As I write this piece, messages of consolation and grief have been flooding the online site of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila because of the recent death of three alumni, Rey Galvez, Rolly Luanzon, and Linda Bunag. They all belonged to the ‘71 First Batch of students who started studying at PLM in 1967.
The death of close friends brings so much sadness, and upon learning about their deaths, all we can do is send messages of sympathy to their bereaved families.
Indeed, these messages of sympathy can appease their sufferings, but it’s different when they learn what God’s Word, the Bible, says about the condition of the dead, where they are now and what will be their future.
God’s reminders will surely give us peace of mind, especially if we have read them in our Bible.
Have you noticed, my friends, that since most of us are seniors and some of us are facing health issues, the frequency of going to our doctors for check-ups is now regular, and of course, most of us are taking some medication for our health maintenance?
When penning this piece, I’m down with a heavy cold, but I still want to share these Bible truths about death.
I have based my piece on the Bible, so nowhere will you find that I have included my opinion or my personal views on the issue of death.
Life is very uncertain. Death is something we all dread; it’s a reality that is hard to accept.
We have to be ready for any life’s eventuality; indeed, we don’t have any control over what will happen to us today or tomorrow— death is always staring at us; it’s just in the corner, ready to pounce on us.
But, in understanding and knowing God’s Word, the Bible, as it tells us why we are dying and what the future holds for our dead loved ones, we’ll have not only the peace of mind to accept their death but, most notably to do something about our life now by living it in a meaningful way and having a close relationship with our Creator Jehovah God, the source of life(Psalm 36:9)
As to the condition of the dead, the Bible tells us they are conscious of nothing of all and death is likened to sleep. (Ecclesiastes 9:3, Psalms 13:3)
Yes, with the death of our loved ones, we are sad, but not very sad because we’ve learned from the Bible that they are just sleeping now in death, and one day, we will see them waking up (resurrection) from their deep sleep (John 5:28-29) to tightly hug them again and welcome back them back to live in the new Paradise on earth (2 Peter 3:13)
Our dear loved ones who are now sleeping in death are awaiting their resurrection to live here on earth, and they are not going to heaven to enjoy the company of angels as the common belief says. Ps 115:16 says, “As for the heavens, they belong to Jehovah, But the earth he has given to the sons of men.”.
We are all heartbroken by the sudden death of our family members, but we take great hope and comfort in the knowledge that Jehovah will resurrect them in due time.
Talking about death is something most people fear or are uncomfortable discussing –and they would instead think about the good things in life. As they say, it’s part of life, but it’s always an uneasy feeling dwelling on the subject.
But this is an eventuality we all have to face sooner or later; it’s a reality we cannot escape. We are here today and will be gone tomorrow.
Even most of our friends who are in the twilight of their lives would not even want to discuss death or even mention it; they would rather talk about having get-together parties, dancing and enjoying other life pleasures.
Let me end this article with something to reflect on our death because the Bible is encouraging all of us to contemplate death, as it says in Ecc.7:22 “Better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of feasting, for that is the end of every man, and the living should take it to heart.” Attending an interment is a reminder to us that the living will meet the same eventuality as our death, so now is the time to do something about life before we die.
We should not waste our lives pursuing wealth and fame, which are all temporary; we all leave these things behind us when we die. Why not think about the shortness of life and live it meaningfully so that when we die, we can look forward to the day when God will resurrect us and give us a chance to live again in this Paradise Earth {Psalms 37:29)?
