Is Death An Enemy Or a Friend?

Have you ever formed a negative opinion of another person based solely on what you heard others say? But then, after you met that person and got to know him (or her), you realized that your previously formed opinion was not really accurate?

Is it possible the same is true of death? People often have a negative connotation of death, because of what they have heard others say. Consequently, they refuse to think about death, much less talk about it. But when we study what the Scriptures say about death, we learn that, to a faithful Christian, death is not an enemy, but a friend.

1) The Scriptures speak of death as going to sleep — Jesus said Lazarus was asleep. Jesus' disciples, mistakenly thinking Jesus was referring to physical sleep, told Jesus that Lazarus would get well. Jesus then plainly told His disciples, "Lazarus is dead" (John 11:11-14). Jesus' reference to death as sleep, reminds us that death is only temporary. Our physical bodies will one day be raised as spiritual bodies (1 Corinthians 15:51-54).

2) The Scriptures speak of death as taking a trip — Paul wrote, "I am now ready to be offered, the time of my departure is at hand" (2 Timothy 4:6). When a person "departs" he does not cease to exist, but merely goes from one place to another. Likewise, when we die, we do not cease to exist. We simply go from one place to another, either to "life eternal" or to "everlasting punishment" (Matthew 25:46; John 5:29; Romans 2:6-10).

3) The Scriptures speak of death as a change of residence — As Christians, we long for a "better country" (Hebrews 11:8-16). Upon our death, we move from a temporary dwelling (a physical, corruptible body) to a permanent dwelling (a spiritual, incorruptible body).

4) The Scriptures speak of death as gaining an inheritance — Paul wrote that "to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). Christ died in order that we may have "a lively hope" of an inheritance in heaven (1 Peter 1:3-5). However, there is a difference between gaining an earthly inheritance in heaven. We gain an earthly inheritance when someone else dies. But, in order to gain our heavenly inheritance, we must die.

Dear reader, death is a new "beginning" — not an "end." Let us as faithful Christians, be encouraged by this one very important point by the inspired writer, John, concerning death:

"Here is the patience of the saints, they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. And I hear a voice from heaven saying, Write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth: yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; for their works follow with them" (Revelation 4:12-13 ASV).

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets