INTRODUCTION
In this book, I want to cover some basic Biblical truths related to death and dying. Having been in the ministry for over fifty-seven years, I have seen many individuals die. I have been with families as they approached this time with a loved one and have seen the stress, worry and fear grip them. Questions arose like “What is going to happen to them?” “What will I do without them?” “Will I ever get to see them again?”
Death and the hereafter are unknown. Without a Biblical understanding of what God says about it one is left to their own imagination and fear, or popular theories that are propagated by world religions.
We will look at numerous passages in the Bible that give us an understanding of what God says about death. We will see from Scripture that God created man to live forever, both physically and spiritually. By man’s disobedience death came to reign (Rom.5:12). The day Adam ate the forbidden fruit he died spiritually, that is he was separated from God (Gen.3:24). He did not die physically that day, but lived for a total of 930 years (Gen.5:5). The Bible speaks of both types of death. Those outside of Christ are alive physically but are spiritually dead (Eph.2:1). Those in Christ may die physically but are alive in God’s presence eternally (2 Cor.5:8).
There is a lot to learn about death and dying. In this book, we will try to answer more questions than we raise and hopefully bring some understanding and peace to those who want to know what death holds for them and their loved ones.
BIBLICAL HISTORY OF DEATH
The Bible teaches that man is more than a physical creature; he is also a spiritual being. For man, therefore, physical death does not mean the end of existence but the end of life as we know it and the transition to another dimension in which our conscious existence continues.
The Bible speaks of death in a threefold way: physical, spiritual, and eternal. The first physical death of a human being recorded in the Bible is that of Abel, who was murdered by his brother Cain (Gen 4:8). However, death itself, in both the physical and spiritual sense, is first mentioned by God Himself (Gen 2:17). In the Genesis account of the FALL both physical and spiritual death comes as a result of sin (Rom 5:12-21).
Because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23), all men are spiritually dead-separated from God who is the Source of spiritual life. Sin makes a person hate the light and despise the truth; it causes one to break God’s laws and become insensitive to holy things. Everyone who has not been redeemed by Christ is spiritually dead (Luke 15:32; Eph 2:1-3; Col 2:13).
Old Testament Statements About Death
Before we go further in our study, I think it will do us good to get an overview of some things the Old Testament has to say about death.
Breathed their last –
Genesis 25:8 “Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.”
Genesis 35:29 “So Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people, being old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.”
Change–
Job 14:14 “If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, till my change comes.”
Going to the fathers–
Genesis 15:15 “Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age.”
Deuteronomy 31:16 ‘And the LORD said to Moses: “Behold, you will rest with your fathers; and this people will rise and play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them.”
Genesis 49:33 “And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.”
Way of no return–
Job 16:22 “For when a few years are finished, I shall go the way of no return.”
Going down into silence–
Psalm 115:17 “The dead do not praise the LORD, nor any who go down into silence.”
Return to dust–
Genesis 3:19 ‘In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust, you shall return.”
Psalm 104:29 “You hide Your face, they are troubled; You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.”
Job 7:21 “Why then do You not pardon my transgression, and take away my iniquity? For now, I will lie down in the dust, and You will seek me diligently, but I will no longer be.”
Sleep–
Job 14:12 “So man lies down and does not rise. Till the heavens are no more, they will not awake nor be roused from their sleep.”
Daniel 12:2 “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.”
Some New Testaments Statements About Death
Put off this tent–
2 Peter 1:14 “Knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me.”
Requiring the soul-
Luke 12:20 “But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’”
Sleep-
John 11:11 “These things He said, and after that, He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”
Acts 7:60 “Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”
Acts 13:36 “For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption;”
1 Corinthians 15:6 “After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep.”
1 Corinthians 15:18-19 “Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”
1 Thessalonians 4:14 “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.”
Those Who Have Escaped Death
Out of all the billions of people who have lived on earth, only two have escaped death. A statement that we find often in the book of Genesis is that someone lived so many years and then died (Gen.5). Death comes to all, with the exception of Enoch and Elijah.
Enoch-
Genesis 5:24 “And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.”
Hebrews 11:5 “By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.”
