Physical death is something we don’t like to think about. It means the end of physical life, and it always leaves us feeling as if a part of us is missing, especially if the person who has passed away is a family member. For those who have not accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, it can leave a feeling of despair and loss, that we’ll never see that person again. However, for those who have asked Jesus to be their Lord and Savior, it isn’t goodbye forever, it’s “I’ll see you later.” Why? Because we know that we will see that person again in Heaven. The Apostle Paul explained that we have this hope because of Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the dead. He tells us, “When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ ‘O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” ( 1 Corinthians 15:54b-27 ESV) When Jesus died and rose again, He canceled Eternal death, sin, and the grave.
I have seen the difference between the passing of a Believer and the passing of an unbeliever. Those left behind have a completely different expectation in each circumstance. When I was in my Sophomore year of high school my Grandma Ingersoll, on my mother’s side, passed away on Mother’s Day, after a prolonged illness. That side of my family were unbelievers, even though some went to church, they didn’t have a personal relationship with Jesus. My Aunt and Grandpa were beyond devastated. There was no hope of seeing my Grandmother again. Later that Fall, (my Junior year of high school) my Grandma Jones, on my father’s side, passed away and the difference between both funerals was night and day. We celebrated my Grandmother’s life. Grandpa and my immediate family knew without a shadow of a doubt that we would see Grandma again because she KNEW Jesus intimately! My Dad’s brother (my Uncle and his family) did not have that assurance because they didn’t know Jesus as Savior. Our entire family stayed at my Grandparent’s home for the few days we were together for the funeral, and my Uncle couldn’t sleep at night, because he didn’t have that assurance. He paced the floor all night long. I remember thinking how sad it was for him. My Dad tried witnessing to him, and right before my Uncle died, I wrote him a letter outlining the plan of salvation and invited him to ask Jesus to be his Savior. When he died, the priest mentioned that my Uncle had bought a stained-glass window for the church, and all I could think was, “He thought he could buy his way into Heaven.” That made me sad. I don’t know if my Uncle ever asked Jesus to save him.
As Believers, we do not need to despair when death comes because Jesus has taken care of that for us. His resurrection shows us that there is life after death. The Apostle John tells us, “ When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.” (Revelation 1:17-18 NASB 1995) When Jesus died, He paid for everyone’s sins, He was buried for three days, and during that time, the Bible says He went to Hell, took the keys of sin, death, and Hell from Satan, and conquered them, giving us hope that we do not need to fear death or the grave. For the Born-again Believer, our future is bright because we know we will live with Jesus for all eternity, all our sins have been forgiven, and we are washed by the blood of the Lamb of God, and we will see our loved ones who have been saved, again. By taking the keys of sin, death, and the grave from Satan, Jesus canceled eternal death! We have HOPE! We don’t have to fear death or the grave ever!
donnasmusings 