Jesus changed the meaning of death for those who follow him. Death is no longer the wages of sin. The atoning death and victorious resurrection of Jesus Christ has forever changed the face of the last enemy. Christ has made death a friend to be embraced, unafraid. Death has now become the doorway to eternal life. It is a joyous thing, even a desirable thing.

The righteous shall be delivered from death itself at the last day,
even in death are delivered from the sting and curse of it,
so that, although they die, yet it is out of God’s love,
to free perfectly from sin and misery,
and to make them capable of further communion with Christ in glory,
which they then enter upon.
(Westminster Confession of Faith, Of the State of Men After Death)

When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable
and the mortal with immortality,
then the saying that is written will come true:
“Death has been swallowed up in victory.” (1 Corinthians 15:54)

What does death hold for Christians?

Death is the heart of the human predicament. Because we have all rebelled against our Creator in our own way, the Bible tells us death is the wage we earn for our sin and rebellion.

Romans 6:23 states, “For the wages of sin is death.”

Hebrews 2:15 reminds us that, Those who fear death are subject to lifelong bondage.

“Far from being prepared for death, modern society has made the very word almost unmentionable…we have brought all our talents into use to avoid the prospect of dying – and when the time comes we react with anything from excessive triviality to total despair.” (The Observer Magazine, 10-27-1968)

But we are not left in despair. We are not left in bondage to death because amazingly, as Romans 6:23 says, “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Though he did not have to face death, Christ voluntarily took our punishment, took our place, earned the wage we deserved.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17)

For those who accept this gift that Christ offers, according to the Greek word used in the Bible: “katargeo” death is destroyed, defeated, ineffective, powerless, nullified. Death is defeated and holds no power over those who have accepted Christ’s free gift of eternal life.

Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? (1 Corinthians 15:55).

Those who have accepted Christ’s gift cannot be hurt by their physical deaths because they have already passed from death to life. Christ himself said in John 5:24, “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has already crossed over from death to life.”

And 1 John 3:14, “We know that we have passed from death to life.”

So then, what does death hold for those who trust in this Promise of the Creator?

“Because I live, you also will live…I tell you the truth…You will grieve but your grief will turn to joy… you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.” (John 14:19; 16:20 & 22)

Death is unnatural. Because mankind was not made to die, our deaths bring grief, but that grief will immediately be turned to joy as those who have trusted in Christ cross over into eternal life.

The Bible gives us pictures to teach us how to think about death. In reading God’s Word, Christians amazingly can understand what death is all about, what death holds for the believer. Consider the following eight pictures given to ease our minds and teach us how to correctly think about death.

1. Divine Appointment

“It is appointed unto men once to die.” (Hebrews 9:27)

Because God has given us his revelation in the Bible we can live our lives and face death without fear. Death is, in fact, a divine appointment. We do not know how long we will live on this earth but our physical deaths are not a surprise to our Creator. God, “who works all things out according to the counsel of his will,” (Ephesians 1:11) has already marked his divine calendar setting an appointment time for us to enter heaven, where we will meet our Savior.

2. Blessing

“I heard a voice from heaven say, ‘Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on’” (Revelation 14:13).

This is one of the most positive and remarkable statements about death that you will find in the whole Bible. The biblical teaching on death is that it is a blessing for those who trust Christ.

Jesus changed the meaning of death for those who follow him. Death is no longer the wages of sin. The atoning death and victorious resurrection of Jesus Christ has forever changed the face of the last enemy. Christ has made death a friend to be embraced, unafraid. Death has now become the doorway to eternal life. It is a joyous thing, even a desirable thing.

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
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!
I am torn between the two:
I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;
but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.  (Philippians 1:21-24)

According to the Apostle Paul, death is not the loss that most of us think it to be, rather, it is a gain. Death is better, by far, not worse. Paul even goes so far as to say he finds it difficult to choose between the two. There is, of course much joy and blessing in a life of service to the Lord, but there is also happiness and blessing in death.

The caution here is that while death is a blessing for the Christian, we must never seek death. The choice is to be left in God’s hands. We are to do everything we can to save life, to preserve life, to warn and persuade others to choose life in Christ and then to leave the final decision to God, as Paul did.

3. Sleep

“Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

For unbelievers death is a hopeless situation bringing great grief. For the Christian death is likened to falling asleep. When Stephen was stoned to death the Bible said he fell asleep.

Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God…While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep (Acts 7:55-59).

There are times when we are overwhelmed and exhausted by difficult and even chaotic days at work or at home. How we look forward to lying down and getting a good night’s sleep. Just like sleep can be a great reprieve from the cares, worries, anxieties, and pains of this life, in our final sleep of death all the cares and pain of this world fade away as we are ushered into eternity. After the Holy Spirit showed Stephen his Savior standing at God’s right hand, the pain of the rocks hitting and killing him meant nothing.

