Death: has it really lost its sting?

A difficult subject

Death is a difficult subject for many, and if possible we will avoid talking about it. When it affects us directly then it provokes many different reactions. There is of course the intense grief, loss and emptiness we feel when someone close to us has died. Then again, on those occasions when we consider our own death we can experience fear and a sense of the futility of life. These reactions can be so uncomfortable that they cause some to avoid thinking of the subject altogether. It has to be said, on the other hand, that some people actually want to die, but this says more about their quality of life than it does about their expectations of what death might be like.

Our enemy

Death terrorises and tyrannises us. It is not hard to see then why the Bible calls it an enemy. Being confronted by such an enemy it is tempting to take refuge in myths and delusions. For this reason many people want to believe the myth which says that we all go to a better place when we die. Nothing could be more false than this; what is more, nothing could be more cruel.

Certainty

The historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ gives certainty to our thinking on the whole subject of death. During his life he dismissed the idea that we all go to a better place by teaching that there was a heaven and that there was a hell. His resurrection from the dead demonstrates that what he said is true. The fact that he is now alive even though he died on the cross shows us that there is life beyond the grave. It is also true that it shows us that he can be trusted in everything that he has said. The significance of that first Easter was that by raising Jesus from the dead, God the Father put his own seal of approval on him. It was, and remains, a declaration of the importance of Jesus Christ: this is the man we should listen to and believe in.

Warning

Not only does the resurrection give certainty to our thinking on death, but it also gives us all a serious warning. In declaring the importance and significance of Jesus Christ, the Bible tells us that the resurrection shows him to be the one whom God has appointed ‘to be judge of the living and the dead’ (Acts 10:42). The warning therefore is this: there is an eternal judgement for everyone who refuses to worship the Lord Jesus Christ.

Hope

The very same event however also gives hope to those who believe in him and who worship him. As he said to his disciples: ‘Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me ... I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also’ (John 14:1-3). His resurrection has paved the way for those who belong to him, so that they can have the peace of knowing that they too will be raised from the dead.

For those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and who follow him, death is nothing to be afraid of because it brings them into the presence of their Saviour and their God. For these, death really has lost its sting.

What about you?