With the recent death of my mother I have thought a lot about death recently. The prevailing secularism of our society tells us death is normal and natural. Some believe this world is all there is, while others hold to some vague notion of heaven. For the right answers we turn to the ultimate authority, God and his Word.
Death is not normal or natural as the secularists teach us. Man was not created to die, death was not part of God's good creation (Genesis 1-2). Death came into the world because of the sin of man (Romans 5:12, Genesis 2:15-17, Genesis 3). Death is an intrusion into God's good creation and an enemy to be defeated.
How did Jesus view death? At the death of his friend Lazarus we read that, "Jesus wept" (John 11:35). We also read that Christ was, "deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled" (John 11:33). From this passage we see that Jesus mourned the death of his friend and that he was even angry at the evil of death. Jesus is God and he was without sin so these reactions to death are correct. The last enemy to be destroyed is death (1 Corinthians 15:26). Christ through his life, death, and resurrection has defeated death, sin, and the devil.
(1 Corinthians 54b-57)"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." (ESV)
At death the soul of the true Christian goes to heaven and then at the last day the believer receives a resurrection body that will be united to his soul (1 Corinthians 35-49). Christians will be in heaven where there will be no more pain, suffering, sin, or death (Revelation 21:1-4). Unbelievers will go to hell and face the wrath of God for eternity (Matthew 25:41, Revelation 14:9-11).
