“For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:14
In Christ, death is NEVER the end! To our limited knowledge and sensory experience, death feels final and terrible. However, the reality is that we are eternal beings and death isn’t final. The souls of those who die in Christ go to be with Him immediately. They will also return with Him when He returns. On that day, their bodies will also rise from death in a glorified state and be reunited with their souls. And so, death is never the end. It is the beginning of endless glorious years with the Lord.
A Christian doesn’t need to fear death. The process of dying may be truly terrible, but death itself is merely the passage from our present experience into the eternal experience of God’s presence. When we die, we close our eyes to the physical reality we’ve experienced our entire lives and open them to the greater spiritual reality that we currently only understand by faith.
Let this be a reassurance to you if you’re a follower of Jesus. Let it also challenge you to urgent action for the sake of those who don’t yet believe in Jesus. These wonderful truths only belong to those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus. For everyone else, the future is every bit as eternally terrible as your future is eternally wonderful. While that is their choice (whether they realize it or not), urgently try and rescue them from that fate by introducing them to Jesus. #FollowJesus