What hope does the Bible offer those who face death or who have already died?

God has given us a lot through His inspired word. He’s given us the explanation of how death works and what it’s like, so that we don’t have to be afraid to face it when our time comes. Over 500 people saw Jesus resurrect and go back to His Father in Heaven, after his mission was completed. We don't have to guess. It's in God's Word.

He’s given us warnings against Satan and his deceivers, who try to convince us of the opposite, so we won’t be tricked and led down the wrong path. He has already convinced far too many that God is not real and there's nothing, after we die. Satan would love for us to believe that, so that we can be with him in hell.

God’s given us hope, a way to look past death and know it isn’t the end of everything. He’s given us a promise that, one day, He will return and set everything right again, including raising the dead! How sad that some just won't believe Him, but that will not stop prophecy from being fulfilled, as have all the other prophecies, to date.

God doesn’t want us to be deceived, to go off looking for hope in the wrong places. He doesn’t want us to waste our lives trying to reach out to those we’ve lost, as that is not possible. God warned that it is an abomination to the Lord, if we try to contact the dead.

So often, we get dragged down with our own grief, and wish there was some way for us to bring the ones we love back to us, to speak to them and see their faces. But rather than calling to our dead loved ones and trying to drag them back into this sinful, damaged world, we should let them rest in God’s care, knowing He loves them and will bring them back again when He returns.

Losing someone hurts. That’s the sad truth. But through that pain, we have to remember God loves that person too, even more than we do, and any who have invited Jesus into their hearts and lives to be their Savior, have heaven to look forward to. He’s looked after them, given them a peaceful place, where they can rest and wait, free from sin and sorrow.