What does Ecclesiastes 3:19-21 mean?

I know what you mean. Our pets are examples of unconditional love and we do love them. I believe that the verses do not support this idea though. It really just states that we are no better than an animal, that we both live and die, returning to dust. Ecclesiastes 12:7 goes on to say "then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it. It then becomes a question of if animals have a spirit and a soul.

Ecclesiastes 3 19

Ecclesiastes Chapter 3

The writer of Ecclesiastes identified that people had been simply an additional type of animals, and that there used to be no evidence that people had an afterlife up within the sky or animals had an afterlife beneath the bottom. If you learn all of Ecclesiastes, you'll be able to uncover that the writer emphasised residing lifestyles as a substitute of obsessing approximately imagined afterlives. Note that the final few verses had been tacked on through a later editor who used to be seeking to sanitize the guide, and that the ones verses contradict the message of Ecclesiastes' truly writer.

Good question. In order to understand the book of Ecclessiastes, you must understand who it is written to. It is addressed to the man "walking under the sun". In 1st Corinthians 15:44, we find that man has 2 bodies = a flesh body and a spirit body. Ecclessiastes 12:7 tells us that at the moment the flesh body dies, the spiritual body within us immediately returns to God (compare 2nd Corinthians 5:7-8). Therefore, to answer your question, Eccles. 3:19-21 is pointing out how hopeless life in the flesh is. All flesh eventually fades and returns to the dust it was made from. The whole point of Ecclessiastes is that man without God is hopeless, and will never find peace of mind. However, the inner man, if it meets the conditions set forth in the new covenant / contract, can obtain eternal hope and hapiness by inheriting the kingdom of heave and living forever. This is why its written in Matthew 6:19-21 that man shouldn't seek treasure on earth which will fade away, but rather, treasure in heaven ! The only thing man can take with us after we die is our works (Revelation 14:13). Those who overcome Satan and enter the kingdom of heaven will wear robes that are made up from linen that is earned from their works on earth (Revelation 19:8). Many will make it into the kingdom due to faith (believing), but will not have any righteous works. These souls will be naked as a jay bird in front of God and the angels ! As it states in James 2:17, faith without works is dead. If we truely believe, we will have the works to prove it !

Animal and people **are souls**; they **don't have a soul**. When you examine the way “soul” or “souls” is used in the bible, it becomes evident that this word basically refers to (1) people, (2) animals, or (3) the life that a person or an animal enjoys.

So, as Ecclesiastes 3:19-21 explains, they are "all are **going to one place**. They have all come to be from the dust, and they are **all returning to the dust**. Who is there knowing the spirit of the sons of mankind, whether it is ascending upward; and the spirit of the beast, whether it is descending downward to the earth?”

(Because of the inheritance of sin and death from Adam, ****humans all die and return to the dust, as animals do****. But does each human have a spirit that goes on living as an intelligent personality after it ceases to function in the body? No; verse 19 answers that **humans and beasts “all have but one spirit.”** Based merely on human observation, no one can authoritatively answer the question raised in verse 21 regarding the spirit. But God’s Word answers that there is nothing that humans have as a result of birth that gives them superiority over beasts when they die. However, because of God’s merciful provision through Christ, ******the prospect of living forever has been opened up to humans who exercise faith, but not to animals******. For many of mankind, that will be made possible by resurrection, when active life-force from God will invigorate them again.) [Since John 5:28,29, says: "Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned, we can expect humans to be resurrected in the near future.]

In Luke 23:46: “Jesus called with a loud voice and said: ‘Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit [Greek, pneu′ma′].’ When he had said this, he expired.” (Notice that **Jesus expired**. When his spirit went out **he was not on his way to heaven. Not until the third day from this was Jesus resurrected from the dead.** Then, as Acts 1:3, 9 shows, it was 40 more days before he ascended to heaven. So, what is the meaning of what Jesus said at the time of his death? ****He was saying that he knew that, when he died, his future life prospects rested entirely with God.****http://www.watchtower.org/e/bh/appendix_07.htm

The Jehovah's Witnesses go door to door, distribute the Watchtower and Awake magazines, deny the Trinity, the deity of Christ, and deny his physical resurrection. It is a cult by definition.

The author (possibly Solomon) is not stating these as fact, he is stating them as suppositions in the context of questioning the meaning of life.

Chapter 3 that you cite questions hope in God and presupposes, we are just like the animals, maybe there is no meaning to life and we are no better than the animals? Wrong. Chapther 4, promotions and advancement, maybe that is the meaing? Wrong. Chapter 7 says, maybe it's Wisdom that is the meaing of life. Wrong.

Finally Chapter 12 concludes it is your Creator God that is the meaning of life, not these other things.

Therefore to support Scripture with Scripture, read the entirety of Ecclesiastes in context with the whole book.

"What you do to the least of these you do unto me"……Jesus was clearly including animals