[Eighth in a series of posts on Last Things] Encore Post: As winter approaches in many areas of the world, plants and animals begin to prepare for the change in the climate of their home. In the American Midwest, the leaves on many trees change color and fall from their branches. The Canada geese first fly in circles and then most head south for the season. The juncos, small sparrow-like birds, are the last to leave where I live and the first to arrive in spring. When these things happen, you can expect winter weather, and cold will not be far behind.
The date of Christ’s return is unknown to us. Jesus taught that even he did not know when it would happen — only the Father in Heaven. (Matthew 24:36) Yet we do know Jesus’ return is near. He told his disciples that they know summer is near when the fig tree starts to grow leaves. They knew — and we know — that time is growing short because we see the signs of the times that the Lord gave them.
Yet the signs of the times are not specific events, nor are they like variables in some prophecy algebra problem — you know — insert the invention of television, the establishment of the modern nation of Israel, the identity of the anti-Christ, and the use of bar codes, and then you know the year of Christ’s return. These signs are like those that identify the season — they tell us the kind of times that we live in. These signs tell us the world is passing away.
Since Jesus told his disciples they would see these signs in their generation, what is taking so long? Over two thousand years does not seem like soon — at the very gates — to us. St. Peter explains this to us. The return of Christ is not measured on our human calendar. It is on God’s scale. For the Father, a thousand years pass like a day passes for us. (2 Peter 3:8-9)
We had a similar experience. When we are on a long trip with young children, they often ask: “Are we there yet?” We say, “soon.” But while an hour or two is soon for us, it is very long for the children! He waits for the last person who will be saved to repent. And we should be glad for it — it includes us!
Yet still we remain alert. We do not know when that day will come, and the great marriage feast of the Lamb will begin. We want to be ready for that party!
[Seventh in a series of posts on Last Things] Encore Post: The question that most haunts our lives is the question of life after death. What will it be like? Will our spirits wander the earth, becoming the ghosts of popular imagination? Will they gain new bodies to work off negative karma? Merge with the whole universe or become a spiritual guide for others for a while? Will they go to a dark underworld forever? Will they go to a place to purge their remaining sins before being fit for heaven? Or will they cease to exist entirely when our bodies die? The Scripture tells us firmly “no” to these things. None of these fates awaits us or our loved ones.
It may come as a complete surprise, but Scripture tells us very little about what happens to us when death rips our souls apart from our bodies. Most of the passages that speak about the end of things focus on the second coming of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the bodies of all people, the glorious transformation of our bodies into our eternal, spiritual bodies, the last judgement, and eternal life for the saints and eternal death for the damned. The few things it tells us are often vague, sometimes speaking of their intermediate state (the theologian’s term for the time between death and the resurrection), and other times of our glorious bodies. There is even some doubt whether there is an intermediate state at all from the perspective of the soul.
No matter which description fits a Christian at the moment of death, for a Christian, eternal life begins before death, when God adopts that person as his own son or daughter. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, even if he dies, yet shall he live. And he who lives and believes in me shall never die.” (John 11:25-26; see also John 3:26, 5:24). They commend their souls into the hands of God. (Acts 7:59, Luke 23:46) For those without faith, death brings with it eternal separation from God, a prison for spirits (1 Peter 3:19) until the Last Judgement, after which eternal punishment in Hell with Satan and his angels awaits.
So, what can we conclude about the life our loved ones who departed in Christian faith enjoy now, while waiting for the resurrection of their bodies? They are with Christ in paradise (Philippians 1:23, Luke 23:43). The angels carry them to be with him and others who died in the faith. (Luke 16:19-31) There, God will comfort them and dry every tear from their eyes. (Revelation 7:16-17, 21:4) They are at rest from their labors, as Christ rested in the tomb on Holy Saturday. The deeds they did with faith in Christ will follow them. (Revelation 14:13) They are free once and for all from the Old Adam or Old Eve that plagued them in this life, and their sin are purged from their souls. (2 Timothy 4:18) They will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their father (Matthew 13:43).