Elijah-
2 Kings 2:11 “Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.”
Believers at the Return of the Lord
We have the promise of God that at the return of the Lord there will be believers on earth who will not die but be caught up to meet the Lord in the air.
1 Corinthians 15:50-52 “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed — in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 “For this, we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”
Examples of the Righteous Dying
Jacob-
Hebrews 11:21 “By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.”
Joseph-
Hebrews 11:22 “By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones.”
Moses-
Deuteronomy 34:5-7 “So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor; but no one knows his grave to this day. Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor diminished.”
David-
1 Kings 2:1-2 “Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying: “I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man.”
1 Kings 2:10 “So David rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David.”
Stephen-
Acts 7:59-60 “And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”
Paul-
2 Timothy 4:6-8 “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
From all the above Scriptures several things become apparent.
- Death does not cause one to cease being. Death involves a change of location. It involves a change of existence – from a physical entity to a spiritual entity. The physical body decays but the soul and spirit continue to exist in another dimension.
- For the righteous death does not have to be feared. We see examples of Godly people looking forward to death. They had assurance that what was waiting for them was better than where they were and they wanted to go there.
Death can be either an enemy or a doorway into whatever is next. Our relationship with the Lord is the determining factor as to which of these it will be. We will look at these in more depth.
DEATH AS AN ENEMY
Death as an enemy becomes a reality to all of us regardless if we are Christian or not. To those who know Jesus Christ as Lord, death is an enemy who comes in and takes our loved ones from us. The same is true for an unbeliever. Death is an enemy. We are not prepared for it because it was not in God’s original plan. God is a God of life, not death.
Death for the Disobedient
For Sin-
Genesis 2:17 “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” You know the story, Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the forbidden tree, and death began in the human race. They were separated from God instantly and died physically several hundred years later.
Sodomites-
Genesis 19:12-13 “Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city — take them out of this place! For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it.” All sin is disgusting to God. He loves sinners but hates sin. Some sins require the death penalty when the sinner refuses to repent after rejecting multiple opportunities. So it was in Lot’s day.
Genesis 19:24-25 “Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens. So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.”
Saul-
1 Chronicles 10:13-14 “So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance. But he did not inquire of the LORD; therefore He killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.”
You may recall that God wanted Israel to be a theocracy but the people saw that the countries around them had kings so they wanted one. God told them through His prophet Samuel that having a king was not His plan. Nevertheless, they continually asked for one. Eventually, God gave them Saul who in the beginning was a good king, but at the aforementioned time disobeyed God. This event was the last in a list of times when he turned from God. He paid for it with his life.
Nabal-
1 Samuel 25:38 “Then it happened, after about ten days, that the LORD struck Nabal, and he died.” David and his men came to Nabal’s house needing food and water. He refused even though David’s men had acted as protectors of his flock years before. His wife Abigail used great wisdom and humility thereby preserving Nabal’s life. Yet God took his life through a heart attack (1 Sam.25:37) and he died ten days later.
Ananias & Sapphira-
Acts 5:3-5 “But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God. Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things.” People in the Jerusalem church were giving their surplus resources to help those in need. Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold some property and said they were giving all the proceeds from the sale to the church. But they lied and keep back some of it for themselves. After he died his wife came in later and the same thing happened to her.
Evildoers-
Psalm 37:1-2 “Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.”
Psalm 37:9-10 “For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the LORD, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; indeed, you will look carefully for his place, but it shall be no more.”
Death for the Righteous
We see death as an enemy because we have a desire to live eternally. Too often it cuts off life before its purpose is fulfilled (2 Tim.4:6-8).
Paul, in the midst of a discussion about the resurrection, says that the last enemy to be destroyed will be death (1 Cor.15:26). Because of sin, we will all face death if we are not among those living at the time of Jesus’ return. It is inevitable. But there are some things we can do to prepare for it and make that event a glorious one.
When Facing Your Death or the Death of a Friend
There are several things you can do. They include:
- Remember Jesus is with you (Mt.28:19-20).
- Pray according to the promises of God. He has promised healing and life in many passages in the Bible. Read and re-read those verses. Pray them for the person needing healing. Speak them out loud to yourself and others.
