Real Hope for Your Loved Ones Who Have Died, Chapter Seven

IMAGINE that you are running away from a vicious enemy.  He is much stronger and faster than you are. You know that he is merciless because you have seen him kill some of your friends. No matter how hard you try to out run him, he keeps getting closer. There seems to be no hope. Suddenly, though, a rescuer appears at your side. He is far more powerful than your enemy, and he promises to help you. How relieved that makes you feel!

In  a sense, you are being pursued by such an enemy. All of us are. As  we learned in the preceding chapter, the Bible calls  death an enemy.  None of us can outrun it or fight it off. Most of us have seen this enemy claim the lives of people dear to us.  But Jehovah is far more powerful than death.  He is the loving Rescuer who has already shown that he can defeat his enemy. And he promises to destroy this enemy, death, once and for all.  The Bible teaches:  "As the last enemy, death is to be brought to nothing." (1 Corinthians 15:26)  That is good news!

Let us take a brief look at how the enemy death affects us when it strikes.  Doing this will help us to appreciate something that will make us happy.  You see, Jehovah promises that the dead will live again.  (Isaiah 26:19) They will be brought back to life. That is the hope of the resurrection. 

Next time: WHEN A LOVED ONE DIES 

From the Book: What Does the Bible Really Teach? 2005 and 2006