Blessed Assurance

One day I was talking with my friend whose wife had died. He shared with me that a friend said to him, "I'm sorry you lost your wife". His reply? "Oh, I haven't lost her; I know exactly where she is!" To some this may seem like a rather bold or even flippant assertion. With so many `after death' theories, one might wonder how we can be really sure where our loved ones go after death, let alone where we ourselves end up. Yet confidence is appropriate for followers of Jesus Christ. We have the assurance from God's word that when we die we are buried in the grave until the day of resurrection and be judged about what we did in our life on earth. Thankfully, this is more than just wishful thinking. It is grounded in the historic reality of Jesus who came and died to blot out sins, so that we could receive eternal life after judgement (Rom 6:23). We know that there is life after death, for Jesus exited the grave and ascended to heaven where he is preparing the kingdom he will establish on earth for the righteous to live in.

So let us rejoice, because, for the followers of Jesus, death means a deep sleep. When Jesus comes his followers will be awakened and meet him at the judgement seat, and we shall meet with our beloved ones in the kingdom of God on earth.

Bro Isaac Kapa (Tongaren, Kenya)