What is certain is that, as glorious as life is in the presence of Christ now, the best is yet to come. When their souls return with Christ at the second advent, he will raise their bodies from the grave, reunite them with their souls, and transform them to be fit for eternity. Life in the world with Christ is good, at rest with Jesus better, but by far the best is yet to come. On that day, God will once again look at all he had made, and now redeemed, and say, “Look! It is very good!”
[Sixth in a series of posts on Last Things]Encore Posts: In Holy Baptism, Jesus unites Christians with his death and resurrection. Our sins are drowned in its waters, washed away forever. His death is our death, and his resurrection guarantees our resurrection. In his wounds, we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5) Yet every Christian will suffer and get sick. Except for the Christians alive when Christ returns, all people alike, rich and poor, evil and saintly, will die and their bodies decay. Jesus promised Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26) So, why do all Christians — including Mary, Martha, and Lazarus — still die?
The answer is very simple, but not very satisfying. The wages of sin is death. (Genesis 2:17, 3:17, Romans 6:23, Romans 8:10, James 1:15) God’s wrath punishes our rebellion with physical death (Psalm 90). Sin infects us through many means. We inherited original sin when we were conceived. Just as DNA is passed on to us, from parent to child, ultimately from our first father, Adam, so also is original sin passed on to us. (Romans 5:12) So, we continue to sin much daily. God’s sentence for this rebellion is that the soul that sins will die. (Ezekiel 18:4)
Our old Adam and old Eve, the sinful desire within us, called by Scripture the flesh, fills us with emotion and overcomes even our common sense. The world calls on us to fit in and thus abandon God’s will for us. Finally, the devil tempts us and tries to intimidate us into looking to our own interests. Baptism saves us but does not free us from the sinful flesh. The struggle between these forces on the one side and our new nature on the other lasts as long as we live. Only our death or the return of Christ ends this lifelong battle.
For those who suffer the death of loved ones, there is no tougher trial than the grief that follows. So, let there be no illusions: death is no friend. It is the last enemy to be defeated. (1 Corinthians 15:26) So, why does Scripture tell us: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” (Psalm 116:15)
Because Jesus died and rose again from the dead, the seal of the grave is broken forever. Now, for a Christian, death is the gateway to everlasting life. (John 5:24) Suffering comes to an end for them. Sin is removed from them. Their sorrows are turned to joy forever. (Isaiah 51:11, Isaiah 26:19) He wipes every tear from their eyes. (Isaiah 25:8, Revelation 7:17, 21:4) No one can snatch them from his hand. (John 10:27-30) They see God face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12) and live in the arms of their savior. They rest from their labors (Revelation 14:13).
So, Christians still die because they still sin. For them, however, death brings the blessings of eternal life. So we who miss them greatly grieve, but not as though without hope. (1 Thessalonians 4:13) The musings of Dr. Martin Luther at the death of his daughter say it well: “I am joyful in spirit, but I am sad according to the flesh. The flesh doesn’t take kindly to this. The separation troubles me above measure. It’s strange to know that she is surely at peace and that she is well off there, very well off, and yet to grieve so much!” (AE 54: 432, no. 5498).
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
The theme is this: The Lord shall come from Bethlehem to rule over His people and be their Shepherd.
In these sermons during Epiphany, I want to show to you that each of these Old Testament characters point us to Jesus. On Sunday, it was clear that Joshua walking through the Jordan River pointed us to Jesus walking into the Jordan River to be baptized.
But today we take a look at Micah chapter 5. And believe it or not, you have heard this prophecy before. This is one of the big prophecies in the Old Testament that give very specific details about Jesus. It is in this chapter that the priests and the scribes tell Herod about where Jesus is to be born.
I’ll admit that it’s difficult to imagine the context for this passage. For we in America are the biggest and strongest nation, and we have few threats against us. We have all lived our lives in relative peace and there has not been a land war on American soil. Most of us have never seen war up close, only on the news. But that being said, imagine that we are under siege by the enemy. Imagine that we are trapped and surrounded by people who do not like us. Imagine that you are the underdog and you are about to lose your homes and your jobs and your wives and your children.