4. Rest

In Hebrews 4:1 speaks to Christians about the promise of entering his rest.

Just as Israel wandered in the wilderness while they awaited their inheritance in the Promised Land, so too, the pilgrimage of the Christian will end on the day they die and enter into the land of rest, heaven. Until that time we will continue to be faithful to God in whatever circumstances he places us in.

“Those who walk up rightly enter into peace, they find rest as they lie in death” (Isaiah 57:2).

5. Departure

“The time of my departure is at hand” (2 Timothy 4:6).

Paul speaks of his death as a departure. Have you ever been away from home from an extended period of time? Perhaps you were deployed by the military in a foreign land or for some other reason you were forced to live as an expatriate away from your native country. While in exile you anticipated the day when you would be able to leave and return to your homeland. For the believer in Jesus Christ death is such a departure, it is leaving for our true home.

“Our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20).

6. Exodus

“And I will make every effort to see that after my exodus you will always be able to remember these things” (2 Peter 1:15).

Peter chooses an interesting Greek word to describe his death, exodon, translated in English as exodus. Think of Israel in bondage to Egypt. They were enslaved to cruel taskmasters. The Exodus was the turning point, literally, the road out, from bondage to freedom. Their chains were broken and they were finally free.

For believers the burdens of this life, the pressure to conform to this world, the slavery to our sinful nature, and the temptations that haunt and pursue us, will all be gone in death. We will be granted freedom just as Israel left behind her oppressors in her Exodus.

7. Folding up a Tent

“I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me” (2 Peter 1:13-14).

Death is like folding up a tent. Have you ever gone backpacking or camping for any length of time? We just returned from a week of camping on Assateague Island. It is great fun, wild horses, the surf, canoeing, and clamming in the bay, but there comes a point where you are usually glad to pack up the tent and head home to a shower, running water, electricity, warmth or even, perhaps air-conditioning. Or the believer death is like packing up and going home; it is the home that we have always longed for. Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2).

Paul said, “Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands” (2 Corinthians 5:1).

A tent isn’t made to last forever, but the house that God has promised us is everlasting. We are to enjoy the tent of this earthly life for now while we are here, however, God has something much better in store for us. The eternity that we lost will be restored. Remember, as the Apostle Paul said, “To die is gain.”

8. Gathered to Our People

“Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man full of years, and was gathered to his people” (Genesis 25:8).

We miss our loved ones who have died before we do. Our son Jon died 13 years ago and our parents died 5 years ago. But here, too, God gives us a great promise. In death, they joined “the spirits of the righteous made perfect” (Hebrews 12:23).

God made this promise to the faithful King Josiah,

Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the Lord…therefore I will gather you to your ancestors, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place (2 Kings 22:19-20).

If you have humbled yourself before the Lord, confessed your sins, and, instead of trying to earn you way into heaven, accepted the free gift of Christ, in death, God will gather you to your ancestors.

For the Christian death is not something to be feared. Our Savior “loves [us] with an everlasting love,” (Jeremiah 31:3), and wants us to understand that this foe has been defeated. He has given us these eight pictures so that we can be comforted. Death is a divine appointment that is to be seen as a blessing, to be compared to sleep, rest, or departing from exile in a foreign land. It is like the Exodus, being released from slavery and being ushered into true freedom. And finally, it is like folding up a tent and heading home to be reunited, with all of those in faith, who have gone before us — a cosmic family reunion.

In fact, in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, Jesus stated that when Lazarus died “the angels carried him to Abraham’s side” (Luke 16:22). At death, the angels, serving as God’s messengers, escort us home to heaven. “He died for sinners to bring you safely home to God” (1 Peter 3:18).

Understanding the reality of his heavenly homecoming, on his deathbed Oliver Cromwell, seeing his sad and weeping friends said, “Is there no one here who will praise the Lord?” (Olivercromwell.org). He understood that Christ took the sting from death and would soon escort him home.

The redeemed will walk there, those the Lord has rescued… They will enter Zion with singing. Everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. (Isaiah 35:10)

Charles Spurgeon described death like this:

The best moment of the Christian’s life is his last one, because it is the one that is nearest heaven. And then it is that he begins to strike the keynote of the song which he shall sing to all eternity. (The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit)

Spurgeon was anticipating the heavenly praise of God.

Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
To receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!
To him who sits on the throne and to the lamb
Be praise and honor and glory and power,
For ever and ever! (Revelation 5:12-13)

The bodies of men, after death, return to the dust, and see corruption, but their souls, which neither die nor sleep, having an immortal subsistence, immediately return to God who gave them: being then made perfect in holiness, are received into the highest heavens, where they behold the face of God, in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies. (Westminster Confession of Faith, Of the State of Men After Death)

Richard Loper is a member of Chapelgate Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Ellicott City, Md.