Most people view death as being "so final", and in one sense
of the word it is. When someone dies, that is it for this life here on
earth. Yet it is not the end. It is not final. Biblically speaking we are
eternal beings, and we will live forever somewhere - Heaven or Hell.
So how should we feel when a loved one dies who is a Christian? Of
course we will feel sad. We will feel the loss. We shouldn’t try to
circumvent that sadness. But let’s remember, the loss is only temporary.
We will see the person again in Heaven, if we have trusted in Jesus for
our salvation.
Death may mean a lot to us humans, but to God, it means very little. He
lives outside of time and space. Death is only something that happens in
time and space. God is just as close to someone who is alive on earth as
He is to someone who is dead on earth. Passing from one phase of existence
to another is somewhat insignificant to God.
In Phil. 1:20-22 we see that Paul would rather be dead and be with the
Lord than to stay here on earth. The only reason why he preferred to stay
on earth was to serve Jesus by preaching the gospel and to help these new
found converts. Other than that, he had no desire to hang around this
earth.
On two occasions I have had the privilege, and I do count it a
privilege to help someone pass from this life to the next by praying for
their passing. As I laid my hands on them and asked the Lord to take them,
it was a matter of a few minutes (5 and 15 minutes) when they left this
planet. Yes, they were two strange experiences, but remarkably amazing as
well. You might call these experiences a miracle. Helping someone to
Heaven is a great thing.
It is so important to maintain this eternal perspective when one we
love dies in the Lord. Yes, we will be sad, but its only for a
brief moment in the perspective of eternity.