Many people believe in what would be a cruel God. That has taken their loved ones away from them and taken them to be with Him in heaven. Where the loved one has to look down on their suffering.
This is NOT true. Our loving Father would not allow that.
Many people struggle with the idea that, if their loved one dies and immediately goes to heaven, that loved one would have to watch the pain, grief, wars, suffering, and tragedies still happening on earth. For many, that picture raises difficult questions about Yahweh's love, mercy, and justice.
Scripture presents the reality of death:
The Dead Are Asleep, Not Watching
Ecclesiastes 9:5
"For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing..."
Ecclesiastes 9:10
"There is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest."
According to these verses, the dead are not conscious observers looking down on the suffering of those they left behind.
Their Thoughts Have Perished
Psalm 146:4
"His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish."
The Bible describes death as a complete cessation of conscious thought until the resurrection.
David Was Not in Heaven
Peter said concerning King David:
Acts 2:34
"For David is not ascended into the heavens..."
Even David, a man after Yahweh's own heart, was awaiting the resurrection.
Yeshua Compared Death to Sleep
When Lazarus died:
John 11:11-14
"Our friend Lazarus sleepeth... Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead."
Yeshua repeatedly used sleep as a picture of death because the next conscious moment for the believer is awakening in the resurrection.
The Hope Is the Resurrection
The comfort given throughout Scripture is not that our loved ones are watching us from heaven, but that they will live again.
John 5:28-29
"All that are in the graves shall hear his voice."
1 Corinthians 15:52
"The dead shall be raised incorruptible."
1 Thessalonians 4:16
"The dead in Messiah shall rise first."
This Is The TRUE Reflection Of Yahweh's Character
Since Yahweh is loving and merciful:
- He would not leave faithful loved ones helplessly watching the suffering of their families.
- He would not force parents to watch children suffer for generations.
- He would not force children to watch grieving parents.
- He provides rest for the dead until the time He calls them back to life.
Instead, the biblical picture is described as peaceful sleep in the grave. To the person who dies, centuries may pass, but their next conscious moment is the resurrection and reunion with those they love.
Daniel 12:2
"Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake..."
That is why believers find comfort in the resurrection hope:
Your loved one is not suffering.
Your loved one is not watching your pain.
Your loved one is resting.
And every day brings us one day closer to the resurrection and the great reunion Yahweh has promised.
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