Imagine that you are about to lose a battle and the war. That might not be a common context for us, but that was the daily fear of the people of God. For the people of God had been slaves for 400 years. The people of God had enemies all around them, the Canaanites, the Philistines, the Amalekites, the Moabites, all the -ites. The people of God were threatened in this Micah passage with destruction from Assyria. And the southern kingdom would later be exiled to Babylon. Then the Greeks and the Romans would rule over them. God’s people were rarely free. They were constantly under siege or made to be slaves.
In truth, I want you to know that the people of the Middle East have always been at war and have always wanted to destroy one another. It was true back then and it is true today.
But even with that context, even if we can imagine being under attack, God never forsakes His people. God promises to fight for them. God has promised to deliver them. But He does not call on Jerusalem to muster up troops. He does not expect to use the powerful and populous to protect His people. Again and again, the Lord God does not use the strength of the army to win the war because God wants us to trust in Him to overcome our enemies.
He uses the weak and the small for His purpose, and He delivers them. Hear the words of the Lord. But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,from you shall come forth for meone who is to be ruler in Israel. Imagine for a minute that North Platte was coming to ransack Curtis. It’s a crazy thought. But rather than calling upon Lincoln to save us, God would tell us that Stockville and Moorefield will come to save us. That’s no insult to Stockville or Moorefield, but that is so few people in comparison to North Platte. How could God do it?
That’s how it is, when God calls upon Bethlehem to save the nation. God uses the few to save the many. God demonstrates His power over against all the nations of the world to keep His people safe. He shall take from the least of these and from that small town shall be born a Savior. That’s why the priests and scribes tell Herod about this passage. Micah’s words had lain dormant for hundreds of years, but they were fulfilled in the birth of Jesus Christ.
And it’s a shame that the New Testament stops the prophecy there for it goes on when Micah says, Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. In other words, the battles will be waged, and wars will be lost. Land will be taken and families will be dispersed. The people shall be given up. Israel will lose. And they certainly did throughout their history. But when the virgin gives birth to Jesus, then the people will be saved. Seven hundred years later, God enters Bethlehem as a baby boy and all the angels announce it.
And here’s the Epiphany theme. When it says that the rest of the brothers shall return to the people of Israel, that means the Gentiles. That means us. In the grand scheme of things, one lost battle and one ransacked city does not compare to the love of God for His people. In the long range of history, the most significant moment was when Jesus was born in Bethlehem and died in Jerusalem. For this is a salvation that is way more than 1,000 people waiting to be delivered. In fact, through the birth and death and resurrection of Jesus, the whole earth has believed in Jesus the Savior and the rest of the brothers have joined in the heavenly host.
And here again Micah describes your Lord Jesus Christ when He says, He shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace. That’s the comfort that we need to hear. That’s the comfort that we know so well. That’s what Jesus Christ has accomplished, that He defeated our enemies. And that’s what He has accomplished, that He has established His Church. And we the rest of the brothers have joined the Bethlehem band of believers. And He, Jesus Christ the Lord, shall rule over us now and always and He shall be our Shepherd forever and ever. Amen.
Encore Post: Gnostics, pagans, agnostics, and atheists all tell us that the body is meaningless. The atheists will say that there is nothing beyond death. The Gnostics and pagans will say that the soul is the true nature of a person. Now freed from this mortal coil, the dead are on to a permanent spiritual existence.
This is not so, dear Christians!
The unnatural, violent separation of body and soul in death is a temporary state. In the resurrection of the dead, the final judgment, and the life everlasting that follows thereafter, we will be reunited with our bodies in perfected glory.
“Oh, that my words were written! Oh, that they were inscribed in a book! That they were engraved on a rock with an iron pen and lead, forever! For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” (Job 19:23-27 – KNJV)
“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” (Philippians 3:20-21 – ESV)
So, what do we do between now and then?
