then a fire came out from Jehovah and consumed the 250 men offering the incense."
Numbers 11:1"Now the people began to complain bitterly before Jehovah.......and a fire from Jehovah began to blaze against them and to consume some on the outskirts of the camp."

Gehenna?[Hint,Lake of fire]

I*(NWT)Luke 12:5 "But I will show you whom to fear: Fear the One who after killing has authority to throw into Ge·hen′na. Yes, I tell you, fear this One.

*(NWT)Matthew 5:22 "However, I say to you that everyone who continues wrathful with his brother ................. whoever says, ‘You despicable fool!’ will be liable to the fiery Ge·hen′na."

If Gehenna was synonomys with Sheol, then this wouldnt make sense. Jacob himself went to Sheol when he died. Job also wouldnt have requested to be sent there.

Genesis 42:38"[The righteous man Jacob]However, he said: “My son will not go down with you, because his brother is dead and he alone is left. If a fatal accident should befall him on the journey you would make, then you would certainly bring down my gray hairs to the Grave[Hades/Sheol] in grief.”

Job 14:3[Job requesting to be sent to Hades to chill?]"Oh that you would hide me in Sheol, that you would conceal me until your wrath be past, that you would appoint me a set time, and remember me!"

Historical background: The Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna) was outside the walls of Jerusalem. For a time it was the site of idolatrous worship, including child sacrifice. In the first century Gehenna was being used as the incinerator for the filth of Jerusalem. Bodies of dead animals were thrown into the valley to be consumed in the fires, to which sulfur, or brimstone, was added to assist the burning. Also bodies of executed criminals, who were considered undeserving of burial in a memorial tomb, were thrown into Gehenna.

Continuation of Gehenna.

Matthew 10:28 "And do not become fearful of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, fear him who can destroy both soul and body in Ge·hen′na

Both body and soul will be destroyed in the lake of fire. There is no destruction going on in Hades. 

Other scriptures where annihilation is obvious.

2 Peter 3:7".......reserved for fire and are being kept until the day of judgment and of destruction of the ungodly people."

1 Corinthians 3 16:17 "Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple+ and that the spirit of God dwells in you?+ 17  If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him; for the temple of God is holy, and you are that temple."

2 Thessalonians 1:9 " These very ones will undergo the judicial punishment of everlasting destruction from before the Lord and from the glory of his strength, "

Proverbs 27:20"Sheol[Hades] and destruction are not satisfied, And the eyes of man are not satisfied."

Proverbs 15:11"Hell and destruction are before the LORD: how much more then the hearts of the children of men?"

What is Tartarus?


Click here and find out


Why would Jesus preach so Urgently if Hell 
isn't Literal?

Romans 6:23 "For the wages sin pays is death, but the gift God gives is everlasting life by Christ Jesus our Lord."

Jesus wants us all to recieve the gift of Everlasting life.

For More Answers on Hell/Lake of Fire/Tartarus Click Here