- Be persistent. Don’t give up. Keep doing it until they get healed or the Lord tells you to stop. Will He ever tell you to stop? Yes, He may. I remember while pastoring in Tennessee several years ago that we had been praying for a man for several months and he got no better. We had fasted and called days of prayer on numerous occasions. Nothing was working. Finally one day in prayer the Lord told me to not pray for him anymore because he did not have faith for his healing. He told me the man was going to die within a certain time and he did. On another occasion in Louisville, we had three people in the church who were battling cancer. We fasted and prayed for about two years. They did not get better. Again while in prayer one day the Lord told me that He was not going to heal them but take them home within six months and that I should not pray for their healing anymore. Before the six months were up they had all died. Keep standing for their healing until the Lord tells you to stop.
- What if they die? God knows things we don’t know (Deut.29:29). There are some things we may never know until we see Him face to face.
- The place of faith. There are occasions in the Bible where people did not get healed because they had little or no faith. There are other occasions when people were not healed and faith is not mentioned at all. A lack of faith could be standing in the way or the cause may be something else. Don’t get hung up on one thing. Open your heart to God and see what He says.
- Dying grace. I have been at the bedside of many believers when they passed from this life and have seen the peace and tranquility in them as they left this world. I remember some who in the days preceding their death were filled with anxiety. Then within hours of their dying suddenly the anxiety goes away and they become peaceful. This is called dying grace. God is giving them the grace (ability) to face death without fear.
Common Emotions When Facing Death
There are some negative as well as positive emotions that people often experience before death.
Negative
- Fear. Almost always unbelievers express fear because they do not know what the future holds for them. Sometimes uninformed believers also experience this fear. But as the Word of God is shared with them about the promises of God this fear will leave.
- Doubt. Questions like, “Is God really going to meet me or take care of me?” “Is everything right between God and me?” are often on the lips of the dying. Again the way to resolve this is with the Word of God.
- Depression. Many times depression comes in when the dying person realizes that things they wanted to accomplish will be left undone.
Positive
- Strength when others are standing with you. On numerous occasions, I have heard it mentioned by the survivors that they experienced great strength as their friends were praying for them.
- Peace. Scripture tells us that the peace of God will guard our hearts and mind (Phil.4:6-7).
- Joy. I have known of individuals who at their passing were filled with overflowing joy because of their assurance of where they were going and the fact that soon they would get to see Jesus face to face. On several occasions, I recall individuals who in the process of dying would describe what they were seeing. It seemed that they were somewhere between earth and Heaven. They were still alive on earth but they were seeing into Heaven and would describe what they saw. I remember one man who when asked by his wife what he was seeing said I cannot describe it. And if I could you would not understand. This sounds like the Apostle Paul saying that on his visit to Heaven he saw unutterable things (2 Cor.12:3-4).
So death is coming but for the believer, it has lost its terror. The promise of God is found in 1 Corinthians 15:51-57 which says, “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed — in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
DEATH AS A GATEWAY
Let’s look at the Scripture to see how death can be a gateway to the next world.
John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
John 3:5 “Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
John 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life, and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
Jesus declares that until one is born again he cannot see or enter the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is the reign of the King in our life. When one is born again Jesus comes, via the Spirit, to live in our human spirit. Until that happens one is spiritually dead and blind. He has no eternal life.
Ephesians 2:1-6 says, “And you, He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” Do you see what these verses are saying to us? We were spiritually dead in sins. We lived like the world around us. We were under the control of the evil one, Satan. We lived according to the desires of the flesh. But God was merciful to us because He loved us so much. He sent Jesus to take our place on the Cross. He died our death. Through the forgiveness of our sin, He raised us up together and seated us with Him before the Father. Those who have been born again, (made Jesus their Lord and Savior) now have the life of God in them. They will never die eternally, that is the second death but will live for eternity. They may die physically but now possess eternal life.
The Scriptures also say that we have His life springing up within us. John 4:13-14 says, “Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
John 5:24 says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” Because you are in Jesus you have eternal life. It is the same life that He possesses. The old way of doing things is forgiven and gone. You have right standing before the Father (Rom.5:1). Your name is inscribed in the Lamb’s book of life. You are a new creation.