In Christianity, we have maintained a high view of the bodies of those who die in faith in Christ. Our treatment of the dead flows out of our understanding of the resurrection. We confess that our Lord is not done with this body. He will restore life and vigor to our bodies and our souls. We also confess the resurrection in the way we treat the bodies of the blessed dead.
We practice rites and rituals at the time of death. These include: the commendation of the dying, comforting of the bereaved, the funeral service, and the committal at the graveside. It’s erroneous to say these things are only for the living. We practice these rights for the living and the dead. Now, there should be no confusion here. The disposition of the dead is determined entirely by the forgiveness of sins by the atoning work of Jesus and faith in that same promise. But God is not done with the remains. So, we take great care to place the bodies of our loved ones into a safe resting place until the day of resurrection.
The scriptures have some indications of the practices we mimic. Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Leah, and Jacob are all buried in the cave of Machpelah in the field of Ephron the Hittite in Mamre. (Genesis ch. 23, 35, 49, & 50) The Cave of the Patriarchs is a religious pilgrimage site to this day. It is visited by Jews, Christians, and Islamists. The Islamist side of the Herodian building has a wall separating it from the other side. All visitors still visit the same site.
The committal at the graveside is a significant part of these collected rites. Your pastor blesses the body in its casket/coffin for the last time. He blesses the grave itself. In many cases, the pastor will remain with the body from its entrance into the church, through the funeral and interment, and leave only when the grave is being filled. He does this to serve as a visual representation of Jesus, in whose stead and by whose command he speaks. In burial, we place our deceased loved ones to rest in a bed in the earth. There their bodies rest securely under a blanket of earth until the Lord’s return.
It is best for us to bury a body in a casket/coffin. Our Christian burial practices are different from the pagans. We confess the resurrection of all flesh. The pagans confess the end of the flesh. In their confession, burning the remains, scattering the remains, or exposing the dead for scavenging are all “natural” treatments of an empty vessel. Since they do not believe in a resurrection, they treat the body like refuse. Christians have only recently embraced cremation as an acceptable practice. It is not the best option.
“But, Pastor, can’t God put them back together?” Yes, but that’s the wrong question. What’s the best option? Burial of the body with great reverence and care confesses the resurrection in word and in deed. It does not challenge or test God. Instead, bodily burial reinforces God’s promise concerning the body.
“What about those burned in fire/destroyed in combat/buried at sea?” We will often go to extreme examples to carve out defenses for less-than-defensible positions. We do our best based on circumstances. When there’s near total loss, we bury what we can. Even the military will place limited remains into a casket for transport home to be buried.
Even burial at sea is also a deliberate, careful practice. The body is sent to rest in “the deep.” Davey Jones’ Locker, or some other euphemism, is a place. It’s not a place like a cemetery. But it is a place in its concept. All the dead buried at sea go to rest in the deep together, like those buried in a cemetery.
Mandy and I have intent for each other. For our bodies, we prefer to be buried without embalming in meager wooden boxes, preferably a coffin in style. The eight surfaces of a coffin continue to confess the eighth-day baptismal promise in which we rest. We do not wish to have a viewing of any sort or an open casket. Everyone knows what’s in that box. There’s no need to imply something else. And at last, bury us among other Christians awaiting the resurrection on the last day.
Encore Post: We have two examples of the dead interacting from where they await the resurrection of all flesh. These two share little with us. But we need to know what they do share.
In Luke 16, we have the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. In torment in Hell, the nameless Rich Man is allowed to see Abraham and Lazarus. He speaks with Abraham. There is no interaction between him and Lazarus. The Rich Man sees nothing else of Heaven or Earth. And Abraham defines their positions thusly: “…between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.” (Luke 16:26)
We are probably safe in assuming that this is an abnormal interaction. The Rich Man sees neither Heaven itself nor the chasm separating them. His address to Abraham, directing him to order Lazarus, reveals no change of mind or understanding about his own state or lack of authority. He is hardened in his wickedness.
