WHILE BACK I ATTENDED AN Adventist funeral, and it was a beautiful experience. It's true that tears were shed by many of us, but the sorrow we felt was cushioned and almost overshadowed by the appreciation of the life that had been lived and our anticipation of the resurrection.

In fact, this particular funeral was a celebration of life-a life that had been fruitful, enriching, and sharing. The person being remembered had been a musician, and as a result the program was packed with glorious musical tributes to one who'd known how to produce harmony and how to encourage and guide others in doing the same. The spoken comments were equally moving-tributes to one whose life had influenced other lives in many places. Even apart from the promise of resurrection there is a sense in which such a life continues to shed its influence with expanding horizons.

My browsing eye spotted a notice of somewhat similar intent in the church bulletin. It spoke of an appointment available to anyone to come and celebrate memories concerning an individual whose life on earth was over but whose legacy and influence were a treasure to both family and a wide circle of friends.

Admittedly, not all bereavements are that easy to accept. Often they appear as stark tragedy. The fruitful young life cut short; the mother or father of a youthful family, taken by violence or illness; the productive pastor or professor-or the irreplaceable companion-torn from us. The list of possibilities and actualities is all too real, and the crushing blow seems to strike with shocking frequency. It happened to two of my young college friends-one by a mysterious drowning and the other in a simple auto accident in which no one else was hurt.

Most of us have suffered or agonized through experiences like these. Such deaths are obviously tragic from the human perspective. But what about God's perspective? Sometimes we blame Him and almost demand to know why He did not intervene. Though we cannot answer all the questions, there is real value in seeking the biblical viewpoint on the subject.

The Biblical View of Life
First of all, we can state that God loves us very much and wants us to enjoy life within the framework of a special relationship with Him (John 3:16). God has given us life, intelligence, emotions, and the potential for relationships. He is a personal God who made us for a life of satisfaction and enjoyment with Him and with other beings. His plans for us include plans for abundant life for each individual as well as for His people in a collective sense. Even when chastisement is needed, He looks toward us and says, "I know the plans I have for you, . . . plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jer. 29:11).*

God intends that our present probationary life should be satisfying, providing us opportunity to develop character. And He is preparing us for an even more rewarding life in the future. Our imagination is hardly able to visualize the possibilities available even for the present, let alone for the future (1 Cor. 2:9, 10). Since God designed us, He knows the array of different types of experiences, challenges, rewards, and tasks that will make each individual happy. Life in God's future (as is the case in the present) will be rich with diversity.

The present world is permeated with sin and its effects. My father used to say, "It's dangerous to be alive." Visions of the Oklahoma bombing, calamities in Bosnia, the September 11, 2001, tragedy, and other stories of violence fill the media almost every day. Yet there is still much that is rewarding and rich and beautiful around us. I gazed out of the window while writing this article and felt the thrill of beauty from an array of fleecy white clouds sailing on feathery gray foundations over a refreshingly green landscape. This kind of beauty (in spite of sin) is still widespread. The question is How can we as Christians find the treasures and meaning of this life so as to live it to the full? How can we live it in such a way that death, whenever it comes, is not feared, but accepted as a brief interim before a glorious tomorrow?

As many Christian writers have observed, the Christian life involves a thrilling tension between the "now" and the "not yet." We live in a world of sin, yet God's grace is mightily at work. We can be members of Christ's kingdom now, but the fullness is still future. I think it was Pastor H.M.S. Richards, Sr., who used to say that for the Christian there is always much more beyond. The Christian view of the present life is rich with potential, and so is our view of the future life.

What the Bible Says About Death
It is reasonable to assume that if God is concerned with giving us insights on life, He will also give us insights on death. Although there's no one place that gives us all of the answers about death, there are many clues in the Bible that, together, enable us to form a composite picture.

A primary concept is that of death as a sleep. Jesus, on His way to the home of Jairus, spoke in a reassuring manner of Jairus's daughter as being "asleep" (Matt. 9:24). Some critics have argued, on the basis of Jesus' statement, that the child was not really dead at all, and that this, therefore, was not a true resurrection. It should be pointed out, however, that those who were with Jesus on this occasion took Him quite literally, some laughing scornfully at His assertion that the child was asleep. They knew she was dead and that she'd been dead for some time (Matt. 9:18, 24). In fact, she'd probably died before her father set out to reach Jesus.

Jesus also spoke in the same way about Lazarus: "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep" (John 11:11). But when the disciples misunderstood Him to be referring to natural sleep, Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead" (verse 14). In this instance any attempt to explain away the life-giving miracle is ruled out by the circumstances. Jesus had deliberately delayed going to the aid of the family so that there would be no question about whether Lazarus was really dead. Thus when He asked for the stone covering to be removed, there was an outcry. "By this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there [in the tomb] four days" (verse 39), remonstrated Lazarus's own sister, Martha.

In the sleep of death the individual is absolutely unaware of the passing of time. Like the sleeping passengers on a train who, when they awake, have no idea how far they've traveled-whether one station or a hundred. In death there's complete unconsciousness, with no thought, knowledge, or awareness (Eccl. 9:5, 6; Ps. 146:3, 4).

Solomon appears to have written the book of Ecclesiastes in his old age, despairing of his own waywardness, yet seeing some hope in God's grace as he approached his own death. He tells us in chapter 9 that everyone will eventually "join the dead" (verse 3), everyone will eventually end up in the same place, the grave (verse 10). Life is short enough, he says, so make the most of it; enjoy it, always remembering, however, that we're all accountable (Eccl. 12:13, 14).