Citizenship in Heaven
You are a citizen of Heaven. Philippians 3:20-21 says, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.” Now you are ready to live this life for God’s glory and now you are prepared to see death as a gateway to the next life!
Absent from the Body
1 Corinthians 15:50-51 says, “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed — in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” Notice that when the dead are raised they have an incorruptible body.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 says, “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this, we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord, Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
Several things stand out to me from this passage.
- God does not want us to be ignorant about Jesus’ return.
- God does not want us to sorrow like unbelievers who have no hope.
- He wants us to know that living believers will not precede those who have died in Christ.
- The dead believers will be raised to life, and the living believers will be changed from their natural bodies to glorified ones.
- We all will be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air.
For the believer, death is a gateway to Heaven. As good as this life may be, Heaven is better. In chapter five we will look at some of the things that will be there. But first, let’s see what happens when we die.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DIE
Man is a tri-partite being composed of spirit, soul, and body (1 Thess.5:23). The three parts are further divided into two parts the inner man and the outer man (2 Cor.4:6). The outer man is the body and the inner man is composed of the soul and spirit.
When a non-believer makes Jesus his Savior and Lord it is his spirit that is born again (Jn.3:6). The life of God comes into his spirit and he is made a new creation (2 Cor.5:17).
For the believer, at death his spirit leaves his body to go to God and his body returns to the ground (Ecc.12:7). The Apostle Paul addressed this in the book of Philippians when he spoke of his desire to depart and be with Christ (Phil.1:23). He said that though this was his desire he knew that if he stayed in his body it would be more beneficial for them.
2 Corinthians 5:1-8 says, “For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”
Several things stand out to me from this passage. They are:
- Our body is called an earthly house and a tent.
- Eventually, it will die – be destroyed or corrupted.
- When that happens we have a habitation or body prepared by God which is eternal
- Paul said we groan desiring to receive that body so that mortality would be overcome by life.
- This has been God’s intent all along that we would have an existence fully in the life of God.
- He said that to be absent from the body was to be present with the Lord.
So for the believer to die is gain! He is graduating into the manifest presence of God. He gets to see Him face to face! It is a glorious event.
On the other hand, if a person who is not born again dies it is not a glorious time. Jesus tells a parable in Luke 16:19-31 about a rich man and a poor man. The rich man enjoyed all the best things in life but exhibited no godly characteristics. But the poor man, Lazarus, apparently knew the Lord for at his death he was taken into Abraham’s bosom. When the rich man died he went to Hades and was in great torment. He cried for mercy and that Abraham would send Lazarus with water to lessen his torment from the flames. Abraham responded that he could not do it for there was a great chasm between where he was and where Lazarus was. He then requested Abraham to send Lazarus to his father’s house and warn his five brothers not to come to this place. But Abraham responds that they have Moses and the prophets let them hear them. The rich man thought that if one rose from death and came to speak with them that they would listen. But Abraham said that if they would not hear Moses and the prophets they would not be persuaded by one who rose from the dead.
All of that is to say that there is an extreme difference between the death of a believer and one who does not know Jesus Christ as Savior. Not only a difference in their destination but in their death as well.
To die as a believer is similar to Jacob in Genesis 49 who after prophesying to each of his children “…drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people” (Gen.49:33).
Or like Jesus who when dying for us on the Cross said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Lke.23:46).
Or like Paul who said in 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
Or as Lazarus who at his death was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom (Lk.16:22).
At death, we have nothing to fear. God will be with us. He has promised to never leave or forsake us (Mt.28:19-20). Paul also said in Romans 8:38-39, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Rejoice with those who are rejoicing, they are going to meet Jesus!
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER DEATH
To better understand what happens after death, we need to see what God’s original intention was for man.
God’s Original Plan
Notice what the Word says in Genesis 1:26-28, “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Man was created in the image and likeness of God. That says a lot about God’s plan for mankind. God gave him dominion over His creation. God blessed him and told him to be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. In saying these things He was giving Adam His general plan for mankind. He further told Adam that he could eat of every tree in the Garden except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He wanted Adam to know good and evil based on what He said not what they experienced. He said that if you eat of it you will die (Gen.2:17). This is the first mention of death. Death was a foreign thing in God’s creation. It was not in God’s original plan for man.