St. John reveals the souls of the martyrs under the altar, who speak. “When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out in a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.” (Revelation 6:9-11)
These saints under that altar have no love for the sin on the earth. They are purified of all sin. As a result, they see the whole earth as evil and in need of vengeance. We don’t want the souls at rest in heaven to see us. They will only see our sin. Jesus has compassion for us and is saving us. They do not and cannot save us. In part, this is also why we do not pray to the saints. They would cry out for our blood if they could hear us.
Thanks be to God that we are separated from there. We have one mediator between God and man, between Heaven and Earth. Jesus speaks for us, forgives our sin, and prepares a place for us. In faith, we await our own admission. In faith, we will rest secure. In faith, we will receive a crown of glory that we do not deserve.
Hang tight—What About the Disposition of Our Remains? Comes next.
Encore Post: In a previous post, I explained that death is the violent separation of our souls from our bodies. The body itself decays and returns to the ground in one fashion or another. God’s sentence on all human beings is fulfilled: “To dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19) For the souls of Christians, it has become the gate to paradise. For the souls of those without faith in Christ, it leads to hell.
Atheists and many pagan religions see death as the complete end of human life. They believe what their senses and the instruments people have created tell them. They cannot fathom a world without decay and death. “Change and decay in all around I see,” (Abide with me, stanza 2) seems to be reality. Eastern religions believe the universe is god and that souls are reborn until they work off their negative karma. At that point, they believe, the soul ceases to exist, merging into god. Mormons believe souls go to one level of heaven or another, ultimately growing into being gods themselves.
Yet God, who made the heavens and the earth, begs to differ. Souls continue to exist after death. Jesus declared of Christians, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” (John 11:25–26), “Whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.” (John 12:25–26) The same thing is true of those who do not trust in Christ. (Job 19:25-27, Luke 12:20, Matthew 25:12, 30, 46) So, the souls of Christians, children of God that they are, go to be with Jesus in Paradise, waiting for the day of the Resurrection of their bodies.
Even our bodies, which decay, will rise to life again. When Jesus returns in glory, the souls of the saints will be with him. He will call them from the grave, transform them into a transformed, immortal body. (Philippians 3:20-21, Colossians 3:4, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) There is a great deal that remains a mystery in the intermediate state, which theologians refer to as the period when souls are separated from their bodies. We should expect this, since we are sinners and the saints in heaven are purged from sin. The saints in heaven have every tear dried from their eyes, and we live in the valley of the shadow of death, filled with suffering and tears. Time no longer exists for them, and time is our constant taskmaster. Mostly, they see Jesus, and much about him is beyond our understanding. (see John 5:24, 1 John 3:2-3)
Because we love deeply our parents, spouses, friends, and children, it is hard for us to be parted from them in death. It is also difficult to be satisfied with what we can understand about their current state. Many of the things we say about them cannot be found in Scripture. Most of the time, these thoughts are harmless and comforting. We are better off, however, being content with what we do know. Our Christian dead are with Jesus. They left their sins in the grave, for they were baptized into Christ, who paid for them on the cross. Jesus greeted them home with joy, drying every tear from their eyes. Soon enough, we will join them. Unless Christ returns first, we will rise from the grave with them and be transformed to be like Jesus.
So, then, we are comforted as those who have a sure and certain hope. We grieve, but we eventually receive the peace of God. Their death teaches us to number our days and tighten our grip on his promise that those who believe in him will never die.
Personal Note: This encore post, first written a year before we knew my wife Kris was in her last days, captures my thoughts well today, as I now focus on the joy I have that she is with Jesus today. Permit me to share it with you today:
For all the saints who from their labors rest, Who Thee by faith before the world confessed, Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest. Alleluia! Alleluia!
On this All Saints 2025, a flood of thoughts and emotions occupies my thoughts. Six years ago, on Reformation Day, Evangeline Charissa Keller was baptized into the name of the Triune God by her father in the NICU in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Her entrance into the world was dramatic, and the shadow in the back of my thoughts was the remote possibility that she, her mother, my daughter, and her father would be at the Marriage Feast of the Lamb by that day. The Lord had mercy and blessed the work of doctors, nurses, and many others to perform near-perfect procedures. They all came through nicely and thrived as I preached at my son-in-law’s All Saints’ divine service that year. It was as if the Holy Spirit whispered, “Not yet, not yet.” This year, all is very well with them, and a very bright six-year-old joins her nine-year-old sister in delighting and challenging her mother and father.
