Death of a Loved One
created by Johan
shown in American Standard Version
Death of a loved one is something that you can not avoid. It happes to all of us. I have in a short period of time lost two good friends who were in the 30's and my brother in law. All due to horrible accidents or illness. It puts a mark on you, and it is easy to scream at God and to be angry. Why did they have to go? And that is something that close to everybody goes through when they have been haunted by early death – not the least when it is a little child who leaves us.
To be honest, who can keep their calm in such a situation and only rejoice that heaven now counts another soul? For one, I can not.
The American Bible Society has some suggested passages for those occasions. I find them useful, but I would also like to add a very specific passage that was given to me by my friend Bill; John 14:1-4 "In my Father's house are many mansions".
Even though it might be a passage with many interpretations it gives a clear picture that we can all meet again, and that there are room for everyone beyond life as we know it. It can comfort even an atheist.
John 14:1-4
1 Let not your heart be troubled: believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, ye may be also.
4 And whither I go, ye know the way.
Ps 23
1 Jehovah is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: He guideth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, thou I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou hast anointed my head with oil; My cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness shall follow me all the days of my life; And I shall dwell in the house of Jehovah for ever.
Isa 25:6-12
6 And in this mountain will Jehovah of hosts make unto all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.
7 And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering that covereth all peoples, and the veil that is spread over all nations.
8 He hath swallowed up death for ever; and the Lord Jehovah will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the reproach of his people will he take away from off all the earth: for Jehovah hath spoken it.
9 And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is Jehovah; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
10 For in this mountain will the hand of Jehovah rest; and Moab shall be trodden down in his place, even as straw is trodden down in the water of the dung-hill.
11 And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst thereof, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth to swim; but will lay low his pride together with the craft of his hands.
12 And the high fortress of thy walls hath he brought down, laid low, and brought to the ground, even to the dust.
John 3:16-17
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.
17 For God sent not the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through him.
John 11:25-27
25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth on me, though he die, yet shall he live;
26 and whosoever liveth and believeth on me shall never die. Believest thou this?
27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I have believed that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, he that cometh into the world.
1Co 15:20-24
20 But now hath Christ been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of them that are asleep.
21 For since by man death, by man also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; then they that are Christ's, at his coming.
24 Then the end, when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have abolished all rule and all authority and power.
1Th 4:3-18
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification, that ye abstain from fornication;
4 that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
5 not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who know not God;
6 that no man transgress, and wrong his brother in the matter: because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as also we forewarned you and testified.
7 For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification.
8 Therefore he that rejecteth, rejecteth not man, but God, who giveth his Holy Spirit unto you.
9 But concerning love of the brethren ye have no need that one write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another;
10 for indeed ye do it toward all the brethren that are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brethren, that ye abound more and more;
11 and that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your hands, even as we charged you;
12 that ye may walk becomingly toward them that are without, and may have need of nothing.
13 But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that fall asleep; that ye sorrow not, even as the rest, who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, that are left unto the coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first;
17 then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Rev 21:1-4
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth are passed away; and the sea is no more.
2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven of God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall dwell with them, and they shall be his peoples, and God himself shall be with them, their God:
4 and he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more: the first things are passed away.