After Adam and Even sinned they were driven out of the Garden of Eden because God did not want them to eat of the tree of life and remain in their fallen condition for eternity (Gen.3:22). After they left the Garden a flaming sword (perhaps an angel) was placed there to guard the tree of life.
God’s Plan for the Future
After all the events of the end-time have occurred, as referred to in the first twenty chapters of Revelation, then God shows us what eternity will be like.
Revelation 21:1 “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also, there was no more sea.” For one who had been exiled on the Isle of Patmos having no more sea meant no more separation from those he loved and wanted to be with.
Revelation 21:3 “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.” Be with God for eternity! What a joy and sense of fulfillment that will be! This will satisfy a desire that is in the heart of all believers. That ‘God-shaped vacuum’ within will be totally filled with the glory of God as we get to spend eternity in the presence of God and all that the New Heaven possesses.
Revelation 21:4 “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
Notice what has been removed:
- All tears are wiped away.
- No more death.
- No sorrow.
- No crying.
- No more pain.
- Former things have passed away.
Revelation 21:6-7 “And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.” That desire that is in the heart of believers to experience the life of God will be met. The life of God will that we have now in our regenerated spirit will be expressed and experienced to the max! We will get to enjoy our inheritance to the full. There are many things about our inheritance in Christ that we enjoy in this life. But none of us have ever gotten into all of it. In fact, we do not even know what all is in that inheritance! But we will when we see Him face to face!
Revelation 21:22 “But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.” No need for a temple when you have the Lamb of God and Father God present! No need for a picture when the person is present! Worship will be unhindered!
Revelation 21:23 “The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.” No need for the son or the moon to give light when the glory of God is unhindered!
Revelation 21:25 “Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).” How could there be night there as we know it, there is no sun or moon and the place is illuminated by the glory of God. There is no reason to shut the gate of the New Jerusalem because there is nothing present that will do harm.
Revelation 22:1 “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.” Do you get the idea that God is all about life? He wants us to experience His life in all things. There is an abundance of the water of life and now we see the river of life.
Revelation 22:2 “In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” Now we see the tree of life that was in the Garden of Eden. The difference is that whereas it was restricted to fallen man’s use there, it is now fully accessible. The tree bore twelve fruits a different one each month. The leaves on the tree were for the healing or health of the nations.
Revelation 22:3 “And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.” The curse that came into existence when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden is now completely removed. No longer is there a curse on the ground or one that affects childbirth and labor. No longer is there a devil around to harass humans. Now we get to serve and worship God unhindered.
Revelation 22:4 “They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.” That desire that has always been in the hearts of believers will now be experienced. We will get to see Jesus as He is (1Jn.3:2). We will know the full redemption that is in Christ (Eph.1:14).
Revelation 22:5 “There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.” The desire of God for believers to reign in life (Rom.5:17) will now be met. They will reign with Him forever. What joy! What peace! What satisfaction that we will get to experience! It will make all the trouble, persecution, or difficulties you may have faced on earth seem like nothing! All those things will have passed away. Even our memory will have been cleansed of them. All the questions that we had on earth that we thought we would ask the Lord about will be forgotten. We will find that they are unnecessary. He is the fulfillment of our utmost heart desires.
BIBLICAL BASIS FOR DEATH
God was very explicit with Adam in Genesis 2:16-17 when He said, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you may not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
It is apparent to me that God is all about life. He is the possessor of life and all that it involves. He is the life giver both physically & spiritually. He made us to live forever. If Adam had not sinned, he and those following could have lived forever. But Adam and Eve sinned and thrust humanity into sin and death.
The Apostle Paul deals with this subject in Romans 5. Verse 5 says, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because all sinned.” This verse, and many others, shows us that death is a result of sin, not just Adam’s sin but our own.