Thou wast their rock, their fortress, and their might; Thou, Lord, their captain in the well-fought fight; Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true light. Alleluia! Alleluia!
Then my thoughts turn to those who are now at the Feast, resting from their labors. My own grandparents and grandparents-in-law, who lived and prospered through incredibly hard times, kept the faith in their own … unique … ways, who were often living examples of saints and sinners at the same time. I remember my grandmother Smith reading from the big KJV family Bible to me on her lap as a child. Also, my grandmother Schneider and her aunt, who gave me my first Greek New Testament as a confirmation gift. My parents- and parents-in-law, troubled in troubled times, yet still kept their faith. My father, that bruised reed, the Lord did not break. And now, in 2025, my beloved wife, Kris, who loved me, her children, and her grandchildren through constant pain all her life, produced endless beautiful and practical crafts that blessed many. Her straightforward, rock-hard faith was an inspiration to me and to many. All at rest with their Savior, two grandchildren whom the Good Shepherd folded in his arms while still in the womb, along with others. Fathers and brothers in the faith that taught me and many others, and laid the same stole of ministry on me as I have now laid on my son-in-law and spiritual sons. I am thankful for them and for their confessions, praying to be faithful to the Lord as they were.
O blest communion, fellowship divine, we feebly struggle, they in glory shine; yet all are one in thee, for all are thine. Alleluia! Alleluia!
Eleven years ago, I struggled with a massive infection in my heel. Several times, I told my pastor that I still believed what I had taught and confessed for these forty years as I went to surgery. Later, I was told that I was on the threshold of attending the Marriage Feast myself. It was as if the Holy Spirit said, “Not yet, not yet.” In those few years, I have continued to preach, to teach, cared for my home congregation when our pastor was on the threshold himself, presided at the weddings of all of my children, seen all my grandchildren save one baptized with the same baptismal shell with which their parents and others were baptized, passed the baton on to four of my spiritual sons, welcomed two pastors to our home congregation, and, with them, mentor vicars and fieldworkers. God has blessed me more than I deserve.
The golden evening brightens in the west. Soon, soon to faithful warrior cometh rest; Sweet is the calm of paradise, the blest. Alleluia! Alleluia!
And now I reflect: I was blessed to celebrate All Saints’ Day with my wife 34 times, thankful for each day we were together. I pray to thank the Lord for those who are safely home. I pray, after receiving the Lord’s Supper, to thank him for my late wife, for my ever-growing list of grandchildren, for my children, and for their spouses. I will rejoice that this year I can still hold their hands, speak with them through the ether, and see them all once in a while. Soon, all too soon, the angels will come for me or one of them, to join those at the Feast as the Holy Spirit no longer says, “not yet,” but the Lord Jesus says to one of us, “Welcome to the joy of your Father.”
But lo! There breaks a yet more glorious day; The saints triumphant rise in bright array; The King of glory passes on his way. Alleluia! Alleluia!
Yes, all too soon there will come to this vale of tears that day, whether we are here to see it or at the side of our Lord, when Jesus will return, destroy sin and death forever, call us all from our graves, make new the heavens and the earth, and dry every tear from our eyes. Lord, should you tarry beyond the end of our time, let at last your angels come to Abram’s bosom bear us home, that we may die unfearing. Come, Lord Jesus, come!
[Second in a series of posts on Last Things] Encore Post: This is one of a host of throwaway platitudes we may say at the death of a Christian. We’ve inherited … Or, more correctly, we’ve been infected by the language of a faithless culture around us. In the absence of the faith, in the absence of the certainty of the resurrection promise of Holy Baptism, the pagan world speaks from ignorance to sloppily salve suffering in grief.
