Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– Woodrow Kroll
Not Goodbye
Death is never final for the believer and it’s not really “Goodbye” but “See you later” or “See you in the kingdom” which is the New Jerusalem which will descend out of heaven (Rev 21:1-2). The funeral for those who have trusted in Christ might be hard but imagine how hard it is to attend a funeral for someone who has rejected Christ all their life? That is “Goodbye, forever.”
Resurrection Ground
When I had a funeral not long ago, it wasn’t a burial ground where we laid the person. I would rather call it “resurrection ground” because the person who dies in faith is not there anyway. They are present with the Lord as the Apostle Paul said, “we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2nd Cor 5:8).
See you Later
Jesus once said that God “is not God of the dead, but of the living” (Mark 12:27). That’s why Jesus speaks in the present tense when saying, “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living” (Matt 22:32). This means that those who have died in the faith are not dead but with the Lord. Jesus speaks of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as still living…and they are!
Conclusion
Woodrow Kroll is right in saying that for Christians, it’s not “Goodbye” but “See you later.” It’s not goodbye because the person is not in the grave but with the Lord, so it’s resurrection ground and not burial ground, so for those who have passed into glory, it’s not goodbye but, see you later.