Romans 5:15b “For if by the one man’s offense many died…”
Romans 5:16b “For if the judgment which came through one offense resulted in condemnation…”
Romans 5:17 “For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one…”
Romans 5:18 “Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation…”
Death, condemnation, and judgment came because of sin. But there is good news! Romans 5:20-21 says, “Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so, grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Jesus came and died for us and as us to defeat death and sin. He died, was buried, and arose victorious over it all!
Making Jesus the Lord of one’s life provides the grace to live life, and even face death victoriously. God’s grace (His unmerited favor and ability) will enable us to face anything that life or death presents to us. We are more than conquerors through Him.
The rest of Romans 5:17 says, “…much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” If Jesus is Lord in our life we already have what it takes to face death with a victorious attitude and outlook. We need to get this through our consciousness. We are more than conquerors IN Christ. He is the greater one in us. We can face whatever comes with victory.
Since death comes to all, let’s look at some Biblical examples of those who faced death and how they did it.
BIBLICAL EXAMPLES OF FACING DEATH
Genesis 5 tells of the chronology of Adam’s descendants by saying they lived so many years and they died. Over and over in Scripture, we see this mentioned. How did the patriarchs face death?
Patriarchs
Abraham lived to be 175 years old. Genesis 25:8 says, “Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.” He lived his life out to the end and fulfilled the plan of God.
Isaac lived to be 180 years old. Genesis 35:29 says, “So Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people being old and full of days.” We are supposed to live our life out to its’ fulfillment.
We have a good example in Genesis 49 with how Jacob faced his imminent death. He knew that his time to depart was near so he called in each of his sons and prophesied to them about what he saw in their future. Genesis 49:28b says, “And he blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing.” He gave instructions about where he was to be buried. And then Genesis 49:33 says, “And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.” What a way to go!
Moses lived to be 120 years old. Deuteronomy 34:7b says, “His eyes were not dim or his natural vigor diminished.” He was old but his body was still full of life. Apparently, he did not die of some sickness or disease.
The Scripture says about Joshua that he died at the age of 110. Joshua 24:30 says, “And they buried him within the border of his inheritance at Timnath Serah…” The idea is that he lived out his life and still did not enter into all that was possible for the Israelites.
Kings
Saul was chosen by God to be the leader of Israel. Early in his reign, he sought the Lord but the end of his life was less than stellar. While in a battle with the Philistines he was mortally wounded. He asked his servant to kill him but he would not; so Saul fell on his own sword and died (1 Sam.31). The Philistines took his body, cut off his head, and put his armor in the house of their god. This is not the way to die.
David was a good king overall. He was a man of war. When he knew that it was time for his death (1 Kings 2:1) he called his son Solomon and gave him instructions about how to face the near future. And the narrative concludes by saying in 1 Kings 2:10, “So David rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David.” David was known as a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam.13:14, 1 Sam.16:1).
Solomon started out doing many good things. He wrote many songs and proverbs (1 Kings 4:32). But he married many women who worshipped and served foreign gods who turned his heart from the Lord (1 Kings 11:1-3). As a result of this, the judgment of God came on the Israelites, some of which came after he died. 1 Kings 11:43 says, “Then Solomon rested with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.” As has been true of many, Solomon is known for many of the good things he did.
Prophets
Elijah had a fantastic ministry! Near the end, the Lord instructed him to anoint Elisha as prophet in his place (1 Kings 19:16). When the time drew near for him to be taken up, he and Elisha were together, and then it happened, “…as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven (2 Kings 2:11). What a way to go! Only Enoch (Genesis 5:24) and Elijah are mentioned in Scripture as never facing death.
Elisha had a tremendous ministry doing twice as many miracles as Elijah. Yet he became sick and died (2 Kings 13:14). Sometime later a dead man was thrown into his tomb. 2 Kings 13:21d says, “…and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.” Praise God! Apparently, his bones were still anointed and caused the dead to come back to life!
The writer of Hebrews refers to a group of faithful saints of long ago, “who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions…They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword…and all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith did not receive the promise” (Hebrews 11:33,37,39).
Whatever we may face, even death itself can best be confronted with a heart full of faith and trust in God.
