Not many things are guaranteed in life but one thing that we can be 100% certain of is this, no matter who we are, what we do, where we live, rich or poor, our bodies will die. If we live long enough, one or more of the people we love may be diagnosed with a terminal illness and or die during our lifetime. This is a reality that we must all understand and accept because it’s an inevitable part of life. We will seek what God’s Word has to say about this subject. We will attempt to search the Bible for God’s Will for us when dealing with the terminal illness and or death of a loved one.
1 Thessalonians 5 and Matthew 24:42 are both scriptures that speak about the coming of the Lord on Judgement day. They describe that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night, when you least expect it. They are a reminder to us to live our lives in such a way that we should be ready to face judgement whenever that day comes. Although this is something that we as Christians believe, that final day has already come to billions who’ve died during the nearly 2000 years since those scriptures were written.
I’m sure we are all in agreement to say that it is paramount that we live our lives in a way that we are ready to face judgement but we will not be discussing our own death or preparedness, rather we will discuss the perspective of the person mourning who is left behind from the passing of a loved one or is going through a situation where someone we know is suffering from a terminal illness and facing the reality of a nearing death.
Accepting the reality of Death
We are all going to die, our parents, our spouse, family and friends. We must accept the reality of death but also understand that it is not the end of our soul and spirit. 1 Thessalonians 4:13 says, “13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”
John 11:25-26 says, “25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
1 Corinthians 15:42-44 says, “42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.”
Why does God allow premature death?
We all know that premature death comes because of different reasons such as sickness and disease, or something sudden and unexpected like a car accident. Sometimes the evil that men do causes premature death such as murder, suicide, and war. It can be an end result of years of living an addictive lifestyle such as smoking, drugs, drinking, or an uncontrolled diet.
The death of a loved one is harder to understand and come to grips with when the circumstance in which it occurs is sudden and at an earlier age than we expected. It may not seem like it at the time and we may believe there is no light that could come out of that situation but God has a plan and a purpose for everything. We may not see it at the time and it may take many years after that we see or realize Gods purpose. By the Grace of God, even the evil that men do is used in the end for Gods glory.
In Genesis chapter 5, we see that when Cain murdered his brother Abel, God was able to turn that evil and terrible act around. After the death of Abel, God gave Adam another son, Seth, who out of his offspring descended Noah, Abraham, and Jacob who God all used to establish his covenants with his people.
Terminal illness
We know and have faith that God heals the sick. There are many verses and examples in the New Testament about Jesus healing the sick. We also read that healing occurred through the apostles and even now many people continue to be healed through the power of the Holy Spirit. We should always pray for healing and the recovery of our loved ones who are sick and or facing a terminal illness.
Again, it may be difficult for us to understand and we may not see it at the time but sometimes healing will not come. Sometimes the person not being healed will bring the greatest manifestation of the Glory to God. John 9 says, “As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”
What does it mean “the Glory of God”?
When premature or unexpected death occurs to someone we love or when healing of a sickness or terminal illness does not happen, it is difficult to understand and accept. We know that God loves us, that God is always good. His will is for the best to happen to us and for us in every situation and circumstance. If this is true, why would He allow these bad things to happen to me? Why would he not heal my family member or friend who is suffering and dying?
The reason is because through the death and or the suffering, it will result in the greatest manifestation for the Glory to God. What this means is that the end result will be the greatest demonstration of God’s love, Gods power and fullness. The end result will lead to more people knowing God and coming to Him. The end result may be the convergence of someone who may not otherwise have been converted or know and come to God. We witnessed the Greatness and Love of God through the experience of living through the death of someone we know and care about. We may see an example of leaning on God’s strength through the person suffering through a terminal illness or we may see the Peace and Love of God exemplified in that person who is suffering yet is still at peace.
The manifestation of the end result may not be instant. Sometimes it can take many years before we will fully understand the reason for our suffering. Jesus was killed because of us and died for all of us almost 2000 years ago and even still now we see and will continue to see the great manifestation of the death on the cross.
What does the Bible say about mourning?
Accepting death and being prepared when the day come does not mean that we won’t be sad, cry and mourn the death of a love one. We will do this. It is a good thing and a normal feeling and process that will occur. We read in the Bible that even Jesus wept because of the love he had for his friend Lazarus who died. John 11:32-36, says”32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
35 Jesus wept.
36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
