Will God Forget the Dead?

by Roy Holladay

Comfort and encouragement are not easy to accept when a loved one dies. How often have we attended a funeral and listened to a sermon extolling the virtues of going to heaven? Yet in many cases the family doesn't seem to be comforted by these remarks. Their anguish and sorrow is evident by the emotions on display. Choruses of grief, weeping and crying are expressed over the departure of a beloved parent, grandparent, husband, wife, child, relative or dear friend.

If a person goes directly to heaven when he dies, why isn't a celebration or party thrown for the deceased? Supposedly he or she is in heaven with God. So why isn't everybody happy? Is being with God bad?

Most ministers preach about the glories of heaven in trying to comfort and encourage the family and friends. Christian missionaries traverse the globe touting the merits and pleasure of heaven. Yet few people seem anxious to go there. People will do almost anything to extend their physical lives. They'll spend everything they have on pills, vitamins and medical procedures that have as their aim extending people's lives—in other words, keeping them from their ultimate reward.

Is there any hope for the dead? Do the dead simply cease to exist? Do they go to heaven, or, as Muslims believe, to paradise?

One of the fastest-growing trends in the Western world is the "New Age" movement. Under the New Age umbrella you'll find a potpourri of religious ideas, many of them influenced by ancient Eastern religions. One of the cardinal beliefs held by many in this movement is the belief in reincarnation—that, after death, a person is reborn to live another life as a human being (or as something else).

But do the Holy Scriptures support any of these concepts? Let's take a look at what the Bible says about the hope of the dead.

Read the full article at www.gnmagazine.org/issues/gn46/editorial46.htm

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