APOSTLE PAUL ON DEATH
Death Related to Communion
In writing to the Corinthian Church, and to us, Paul reminds us that it is important how we receive communion. He says in 1 Corinthians 11:29-30, “For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason, many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.” He is saying that some were dying because of the irreverent way they were receiving communion.
Death in Connection with the Resurrection
In 1 Corinthians 15, in the context of the resurrection, Paul has much to say about death. Here are a few salient points:
1 Corinthians 15:26 says, “The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.” As long as this dispensation or covenant is in force death will be present. We know there is a time when death will cease. It is mentioned in Revelation 21:4, “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
Paul compares the dead body to the resurrected body in the following passages: 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, “The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.”
In the resurrection Paul instructs us in 1 Corinthians 15:52b “For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” As it is now this body is corruptible, subject to death, aging, and other things. But the day is coming when that will not be true. Death will be annihilated and we will overcome death and everything associated with it! 1 Corinthians 15:55 says, “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
Paul’s attitude about death is further revealed in Philippians 1:21-24, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. For if I live in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.”
Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 4:6-8, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
In these last two passages, Paul is anticipating being with the Father. He is almost jubilant about dying! What a difference from many who are facing death today.
WHO CONTROLS DEATH?
In the context of Jesus being greater than His creation and angels, the writer of Hebrews says, “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:14-15).
It is obvious from experience, as well as this passage, that Satan who is out to kill, steal and destroy had the power of death. But he does not have it anymore!
Notice what Colossians 2:15 says, “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” The “it” was the Cross.
1 John 3:8 says, “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil.”
Paul further says in 2 Timothy 1:10, “But has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”
The writer of Revelation says, “I am He who lives and was dead and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of death” (Revelation 1:18). The resurrected Christ has the keys of death!
Does Satan exist today?” Yes, he does, but he was soundly defeated by the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus. He has been stripped of his power. He is limited in what he can do today. Ultimately he will be consigned to the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:10) along with the dead and those who do not know the Lord (Revelation 20:14-15).
Hebrews 9:27-28 says, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him, He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.” Those who know Jesus as Lord and Savior will only die once (physical death); but those who do not know Him will die twice, physically and spiritually (Rev.21:8). Physical death will happen to all unless we are alive when Jesus returns. Those living Christians who are alive then will be caught up to meet Him in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17). Their physical bodies will be changed instantly (1 Corinthians 15:50-54).
So, why does death exist now? It is the doorway into eternity. When Jesus died on the Cross, He died for us and as us. He defeated eternal death for all those who make Him their Savior and Lord. Out of death comes a new world, one that is far superior to what we know life to be now (2 Corinthians 5:1-8, Revelation 21-22).
Seeing physical death, for the Christian, as a doorway into something better assures us that it is not final, it is transitory, a passageway into the manifest presence of God for eternity!
Psalm 30:5b says, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” It is o.k. to be sorrowful for a short period of time when a family member or friend dies! But don’t stay there. Don’t allow the devil to rob you of your joy, and God’s plan for the rest of your life, by continuing in sorrow!
Why We Often Mourn for Long Periods
In over 57 years of ministry, I have preached at hundreds of funerals. I have seen both believers and non-believers walk through dark days around the death of a friend. Some mourned for a few days and then moved on with life, others mourned for years and never got over it. Why does this happen?
- Miss them so much.
- Have a sense of failure.
- Think we did not do enough for them.
- Think that we will never see them again.
- Think that somehow God failed them by not answering their prayer the way they wanted it.
- Not being willing to submit to the will of God.
- We fail to see that for the departed one this is best.
- Thinking that this life is all there is.
- Fear of death & our own mortality – Hebrews 2:15
I am sure there are lots of other reasons one might give. These are some that I have had to deal with over the years. All of them can be resolved by coming to the Lord in humble submission to His Lordship.
TESTIMONIES
King David
David & Uriah’s wife had an affair and a child was born of that union. As a judgment, God took the life of the child (2 Samuel 12:13-15). While the child was ill David prayed, fasted, and would not be comforted. On the seventh day, the child died. David’s servants were hesitant to tell him. Finally, he overheard them talking and assumed the child had died. When they confirmed that he had died David arose, bathed, anointed himself, and went to the House of the Lord to worship. Returning home he requested food to eat. His servants asked him, “What is this that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive, but when the child died, you arose and ate food. And he said, ‘while the child was alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, who can tell whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me” (2 Samuel 12 21-23). This portrays for us the proper attitude we should have after the death of a loved one.
