We are always confronted with the fact that people die. A lot of times it is loved ones or friends. Many times you hear people saying: "This was such a good person, why did they have to go?" or you hear: "He (or she) was just a kid, why?".
It is not easy to understand and sometime we don't understand it, but I want to try to shed a little bit of light on the subject. I am going to start with what the Apostle Pauls thoughts where on this subject.
PHP 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.
To live is Christ means that Jesus was his strength and his joy while he was here on earth. To die is gain means that he would be with the Lord and all of his struggles here on earth would be over. No more sickness, no more pain, no more struggles between right and wrong. In other words perfection and being with his savior.
Fruitful labor means he can spread the message of Jesus and because of it many more people may come to know Jesus.
This put Paul into a predicament, he wanted to go be with Jesus, but at the same time he knew he was needed here. Do you think Paul have a death wish? I don't think so, I think he just knew it would be much better in heaven. He didn't just think so, he knew because of his close relationship with Jesus.
Here is another example on this subject from the Bible: The book of the law had been lost and everyone had become corrupt. The book of the law was found and read to King Josiah. The king tore his robes which is a sign of humbling himself before God. He knew God was angry with the people for not following him and had the priest and some others inquire from God about the things written in the book and about the fact they had not been following it.
This is God's answer to King Josiah:
2King 22:19 Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people, that they would become accursed and laid waste, and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the LORD. 20 Therefore I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place.' "
In other words, because he had remorse about what was done God was bringing him home before punishing the people for what they had done. He would not have to go through this. He was going to a better place.
Another scripture:
ISA 57:1 The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. 2 Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.
If you read the above scripture and think about it, you have to come to the conclusion that if you live for God dying is a good thing not a bad thing. In this example from Isaiah it actually says God takes righteous people to spare them from evil.
Then also there are many places it talks about rewards and inheritance that believers will receive. See the following scriptures.
DA 12:13 "As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance."
Rev 14:13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them."
MT 19:29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.
These are just some passages that talk about the fact that if we live as followers of Jesus our deeds will be rewarded in heaven, which would be another reason to want to go "home" and why going is actually a good thing.
Then the bible also talks about what heaven is going to be like:
REV 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
This is just one scripture about heaven, and there are many more.
So what is our Conclusion:
I firmly believe that from a biblical perspective dying, if you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, is actually a good thing.
That does not mean that the people left behind won't miss there loved one or we shouldn't miss our friends. It would be a pretty cold world if we did not mourn our friends and family when they die. It is always a big loss. The good thing is some day we will see them again.
So the next time you hear of a child dying in a really bad situation, just think maybe God said: "This kid has had to deal with enough I am bringing him (or here) home to where he (or she) has no more suffering of any kind. And just like it said in Isaiah he may be doing the same with an adult. We do not know why God allows some things to happen, but one thing we can be certain of is that God will always do what is best. He always has a reason and a purpose.
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