Again and again in Ecclesi-astes, Solomon states that life is meaningless ("vanity"). But only if you try to live it apart from God is the implication. If you're living solely for personal gratification or indulgence, you'll inevitably be disappointed. However, his conclusion in chapter 12 is that the greatest pleasure and fulfillment will be in giving God our entire life to live for Him. When we start to wind down toward death in the declining years, there is great comfort in being able to look back on a life of fruitfulness in service for God. It would be very sad to simply have memories of selfish indulgence at a time when the body is functioning less and less than in its prime (see Eccl. 12:1-8).

And About Resurrection
Although specific details may not be explicit in the Old Testament, the reassuring note of the resurrection hope is still there. In Job, the suffering saint does draw hope from the thought of life beyond the grave. Most translators see references to the resurrection in chapter 14. In verses 7-10 Job draws a contrast between humans and trees: trees may be cut down and then spring forth again with new shoots and limbs, but humans lie down and breathe their last and are "no more." After this contrast, however, he makes a comparison. Humans are not like a tree; we are more like water. As the water soaks into a drying riverbed and then simply disappears, so we lie down and do not arise "till the heavens are no more" (verses 11, 12). And in verse 13 Job speaks of hiding in the grave, to be concealed until all present problems will be no more. Then in verses 14, 15 he claims the resurrection hope as he states: "I will wait for my renewal to come. You will call and I will answer you; you will long for the creature your hands have made."¹

It's not surprising that Daniel builds on this resurrection hope by assuring that "multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake" (Dan. 12:2). This is either a general reference to the resurrections of the future or, more likely, to a special resurrection of selected saints and selected guilty persons shortly before Christ's second advent (cf. Rev.1:7 and Mark 14:62).

It's perfectly clear that Jesus thought of death as a temporary situation, since He clearly emphasized the great resurrections of the future. In John 5:28, 29 He says that all will come forth, though for some it will be a resurrection unto life, while for others it will be a resurrection unto death (in fact, a thousand years apart in time [Rev. 20:4-6]).

The most vital fact about death is its coming demise! John Donne in the climax of his great sonnet states: "One short sleep past, we wake eternally, and death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die" (Holy Sonnet 10). In fact, it is already a defeated foe. As Jesus told Martha before raising Lazarus, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die"-that is, in any permanent sense (John 11:25, 26; cf. Matt. 25:46). Paul assures us that the dead in Christ will come forth changed and immortalized (1 Cor. 15:51-54). Jesus is the one who has won the victory over sin and death (1 Cor. 15:55-57), and He has the keys of death and the grave (Rev. 1:18). In this way death and the grave will themselves perish (Rev. 20:13-15).

Paul puts it very plainly in the book of Romans: "Mark what follows. It was through one man [Adam] that sin entered the world, and through sin death, and thus death pervaded the whole human race, inasmuch as all men have sinned" (Rom. 5:12, NEB). Then after speaking about these sad and pervading effects of sin, he gives the glorious conclusion: "But God's act of grace is out of all proportion to Adam's wrongdoing. For if the wrongdoing of that one man brought death upon so many, its effect is vastly exceeded by the grace of God and the gift that came to so many by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ" (verse 15, NEB). So death is terrible, with its frequent, rude, and cruel interruptions, but it is limited in power to a short time of apparent victory.

Paul can give strong assurance to the Christian church. The process is all set up for full restoration (1 Thess. 4:13-17). Therefore, the Christian does not grieve "like the rest of men, who have no hope" (verse 13). The Christian has not only hope but assurance. "Therefore encourage each other with these words" (verse 18).

No Morbid Waiting
I've had the privilege of seeing this assurance in action. Though living in a town that's somewhat of a retirement center, I don't detect a morbid waiting for the inevitable. Instead, I see men and women, many of them now without their partners, actively living their faith. Such a focus may not be easy-and the agony of loneliness and frustration is very real. But their lives demonstrate that the comfort of the Spirit is also real. While death may be approaching, so is the coming of the Lord. Many preachers are still active in preaching, writing, faith-sharing, running prayer and fellowship groups. I see women who could justifiably sit back and "let the young folks run things." But many do not! Rather, they lead out in Sabbath schools, in retired workers' associations, in volunteering at hospitals, and in senior citizen programs. Some come to the nearby university and are an inspiration to the students, with their wealth of stories, wisdom, and experience. Even among those who eventually have a deterioration in the physical quality of life and live in the nursing home, I see a love for singing hymns and feel the firm grip of a hand when the lips are silent. I see meaning in a pair of shining eyes. What a glorious resurrection morning is promised for these saints for whom death has lost its sting.

n the parable of the ten talents the Lord said, "Occupy till I come" (Luke 19:13, KJV). "Go on trading," in other words. That's what I see in my community, and I hope also in my life. It was Ann Lee of the Shakers who wrote about living "as though you had 1,000 years to live, and as you would if you knew you must die tomorrow."² Ellen G. White advised that "we should watch and work and pray as though this were the last day that would be granted us."³ With this kind of interest, urgency, and responsibility neither the threat of death nor the grip of death is dominating or fearful. We live now-joyfully, fruitfully, purposefully-because Jesus is coming soon.

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" (Rev. 21:4, KJV). We live, and perhaps die, in the light of the Advent! So "build each other up" (1 Thess. 5:11) with this assurance.

*Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture quotations are from the New International Version.

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¹ The last two verses of chapter 14 are somewhat puzzling. Verse 21 reaffirms the unconsciousness of death, but verse 22 seems to imply that some pain continues. It would seem that the pain is either metaphorical or that it's referring back to the pain that comes as death approaches.
² This statement has been mistakenly attributed to Ellen White. See the Comprehensive Index to the Writings of Ellen G. White, vol. 3, pp. 3191, 3192.
³ Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 200.

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A former missionary in India, Lloyd Willis (originally from Western Australia), is currently chair of the Religion Department at Southwestern Adventist University in Keene, Texas.