Man with Many Children
In the early 1970s, we pastored a small country church in western Kentucky. A member of the church was in his middle seventies who had outlived three wives and was now married to a woman half his age. He had 19 children, of which, the oldest was a Christian, along with the three youngest children of his last wife. I conducted his funeral at a neighboring church, in August, with no air conditioning. The sanctuary was packed and following the message, the friends and family came by the casket for the final viewing. His children, who did not know the Lord, began to pass out in front of the body. The undertaker and I had to use smelling salts to wake them up. When that was finished we took the body out to the cemetery which was next door. Again, as I was praying the final prayer they began to pass out again.
Why was this? Because 15 of his children did not know the Lord, and they had no assurance of ever seeing him again. Some of them had been estranged from their father for several years. They had no internal source of strength to carry them through this time. They were without hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13).
I have seen Christians respond the same way who did not have a Biblical orientation about death.
Refusing to Release the Dead
There have been many occasions that I have stood with a spouse, or child, beside the casket and heard them say, ‘I just can’t accept this, I can’t release them.’ Many times the person has been a Christian.
I remember on one occasion a man’s wife of 56 years suddenly died. We had been friends for nearly 30 years. This happened several years ago and to this day, he still has not gotten over it and moved on.
I have another acquaintance whose husband died several years ago, who still talks about him as if he were still alive on earth. She still is haunted by his death and wonders why he died.
Funeral of a Downs Syndrome Woman
Not long ago, I conducted the funeral of a woman in her 50’s who had died. It seemed by conversing with the family that they were not Christians. At the final viewing before they closed the casket, one of her sisters, who could not come to the funeral because she was ill, called a family member and had him put his cell phone up to the dead lady’s ear so she could talk to her. Folks, she was not there! This was something that may have made her feel better temporarily but had no other real purpose.
Long Term Visiting the Grave
Over the years, I have known at least two dozen people who have regularly gone to the grave of their dead loved ones to grieve. For most of them, this has gone on for years. Their world stopped on the day of the funeral. They seemingly cannot move on.
It is one thing to visit the grave to see that it is taken care of, or to place flowers on ‘decoration day’ but something else entirely to go to the grave to talk to them, pray for them, or mourn over them. They are not there! Sometimes this type of behavior comes real close to being necromancy.
Facing Death in my Family
My father died, at this writing, 50 years ago; my mother died about 38 years ago; and my oldest brother about 23 years ago. All three were Christians. I, along with my siblings, loved them dearly. We had the visitation, funeral, and burial without unusual events happening. My wife and I have visited my parents’ grave maybe 4-5 times to see if it was taken care of but for no other reason. I have never visited my brother’s grave. Why? Because we know where they are and have no special attachment to a plot of ground where their body is buried. We know that we will be reunited with them in Heaven and will get to enjoy their presence forever. So, we move forward doing whatever the Lord has for us as long as we are on the earth.
But You Don’t Understand, My Situation is Different
I stood with a young couple at the graveside of their infant who had died a few days after being born. I was assuring them of God’s grace, strength and mercy when the mother said to me, ‘you don’t understand, you are not a mother.’ I responded ‘yes that is right, but God’s Word remains the same.’
Why do we believe someone has to experience what we are experiencing before they can understand? I think because we are only looking at the situation from a natural perspective and leaving out the eternal one. If we believe that Jesus has experienced death and He understands it, it becomes unnecessary for others to have to do so. He is the one who heals the wounds, He is the one who will strengthen us and carry us through the dark days. We should have our focus on Him and His promises in the Word of God. We should pray much and worship Him freely. He may use our friends and family to speak words of encouragement, but His Words of life will be our strength.
Psalms 23
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
And to that, we say – AMEN!
This article comes from two of my little books, Appointed to Death, Raised to Life, and How to Face Death Like a Christian.