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Both you and I have attended funerals—some of Christian believers and some that were not. Many non-Christian relatives often grieve with hopelessness–resigned that they will never see their loved ones again. On the other hand, Christian relatives of believers grieve, but not as those who have no hope of seeing their loved ones again. The Christian’s optimism about life after death comes from the Bible. One such text is in the book of Isaiah. God conveyed through the Prophet that the day would come when God would destroy death and the tears of grief associated with death. Here are the prophet’s words about that coming event from Isaiah 25, “God will remove the cloud of gloom, the shadow of death that hangs over the earth. He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign LORD will wipe away all tears. In that day, the people will proclaim, ‘This is our God! We trusted in him and he saved us! This is the LORD, in whom we trusted.’” Later, Jesus would say, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Every one who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die.” So when Christians attend the funeral of a fellow believer, they grieve, but not as those who have no hope of seeing their loved ones again. For Christians, death is just a doorway into eternal life.
