“We don't die. Death is nothing more than just a gateway through which we go.”

Resurrection Is Coming

These verses from the book of John pull from a likely familiar story.

In it we meet three of Jesus’ closest friends, the siblings Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. While Jesus was away, Lazarus fell ill. Because they knew what their friend and Lord was capable of, Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that their brother was sick. So sick, in fact, that they feared the worst.

And by the time Jesus arrived, the worst had happened. Lazarus was dead.

Naturally Lazarus’ sisters were devastated. In their grief, they questioned Jesus, wondering what took Him so long, demanding to know why He didn’t arrive in time to help, declaring that He could’ve done something to save their beloved brother.

Jesus, in His wisdom and care, did what only He could do: He reminded them that this was not the end of the story.

Death is not the end of the story.

Resurrection is coming for those who believe.

If you’re familiar with the story, you know what happened next. Lazarus’ death wasn’t the end of His story. Jesus raised his friend back to life, then and there. That resurrection was literal, but ours will come in a spiritual sense. In the here and now, when we believe in Jesus, a new way of life is given to us. With it, we’re given a hope for a resurrection to come beyond what we can see now.

Like Lazarus, death isn’t the end of our story. There is life that lasts beyond what we can see. There is a resurrection to that life when we pass from this old one.

And because of Jesus, we can believe we’ll never die.

Instead, we can know that resurrection is coming.

A Prayer

Lord, help me believe in the resurrection of my life into the eternity. Though death is the end of life on Earth, there is a new life waiting for me in heaven. There is a resurrection to that life that I can look forward to with hope. There is a life spent in eternity with You.