None of these words comes from an evil intent. It’s honorable and good to try to speak peace to those in grief. But we’d do better to stick to the words and themes of the Bible.
“Heaven needed another angel.”
No, we don’t become angels when we die. Heaven’s angels are fixed in number. They are created heavenly beings. (Colossians 1:16) They are the messengers of God. The angels are His army, His mighty host. (Joshua 5:14-15; 1 Samuel 17:45) The angels are fearsome in appearance. (Luke 2:9-10) And God has charged His angels to protect and defend us from the minions of the Evil One.
The Evil One, Lucifer, the Devil, was also one of God’s angels. (Luke 10:17-18) He and one-third of the angels in heaven rebelled against God. They were cast out. (Revelation 8:10-11; 9:1-3) Satan and his demons (angels) now dwell in hell apart from God and make war to separate us from the love of Jesus.
God didn’t send His Son to suffer and die to redeem the fallen angels. He did that for us. We are loved and have been redeemed and forgiven in a unique way. Saying that we will become them denigrates the angels. It diminishes God’s love for us to deny that our path to eternal salvation remains human and regains our flesh on the last day. Not angels–fully perfected human beings.
“He’s gone. She’s in a better place.”
Where’d he go?! Is she in a better place, like Antigua? He was hooked up to an awful lot of machines the last time I saw him.
The science-y view of nothingness beyond death leads to language like passing away. They are “gone” in that there’s nothing more. When we say someone has gone to a better place. We’re agreeing that we don’t know where. It’s a grief-softening move for those without hope. But we have great hope and a tremendous promise.
We Christians have more to say than that. We can speak the words of the scripture to console and correctly locate our loved ones. The blessed dead in the faith are at rest in Christ. The better place to which they’ve gone has a name. They have gone to heaven! We should leap at the chance to name the place where they are. That’s true, consoling, faithful, and beautiful.
The scriptures say that someone has died. (see all of Genesis 5). If we’re still uncomfortable saying someone has died, the scripture still gives us softer words. These softer words contain and still confess the hope we have.
Gained Heaven
We can say that they have “gained heaven.” “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)
At Rest
We should say they are “at rest.” “Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.” (Revelation 6:11)
“And I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” (Rev 14:13)
If you go through an old Lutheran churchyard (cemetery), you’ll see a curious thing. When the gravestones switch from English to German, the common phrases switch too. “Loving mother/father and beloved child” give way to something else. You’ll see things like: “Hier Ruhet.” “Ruhet in Gott,” or “Ruhe’ in Christi.” These mean: here rests, rest in God, and rest in Christ.
Let’s stick with the language and imagery of the Bible.
Hang on tight—what happens when we die? Comes next.
[First in a series of posts on Last Things]Encore Post “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes,” quipped Benjamin Franklin. He was right about death, at least. In 1997, a satirical online newspaper ran this headline: “World Death Rate Holding Steady At 100 Percent.” They were right. All but two people in the world’s history have died — including God in the person of Jesus Christ! Yet all people fear death because it means that, in the end, they will lose control of everything. We do everything we can to extend life, and, in our age, we have done quite well at it. Yet still, all people will die, and some quite young.
Physically speaking, death is a process that happens as our vital organs cease to function. Practically speaking, medical science pronounces death when the heart stops without the possibility of reviving it or when brain waves cease.
Yet, death is much more than the end of our physical life. It is the judgment of God on sin. Since sin cuts us off from the source of our life, God himself, we will die. When God forbade Adam from eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, he warned: “In the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Gen 2:17). When Adam fell, he pronounced his sentence — and ours. “You return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19)
There is also another aspect of death that is not about the end of physical life. The essence of our life, our spirit, our soul, is violently separated from our bodies. For Christians who are redeemed by the atoning death of Jesus, the soul separated from its body by death is cleansed of its sin, relieved of pain and grief, and lives in paradise with Christ and the souls of all who are redeemed. There, they wait for the second coming of Christ. On that day, the Lord will call their bodies from the grave, reunite their souls and bodies, transforming them to be fit for eternal life.
