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What the Bible says
What Does the Bible Say About Death?
The Bible does not pretend death is not real, but for those in Christ it announces astonishing news: death is a defeated enemy and the doorway to life.
Scripture grieves death honestly, yet it robs it of its finality. For the believer, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, and the grave is not a destination but a passage.
The Bible promises resurrection: because Jesus rose, those who trust Him will rise too. Death, the last enemy, will itself be swallowed up in victory, and God will wipe away every tear.
Key Bible verses
“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.”
John 11:25-26 · King James Version (public domain)
“Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”
1 Corinthians 15:54-55 · King James Version (public domain)
“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”
2 Corinthians 5:8 · King James Version (public domain)
“Yea, though 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.”
Psalm 23:4 · King James Version (public domain)
How this points to Jesus
Jesus walked into death and walked back out, breaking its power forever. Because He lives, death has lost its sting for all who belong to Him. He holds the keys of death and the grave, and He promises that those who trust Him will never truly die, but pass from death into everlasting life.