I remember as a JW kid listening to a special talk about life after death by Lester Dugan, a circuit overseer whose mother attended our Kingdom Hall. I don't think he was our circuit servant (in fact I'm pretty sure he was not), but he would visit our hall about twice a year when he took time to see his elderly mom.
His talk was about life after death and achieving paradise through good works and staying active in the preaching work. After nearly 60 years, I remember very little of the bulk of his talk, but I do remember a couple of questions that he answered afterwards:
Q. When a member of the 144,000 anointed ones dies, how are they transformed?
Dugan: Since 1918 those who are anointed and die in faithfulness to Jehovah and Jesus will be transformed from their human shell directly into spirit and will ascend into heaven as Jesus did. Upon arrival, that chosen one will be seated next to Jesus and be gathered to the other chosen ones.
Q. When someone with the earthly hope dies, how will they know if they made it through the resurrection and into paradise earth?
Dugan: To them it will be an instant transformation as well. Because the "dead know nothing" when they are dead, during the period of their death they have no sensation of anything at all. So if they are faithful members of the earthly class, upon their death they will wake up to a paradise around them. It will seem immediate to them - as if they had not waited at all. What a wonderful blessing to those loved ones and those ancient worthies who served Jehovah faithfully. Imagine those Israelite soldiers who followed Joshua and David into battle against the enemies of Jehovah's kingdom; killed by a Hittite sword one minute and waking up in paradise the next.
Q. So if one of our loved ones (those who are faithful) die from accident, disease, or old age - are you saying that to them there is no waiting for paradise?
Dugan: In a sense, that is true. Think of life before you were born, whether that was thousands or even millions of years. To you everything began the day you were born. You were in your mother's womb alive, but unknowing - and then you are born and aware of your surroundings. That is the way it is for Jehovah's faithful followers when they die. The grave is like a womb holding them until their rebirth into paradise with a perfect body.
He wrapped up his talk by assuring us all in the audience that we should not be too sad when one of our loved ones or "friends in the truth" dies. Yes, we will miss them, but for them the transformation will seem instantaneous. Unlike the Catholics that believe in holding places like Limbo and Purgatory, or places of eternal punishment like Hell, Jehovah's Witnesses know that death is not something to fear, but to look forward to - instant transformation from imperfect life in an awful world, to a perfect life in a perfect body in a garden like Eden.
When Richard Dawkins was asked if (as an atheist) he was afraid of dying, he replied that he had not existed for billions of years and did just fine. Before he was born he felt no pain, no anxiety, no feelings at all. He figured that when he died that he would simply return to that same condition that he enjoyed before he was born.
So for those of you who believe in life after death, if Dugan was right, then you should know instantly upon your death where you will end up. I figure it will be like the time I had to undergo major surgery that took well over an hour. The nurse that was managing my anathesia hooked me up and asked if I was ready. I figured that I would either wake up or I wouldn't. Either way would be painless. He tapped me on my clavical and said "have a nice rest." What seemed to be an instant I woke up in ICU in a recovery bed with my family all around telling me that everything went well and that I would be fine. To me it seemed as if I closed my eyes and then opened them a second later in an entirely different environment.
JV
