Hope for the Dead

Hope for the Dead​—How Can You Be Sure?
WHAT CAN THE BIBLE TEACH US?
There Will Be a Resurrection!
Have you lost a loved one in death? Is it possible to see them again? Learn what the Bible teaches about resurrection.
The Resurrection of Jesus​—Did It Really Happen?
What Does the Bible Promise for the Future?
Job said to God: “You will long for the work of your hands.”​— Job 14:14, 15
Is it naive to think that the dead will live again? The apostle Paul did not think so. He wrote under inspiration: “If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are to be pitied more than anyone. But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep in death.” ( 1 Corinthians 15:19, 20 ) Paul saw the resurrection as a certainty. It was, in effect, guaranteed by the resurrection of Jesus himself. (Acts 17:31 ) That is why Paul called Jesus “the firstfruits”​—he was the first one raised to eternal life. If Jesus was first, then logically there would be others.
Here is another reason you can be sure of the resurrection hope. Jesus is the God of truth. “God . . . cannot lie.” ( Titus 1:2 ) God has never lied, and he never will. Would he hold out the resurrection hope, even demonstrating that he can fulfill it, and then turn his promises into lies? The very notion is absurd!
Why has God arranged for the future resurrection? Because of his love. “If a man dies, can he live again?” asked Job. “You will call, and I will answer you. You will long for the work of your hands.” ( Job 14:14, 15 ) Job was convinced that his loving heavenly Father would yearn to resurrect him. Has God changed? “I am God I do not change.” ( Malachi 3:6 ) God still longs to see the dead brought back to life healthy and happy. This is just as any loving parent would wish after losing a child in death. The difference, of course, is that God has the power
to do as he wishes.
Death is a terrible problem, but God has the perfect solution
GOD will empower his Son to bring unbounded joy to those who have mourned the loss of loved ones. And how does Jesus feel about the resurrection? Before raising Lazarus to life, Jesus observed the anguish of Lazarus’ sisters and friends, and he “gave way to tears” himself. (John 11:35 ) On another occasion, Jesus encountered the widow of Nain, who had lost her only son in death. Jesus “was moved with pity for her, and he said to her: ‘Stop weeping.’” Immediately he raised her son. ( Luke 7:13 ) So Jesus feels deeply about grief and death. How delighted he will be when he will turn sorrow into elation all over the world!
Have you been touched by grief? You might feel that death is a problem that has no solution. But there is a solution​—namely, the resurrection that God will carry out by means of his Son. Remember that God wants you to see
that solution. He wants you to be there to embrace your loved ones again. Imagine planning together for an everlasting future, never again to say good-bye!